Syberia: The World Before is now available on PC (Steam, GOG and Epic Games Store) and will launch later this year on consoles.

Check out the launch trailer here.



Happy Gaming!

Thanks Ana!

Thanks, Ana. Will go on my to play list. But it might be awhile. At $39.99 I’ll wait a bit.

What a sad time....I announce a new Syberia and in 4 days gets 2 responses. Years ago there would be pages of discussions on it already.

Maybe you can copy Orion's comments over from the Asylum Who thread .

As much as I like the Syberia games, I have to wait for a price reduction.

oldbroad It just makes me sad that we can't even get a discussion of any kind going for a game series that would normally have had such a huge response. It's a bit frustrating. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your participation in the threads even if it isn't your cup of tea.

These were my thoughts exactly. My best guess is that it has to do with the general disappointment in the third game. Many players, myself included, found the controls and interface clunky, the puzzles frustrating, and the storyline much inferior to the first two games, which were masterpieces in my opinion (and I know that most people here agree about that).

It also had numerous bugs, and felt unfinished in many aspects, and got bad reviews. So bad that I was surprised when a fourth game was announced.

HOWEVER, I’ve started up ”The World Before”, and played an hour or so. This far it’s a 100 % return to form for Mr. Sokal (RIP). It’s as well-written, touching and beautiful as the first two games. None of the problems from the third game can be seen here. The interface is streamlined and easily accessible – almost perfect, and movement is a breeze. I already love this game.

Good to hear Mikael!

Ana, I love when people post about what they're playing. I wish there was more of that!

If it's anything like the first two games, I'm in!! I've played the first two games at least three times, just because I love being in that world and I love the characters. But I just seriously hated the third game--I got about half an hour in and gave up--didn't like what they did with Kate Walker, mostly, but yes, clunky interface.

So thank you, Ana, for posting, and Mikael, for the good review--I'm ordering now!

Hello everyone!

I just finished playing Syberia The World Before.
Believe me, it's a great game! Intense, deep and touching! It has none of the flaws of the third episode and I'm sure Benoit Sokal would be extremely satisfied!
The story is so captivating that I couldn't stop playing!
Best money spent in years!

Thanks for posting your thoughts on the game Cookie!

Mikael and Cookie, thank you so much for your comments on the game. It really sounds wonderful!

OK. Given the comments of Mikael and Cookie, I'm in! To be honest, I just wasn't interested until I found out if it was going to be a repeat of the third game. Really, really good news and just in time for me getting my new video card installed yesterday!

I'm with most others who have replied here in that after Syberia 1 and 2, the 3rd game was a horrible disappointment and put me off buying any more.
But when the price comes down I will probably get the newest one after reading the comments on this thread.

As for "discussions", BrownEyedTigre, so many recent-ish games have had story lines or themes that haven't appealed to me at all. Way too dark, deep or sombre
And not wishing to start a negative discussion I have chosen not to start one at all.

I thought the trailer looked really good.

Right now Steam has a Live Broadcast with the developers playing.

Broadcast

Hear is the recorded whole Dev Interview and Gameplay on Youtube:

Interview

I also was not a fan of the third game, never finished it. The responses here have convinced me to try the new one, as I loved the first two.

Oh my goodness! I've been in a bit of a funk with the dreary, rainy weather we are having and coming home from work to see all these lovely interactions just lifted my mood immensely! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I would like to add another fundamental added value to any good game, namely the soundtrack.
Inon Zur has created a true musical masterpiece!
To see what I mean, check out the video on You Tube (Syberia: The World Before - Music Scene) and listen to that overwhelming music!!!

... I swear I'm not paid by Microids for this propaganda.

This is really an amazing game. Anymore it is a rare thing to actually play a good one. They are combo Tagged, not pure adventure. This is a pure adventure point and click. The soundtrack, dialog, story and the amazing graphics are just....what can I say....fantastic. If you can or get a chance, play it. Who knows when or even if another will come along. They are rare nowadays. I have put some links up so you can decide for yourself whether or not you are interested in playing

Read The Reviews

Excellent 14 Minutes Of Gameplay!!

Music Score Cookie Was Talking About

Microids Website

Walkthrough

This is so good to hear! After struggling with 3 I was very Leery in getting this one. Putting this on my to play list!

Now Orion has chimed in with even more good news! Definitely on my play list after the price comes down. I've got two FPS games and an RPG waiting for me right now.

I look forward to playing this now but will also wait for a good price drop.

One thing to consider--it's pretty important to remember to check the specs, because it needs a bit more video card than is needed for the older versions. Not as much as the large action games these days, but it does need an actual separate video card.

Sadly, I have a small form factor PC, so I'm contemplating options for how to get it to run better. Possibly a new PC that's big enough to support a graphics card? I broke down and bought a new PC to run Myst: Riven in 2000, so maybe.

