Syberia II

aka: L'avventura di Kate Walker: Syberia Volume 2
Moby ID: 12892
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Description official descriptions

You find Kate Walker continuing her journey exactly where the first game, Syberia, ended. Rather than return to her life as a New York attorney, Kate chooses to journey with Hans Voralberg to the frozen northlands of Syberia aboard his futuristic train.

Kate, Hans and Oscar, the humorous automaton, will travel through four locations on their way to the mythical Syberia, where Hans believes the ancient mammoth race still exists. As the three make their way through the harsh, but beautiful, wintery landscapes, many obstacles will get in their way. The player has to talk to people Kate meets and solve situation-, inventory-based and mechanical puzzles. The single-cursor interface and the visual style (3D character models and pre-rendered backgrounds) are very similar to the original game.

Spellings

  • Сибирь 2 - Russian spelling
  • シベリア 日本語版 2 - Nintendo product page Japanese spelling
  • 赛伯利亚II - Simplified Chinese spelling

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Credits (Windows version)

166 People (153 developers, 13 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 78% (based on 53 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.9 out of 5 (based on 111 ratings with 6 reviews)

Bigger and bolder than the original, though not always for the better

The Good
* Much more exciting storyline than the first

  • Improved visuals

    The Bad
    * Frustrating puzzles

  • Environments lack variety compared to the first game.

  • May be too far-out for some

    The Bottom Line
    Syberia II was released in 2004, 2 years after its predecessor. Originally planned to be a part of the first game, the story was eventually split into two installments. As a result of this, Syberia II picks up exactly where the original left off.

    After the events of the first game, Kate Walker, Oscar, and Hans Voralberg are traveling on the clockwork train towards the farthest reaches of Siberia in the hopes of finding Syberia (no, that’s not a typo), an island which is said to contain the last living population of wooly mammoths. After stopping in the last village in Siberia, Hans falls sick to an illness, and things just go from bad to insane from there on out. Meanwhile, Kate’s law firm have hired a detective to follow Kate into Siberia in the hopes of bringing her back to New York.

    Compared to the first game, which was much more subdued and mysterious, Syberia II is far more action-packed and episodic. There are a lot of coincidences which take place over the course of the game, bumbling villains, daring escapes, noble sacrifices, absurd deaths, and even a dash of the supernatural. Personally, I think this is a much-needed change, but it also highlights the fact that this story was really split into two games. If Syberia was all buildup, then Syberia II is the payoff. At the same time, though, this approach will understandably turn off some fans of the first Syberia. That game was unusually grounded and subtle in its implementation of fantasy elements, and arguably more mature in its themes. By contrast, some of the things that happen during Syberia II require some extremely high suspension of disbelief. Imagine watching a Hollywood blockbuster sequel to a small independent film and you have a sense of just how big of a shift this is in tone.

    It’s also a far harder game than the first one. The developers seriously cranked up the difficulty compared to the original game, and I think they might have went too far in some regards. A number of the puzzles suffer from poor visual design. There were a few times where it was impossible to accurately read a necessary clue for solving a puzzle. Some objects are so hard to see because they blend in so well with the backgrounds. The puzzles themselves seem to rely more on moon logic compared to the original game. Unlike the first game, the interactive objects aren’t highlighted, adding to the frustration. On top of that, some of the devices you have to manipulate in Syberia II are much more difficult to operate in general.

    The worst offender is the size of some of the areas which separate the puzzles, which means minutes, potentially hours, of slow, aimless wandering until you either find what you’re looking for or just look at a walkthrough. I might have criticized the lacking puzzle difficulty in the original Syberia, but Syberia II only reinforces Microids’ decision to make the puzzles in that game so easy. When you’re on the edge of your seat waiting for the next story beat, the last thing you want to do is to get stuck on a puzzle about overcoming an arbitrary obstacle.

    With the exception of the final section, the entire game takes place in an icy landscape, so the variety that was present in the first Syberia isn’t here. Nevertheless, this is undeniably a better-looking game than the first, and it ultimately ends up being a worthy tradeoff from scope to detail. The backgrounds are more alive, and there is a greater use of lighting and particle effects. Even the quality of the FMV’s has been punched up a notch. However, the 3D character animations look a bit jerky at times, and seem to get choppy whenever text appears on-screen, though this could be an issue with the Mac port. Overall, though, it’s hard not to be impressed with the improvements in the visuals between the two games.

    If you played the first game, then Syberia II is essential. If you’re getting into the series for the first time, this isn’t where you want to start. That being said, I could understand why some will prefer the first game. The difficulty is cranked up far too much and the story is much more cartoonish and unbelievable. I personally enjoyed this crazy ride from beginning to end, even if the puzzles were extremely frustrating at times.

Macintosh · by krisko6 (814) · 2018

Good, but not as good standalone as the first Syberia.

The Good
Syberia II continues right from where the first game ended: Kate Walker and Hans Voralberg are traveling through Russia to find the fabled island of Syberia. This is the conclusion of the two parted story created by Benoit Sokal, who also is know of his comic books.

