Games

Syberia

This point-and-click adventure game was released all the way back in 2002, but I don't remember hearing about it at the time, only coming across it when I got back into gaming a couple of years ago. It seems to have its fans, and a series of sequels thanks to that, so it seemed worth a go (helps that these older games are often dirt cheap nowadays).

I started by installing the Mac version (via ScummVM) because, well, I'm on a Mac. I played for about 45 minutes, and felt like I could easily see why I hadn't heard about it back in the day. Gameplay was shockingly linear, with everything signposted to the nth degree — icons on screen indicated every possible action or interaction, with little to no additional stuff clickable beyond the basics required. There were screens you have to move through that serve no purpose other than elongating your journey and thus your play time; the small handful of puzzles barely qualified for the name... It's also terribly dated — not just the graphics (which I can absolutely excuse, because you can't expect cutting-edge visuals from something made over 20 years ago), but things like the voice acting and pacing. And some of it's just bad, like the dialogue writing.

Then, for various reasons, I installed the PC version (via Porting Kit) and, while it's not a night-and-day difference, it's clearly superior. The graphics are less murky, which makes the whole thing look more appealing; and there are no unsightly icons highlighting everything — like a proper point-and-click, you have to search around for what to click on. Okay, options are still limited (you can't look at everything and hear the character's thoughts on it like you can in, say, Lucasarts games; which is a shame, because it's that kind of stuff that really helps you connect to the character, rather than them being a blank avatar going through the motions), but it feels less like you're on a limited railroad.

That said, some of the problems are universal enough that they remain whichever version you play. In fairness, some of the 'problems' might just be because I'm right at the start of the game and it's easing the player in... but, still, none of it bodes well. A lot of it is the kind of stuff reviewers would've been dismissive of back in the day (although Syberia received largely positive reviews, with some dissenters); and there were other games of a similar-ish vintage that certain circles were dismissive towards for similar aesthetic qualities (Myst comes to mind) that were beloved by others and have endured to become classics, at least with some audiences. Syberia might be a similar deal.

Honestly, if it were a demo, I would've abandoned it; but I've paid for it (even if it was only a couple of quid), and the PC version is that bit better that I don't feel so disinclined towards it. I'll stick with it for at least a bit longer, then, but I'm hoping the overall quality picks up, and soon.