It runs on my PC, with the graphics turned down, but it runs slowly. (Core i7/16GB RAM/SSD hard drives, Windows 10)

I too noticed that there wasn't much interest in replying Sheriff as this is a beloved series but I have a different angle about why you had to coax some response to the news. As you say years ago there would have been many pages of discussions once the news was out but years ago the Adventure community constantly was being added to by new players who discovered these amazing adventures we so love. Here at GB and other sites were always getting new members in their late twenty's on up who were starving for an escape into other worlds like Syberia. Unfortunately those days are gone and fresh adventurists are seldom found these days, at least very few compared to our heyday. We are now left with a smaller community with aging players who are too busy, moved on to other things, in failing health or cognitive ability's and yes, even perishing. Its sad but true as its not the Adventure games that are dying, its the players themselves that are. We are a dying breed (literally) whether we like to admit it or not but.....................Personally...I wouldn't change a thing as these games have brought me so much pleasure. For me, that is going on, just under, three decades.

Anyway...to the game...

I have to be honest, I bought the game from Steam as soon as I saw this Thread. I played for an hour and was so disappointed that I got a Refund from Steam because I didn't like it at all....In that first hour I didn't find any game play, just a lot of Walking, Talking and Reading. All things I dislike doing in an Adventure Game but...Read On.

For a whole day after my refund, I did a lot of thinking about why I didn't like this Syberia and in my head I revisited the first two games and in introspection went over the reasons of why I liked the world and the first games so much. I came to the realization that those games had a lot of walking and talking too so why did it bother me so much now? True, I think at the beginning of this new Adventure there was a lot of reading, more so, I think, than the originals, but I think I have been jaded over the last five years or so with very few games each year that are to my liking and the ones that are were first person Myst like or First Person Puzzlers that always kept me occupied with conundrums and things to do. This all being said I decided to give the game another go and got the GOG version. I am happy to say I am glad I did. Once I got past my perceived prejudices and let myself go, I fell into it and enjoying the journey very much now. BTW: The reading seems to have tapered off since that first hour.

The games controls are similar to the first two games. There are no Save slots, the games saves at certain spots by overwriting the previous one. The Save points are many as you will see a moving gear icon in the lower left corner when the game is saving your progress. What also helps is when you go the quit...the game tells you how many seconds or minutes it was since it made its last save in case you want to go back in to get to the next save point, which, believe me won't be long.

Long story short (haha kind of) I am glad this old codger took the time to search his mind for the whys and dove in again. Just finished a particular neat mechanical (Automaton) puzzle...cool.

I'm glad you gave the game another try GreyFuss. I've been going through some similar thoughts regarding games that I'm not enjoying as much as I think I would have if I played them years ago.

I think your thoughts are spot on, Greyfuss. However, I think with this particular game, the third one was such a disappointment after the first two which people loved, they didn't really get excited about the fourth one.

I know that was the case for me.

I wasn't disappointed with the third game at all, except maybe the controls and save issue.

I also enjoyed Syberia 3, oldbroad. Once they added full mouse control I thought moving around was quite easy. It had a great story (if a little dark in places), challenging puzzles (but nothing too hard) and impressive graphics. The use of non-player characters that are roaming around gave the game a more communal vibe. While Syberia 1 and 2 will probably never be surpassed, I enjoyed Syberia 3 and can't wait to start Syberia 4.

OK - I was not going to put my $39 worth of comment in ---- until I read this post. Also, the cost of the game kind of put me off a bit - especially these days.. I did finally decide to get the game though and I played it for about an hour and much like GreyFuss, I was disappointed too.

I was wondering how much longer do I need to do all this reading and walking around until the game was going to start to get interesting. After a while, I got a bit frustrated, and walked away - I didn't care about the loosing my place by not waiting for a "Save" because I had no intent on finishing it.

I did play the 3 previous games and am very fond of the series - even the 3rd game I managed to enjoy! That was a long time ago. I see much too many of our beloved adventure games in Stick Drawings, Cartoons, 1980 pixilated graphics on a $3000.00 system with enough power to run NASA and a general dissapointment in what is available for us....... So I am being drawn back into Syberia, if for nothing else, but to get that feeling back like I had with so many past games like this one, and give honor to Benoit Sokal ( my sincerest condolences ) and Microids, who put an enormous amount effort into this game.

My curiosity is also kicking in now, so I will forge forward with it -- on an inspiration from all of you.

Great sureshot! Keep us posted. I almost feel like dishing out the money so I can play while other people are playing but...

oldbroad, I almost pulled the trigger last night because of this thread too! But I just got Skyrim this week... yes, I'm one of the few that have not played Skyrim!

Hi oldbroad - Thank you ! I will post on this again..

That is exactly how I felt too ... 39 buckazoids is more than I would like to pay for any game, but there have been sooo many games that I just can't see playing, much less buying because they look like were designed for the old Atari Consoles ! It is mind boggling to me that with today's technology in PC's and Game Engines, we get games that don't even look as good as LLL's Larry Laffer !!!

I do hope this plays as good as it looks.

Hi BrownEyedTigre !

OK I will add a little to discussion - I have already posted that I started the game and stopped but will return. In all the posts here so far - seems like everyone is on the same page in that The game IS beautiful ! It Does play flawlessly ! and the stories are intriguing !

