Unfortunately, Syberia: The World Before became the last game by Benoit Sokal. That project was finished while much unrealized left such there were games from gone White Birds Productions. It doesn’t mean what I have views on them as about Syberia: The World Before. I’m missing the maestro.
I made a habit to watch on big in minutes scenes, which have no option to skip, and surprise in getting control on one of multiple characters to whom doesn’t ignite interest where available action can be inevitable choice sometimes of one phrase in conversation or getting of always written next object to make a walk to the next room in few steps for watching of long engine video. That’s of what hardly to define as gameplay in Syberia: The World Before. I don’t see something add to topic on which I did a total devotion.
Many pointed places are for overview without hearing a comment, which I few times watched again, because I mistakenly pressed due to uncomfortable placement of camera that acts as glued operator in front of personage lying on implementation of 3D. Syberia games never had elegance in it while the last chapter is close to obnoxiousness.
And not for the sake of screenplay. Kate Walker didn’t get explainable motifs for this adventure. Coincidental discovery of painting of a girl, which in view of cellmate has similarities with heroine (I didn’t see them.) who asks in dying to find out about her. It would be equal to listening of bum in New York subway train. Kate Walker kills a guard without aftermath thoughts when a person as she must definitely something to feel. This story will constant in misunderstandings as soon it will about her easy escape from Russia. I heavy accepted narration and intended to delete it’s hopelessness. I found and check video in the end where Walker’s unreasonable searching of unknown person had necessity for her what allowed me, but without comfort, to complete a game. Perhaps, I had fifteen hours about revealing that portrayed girl is main heroine’s grandmother when it could resolve for very small time, but plot gave in drops by chronological order an information. And that mysterious person is famous what unbelievable that it was hard to find her. That’s among of multiple confusions as automaton Oscar in getting body of hedgehog accepts animal’s instincts and a machine can physically tire. Uncontrollable rolling away of Oscar Kate Walker compares with death of her mother and broken relationship with friend. She doesn’t think on climbing up of surprisingly for understanding closed cemetery’s gate. Considered as great detective Nick Cantin whose existence by writing of own diary still fails to catch Kate Walker in one town by knowing a guest house in which she stayed and visits for a night. I wouldn’t apply machete for a tree and especially if an axe nearby. Benoit Sokal used to evince reckless in scriptwriting what ruined his games, which had potential. These sequences of coincidences and nonsense circled in soap opera where monkey business in staging of scenes was often possible. It had personal rejection to characteristic in that searching personage where to my presumptions will appear a corroboration as I hadn’t like to Kate Walker who has aspirations to return to whom she was before. I can’t agree with her in doing restoration of relationship with a person who married on her fiancé. I was upset in appearance of hysteria and grumbling. She was running to train again, but it wasn’t Kate Walker in the end of Syberia.
Sometimes was a creative directing in frantic screenplay. Interaction in doing actions as pushing subject or clicking for something hitting allow to get embodiment for a playing character, but eventually it will turn and stuck as simple awful quick time events. Benoit Sokal demonstrated creativity in those shimmering moments of gameplay, which crushes by domination of engine videos what reminded FMV-games. I perceived it for a movie, not for the game. Music composed by Inon Zur had nothing impact for this script.
Syberia: The World Before has wonderfully elaborated puzzles as also no living commonsense in getting letter from automaton and a locker of a chest repeats two symbols in each wheel for make guessing, which is right. I watched the video as it was doing frequently later, because I wanted to quit in fast terms. I didn’t execute without necessity for storyline secondary quests, evaded conversations and stopped to look on subjects, which weren’t for picking up. I wanted to jump on that train in Syberia for leave behind this game.