The game continues to stun with its beautiful, pre-rendered graphics, that provide scenery ranging from an old Russian monastery to a humid atmosphere of the finally found island of Syberia.

Again the story is forwarded with well done animations, which are even more plentiful than in the first part of the game.

The Bad
The same cons that applied on the first game apply also in here, but in some cases they are even multiplied. There are even more empty screens just for the show and what is even worse, there are couple of annoying pixel hunting puzzles in the game, as there's a couple of items you need, which you just can't notice from the screen, unless you by accident happen to whip the mouse in exactly right location. There also is a couple of puzzles you just don't get a single clue on, and you mainly have to solve them by trial and error.

The Bottom Line
Despite its flaws Syberia II is a good conclusion to a fascinating story. The game is short, perhaps even shorter than the first one, so it could have been better if the part two would have been a part of the original game, not a separate sequel.

Windows · by tomimt (397) · 2008

Lovely to behold, fun to play .. but not exceptional

The Good
This sequel should have been part of the first game .. really! In fact, I had read somewhere that Syberia 1 and 2 were made at the same time and were supposed to be released as one game. But, someone along the way decided to split them ... too long or some such silly reason. Anyway, if you haven't played either game, I would suggest you play them back-to-back.

To reiterate parts of my stellar review of the first game, Syberia II also features ..

  • Gorgeous graphical locales alive with motion and sound
  • Lovely, original orchestrated music
  • Lifelike sound effects
  • Well-integrated, logical puzzles
  • Excellent voice acting The graphics are outstanding. Detailed indoor and outdoor scenes bring everything to life. The trees and ground are laden heavily with icicles and snow - a real winter wonderland with snow falling almost continuously. You can almost feel how cold it is, and Kate even sneezes every so often to bring the point across. Realistic sound effects "immerse" you into the scenery. Listen to the wild animals and birds (the hoot of an owl and the growl of a grizzly bear) .. the briskly flowing brook, and icy wind howling by. The orchestrated music is beautiful, yes, but there seemed to be less of it in this 2nd segment. Since the woods in a winter setting are naturally very quiet, background music would have interfered with that peacefulness .. so I was happy receiving the "accomplishment" music only during the majority of game play. The best music happens during the ending segments. While you were faced with a multitude of mechanical puzzles in the first game, less of them appear in the second. Kate faces more situation and inventory type puzzles in Syberia II. Since the setting is entirely different, that makes good sense. I like the K.I.S.S. method (Keep It Simple Stupid) in game interfaces - structured for easy of use and functionality. I don't care about "frills" and, in fact, consider them as unnecessary "eye candy." Clear cursors, neat menus, uncluttered inventories, save/load one click away, minimal disc swapping etc. - that's what I prefer. In this regard ... There's not enough difference between the interaction cursors, especially those for pick up, use, and talk. So, panning around for that illusive object is the norm - just as it was in Syberia 1. I got used to it and was not overly hindered for the most part. One good thing is that Kate discards unnecessary objects when she advances to a new area. This keeps the inventory neat and tidy. Improvements I experienced may have something to do with my new P4 computer rather than in design or programming. I noticed less problems with cut-scene load time, for instance.

    **The Bad**
    The game's strict linear structure takes you back and forth, sometimes over long distances, just to ask that new question of someone. Of course, unless you know of a problem in real life, you can't ask about it. So, that makes good sense. It's only the traipsing around too far that I object to. Every once in awhile a cut-scene interrupts your wanderings - Kate's New York office is trying to find her. Those scenes didn't advance the story any, in my opinion, and appeared added in. (Kate is really not interested in her old life, after all.) Lip-sync is only fair in the few close-ups you have of the characters. I've seen much better in other games. Dialog paths and continuity needed improvement, but that was true in the first game, too (and I forgot to mention it in that review). It's like Kate's not listening or can't remember a conversation that took place only a moment before. Not a good trait for an attorney from the big Apple (some would say that's typical!).

    **The Bottom Line**
    While I enjoyed Syberia 2, it wasn't as good as the first, in my opinion. But, that said, I think that both are worth playing. Did I feel emotion like I did in the first game? ... almost.
    Was the ending satisfying? Not as good as the first and ... it left me wondering ...
  • Where will Kate go from here?
  • Will she live in Syberia for the rest of her life?
  • Is there going to be a sequel? Only time will tell.
  • Windows · by Jeanne (75956) · 2005

    [ View all 6 player reviews ]

    Discussion

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    hi xanthi dem Aug 25, 2007

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    Contributors to this Entry

    Game added by Jeanne.

    PlayStation 3 added by Charly2.0. Linux added by Plok. Nintendo Switch added by Kam1Kaz3NL77. Xbox 360 added by Kennyannydenny. OnLive, Gloud added by firefang9212. PlayStation 2, Blacknut, Android added by Sciere. Windows Mobile added by Kabushi. Macintosh, iPad, iPhone added by PolloDiablo.

    Additional contributors: Unicorn Lynx, Indra was here, Sciere, Stratege, Rik Hideto.

    Game added April 17, 2004. Last modified March 16, 2024.