But I haven't heard anyone really talk the puzzles - and I do hope there are a lot of puzzles and not just an expensive "movie"

Hi All - I just finished this game ...

The game was a delight in every way... the Story, the Scenery, and the Game Play all top-notch. The puzzles were a bit on the light side, both in the number of them and in the difficulty in solving them... but all-in-all it was a game I did not want to miss especially as a Kate Walker fan.

I am glad I played it.

Good to hear sureshot!

I agree Sureshot.

I don't think there is a spoiler in what I am about to say but some may think it is so I will hide it

I guess time will tell GreyFuss.

Hi Guys

I totally agree with Cookie, just finished the game and it was absolutely fantastic, again I agree with Cookie the controls in the game where a lot easier than in the third episode. My biggest regret is that this is the end (or is it ) I recommend all you Gameboomers to play this game

Cheers All
SAFC

Yes GreyFuss - I did get the same feeling.. The end didn't really seem like an "end" to me either. I don't think we saw the end of Kate Walker... at least I hope not. !

Hi all. I rarely post but I am making an exception for this game which I am currently playing. For me it is both delightfully enchanting and regretfully relevant given these current times. I have been playing adventure games since the days of Scott Adams and Infocom and I can't remember a game I have enjoyed as much. The criticisms about price, controls etc are,of course, valid, but imho the game's immersive quality outweighs them. I would heartily recommend waverers to give it a try
All the best David

Thanks for your input davidlemon!

Thank you, davidlemon! I plan on getting it once it goes on sale - I need to whittle down my to-be-played game pile first too.

I am so glad posted davidlemon, and thanks so much for your input on the game.

Getting more and more tempted by this game but will HAVE to wait for a reduction in price !!

As is usual for me, I had some trouble with the controls. I got terribly lost in the Cemetery even though a map is provided, also my standard practice. I played through a second time and improved a little at the controls but not at all with my sense of direction. Consequently I have to say I absolutely loved the game. I dawdled to enjoy the music and the scenery. The story line was well plotted and thank goodness Sharon Mann was back. It was wonderful to be in Kate Walker's company again. In hindsight the game was well worth the price. I got to laugh out loud and the game brought a tear to my eye. A bargain!

Thanks for giving us your thoughts on the game, aretha.

I always dawdle at game scenery too

Syberia: The World Before is on sale at GOG and Steam for $32

Thanks, bought it.

I'll tell you what.....this was one of the best stories if not thee best story we have ever played. You'll play 2 different characters, Kate and Dana, in different times which kept your interest/curiosity wondering "What the heck is this all about".

It took us 21 hours to complete playing 2/3 hours on the weekends. Towards the end it really took hold of my wife. She started yelling at Kate , " GO! GO KATE! GOOO! I had to pause there for a second and take a look at her.

I usually run the game and the wife does the reading. Works out well. She loves to read. There is a good amount of reading most related to the game. One of the nice features of the game is you are able to enlarge anything read by clicking on "Read" on the bottom of screen. If I were to change anything about this I would have liked for it to have been read to us. Whether it was something on a wall, something picked up or journal reading it was all very interesting and moved the game along

Inventory was really cool. It never got overwhelming, very few items as a matter of fact. You would inspect items able to spin them around. There were hot spots on items and when clicked on would give out information. The use of items was made very easy. When an item was needed this neat little Inventory display would pop up allowing you to scroll through the items you have and use

You'll talk to many characters along the way getting information from them and in some cases listening to some history. You are given choices to either ask a question or make a comment. Very simple choices and not choice overload

Puzzles were well integrated into the game and also well placed.

What ever time you were in, playing Kate or Dana, the scenes were amazing. There were scenes I would have loved to walk through myself, do some shopping, listen to the birds on the trails, hear the waterfall in the distance or sitting there waiting on the tram to take me somewhere

The game does have auto save but does save quite frequently. I think we had about 35 saves in total. We would watch for the save display to quit. The game would auto start at your last save but you could go to a previous save if wanted.

All in all I think the game was genious. Benoit Sokal would be proud. We loved it and can only hope they continue on developing Kates story. It has been quite a ride

Thanks for your review of the game, Orion.

Thanks for all that game info Orion. It's good to know there is not just one save to continue on from.

Yes, I agree with most of the posters on this. In fact I have loved all of the Kate Walker games.

The opening scenes involving the orchestra were beautifully done.

Puzzles were not that challenging with perhaps the cemetery one being the hardest.

The ending suggests the series will continue.

I loved Syberia 1 and 2, I didn't buy 3 based on reviews. Metacritic scores for The World Before from critics and users is very high so I'm in.

I'll have to hide my comments for this. [Added later: don't look at this unless you've finished the game because it concerns
the ending.]

Hi RayBres. Long time no see. Thanks for your comments on this game! I still haven't played it, or even bought it, but I looked at what you wrote anyway. I'm sure I'll forget it by the time I play. I'm kind of thinking of replaying the other games again first but I'm not sure about all that, which could take me another year to get to Syberia 4. We'll see.

Nice to see you RayBres, and thank you for your comments!