Syberia: The World Before Review: A Poignant Tribute To Benoit Sokal

Having made its way to PC earlier on in 2022, Syberia: The World Before, has finally made its way to consoles. Being the fourth installment of a beloved franchise is already a daunting task, but, with series creator, Benoit Sokal, sadly passing away during the development cycle, the pressure was firmly on development studio Microids to continue Sokal’s legacy and deliver something that maintained the high standards the series is known for without his valuable oversight. With that in mind, it’s with great pleasure that I can confirm that Syberia: The World Before isn’t just a fantastic narrative adventure, but a title that the late Sokal would have been immensely proud of.

A Compelling, Touching Story

Taking place a year after the events of Syberia III, Syberia: The World Before has players once again assume the role of Kate Walker, the series protagonist originally introduced back in 2002 with the first title in the franchise. For those who are coming to Syberia: The World Before without having played through any of Kate’s previous adventures, fear not, as there’s a pretty useful recap of the events of the first three games that does a pretty decent job of getting the uninitiated up to speed.

When we pick up with Kate, she’s trapped in the salt mines as players left her following the events of Syberia III. Not long after, however, Kate manages to escape, with her sole possession being a painting that depicts a young woman that goes by the name of Dana Roze. Dana looks eerily similar to Kate, something that doesn’t go unnoticed by the former high-flying New York lawyer, and so becomes Kate’s new obsession as she becomes fascinated by Dana Roze and makes it her goal to find out who she was and her significance.

I’m reluctant to delve into too much detail on the narrative here as it would totally belittle the main reason why anyone enjoys a point-and-click narrative adventure, but what I will say is both Kate’s and Roze’s stories are magnificently told tales that touch on very serious and at times unsettling subject matter with the respect and delicacy you would expect. Dana’s story, in particular, is perhaps the best example of this, as it’s set against the backdrop of a world about to descend into war and frequently incorporates themes of prejudice, fascism and just how pointless war often is.

Despite being set in 1937, it’s a story that, at times, feels especially relevant in 2022, a year in which it has felt as though we are inhabiting a world that at times has felt like it’s edging closer to war on a scale the likes of which haven’t been seen since World War II. I was genuinely moved on a regular basis, especially when the story casts a light on how damaging blind hatred can really be.

A Traditional Adventure

The dual running narratives also have gameplay implications as you will find yourself in control of Dana as well as Kate here, with the game switching to Roze as Kate digs into and uncovers more about her life. The moment-to-moment experience doesn’t change too much between the protagonists, with the core gameplay loops involving the solving of many, many puzzles and sleuthing your way through environments as you look for intel and anything else you can interact with that might help move the narrative along.

Thankfully puzzle, solving is rarely challenging to the extent that it frustrates. I love point-and-click adventures, but I cannot say that I miss the genre’s more obtuse days, where puzzles followed little real-world logic and were seemingly crafted by a development team who had consumed copious amounts of LSD. Puzzles make sense in Syberia: The World Before, and I think going for engaging yet sensible tests rather than baffling conundrums really help retain focus on the magically told story that’s the real star of the show.

One criticism that could perhaps be leveled at Microids is that it takes an incredibly long time for the narrative to gain any steam. The early hours are very much spent walking through the beautifully rendered world at a snail’s pace, engaging in what are, quite frankly, uninteresting conversations. You’ll come across very little in the way of anything that challenges the player in the early stages, and while it does allow for Microids to flesh this world and the characters out well, it does also create a bit of a barrier to entry for anyone who appreciates a bit more instant gratification. Overall, though, I’m sure anyone who does manage to persevere will find that those early hours were well spent, as taking that time to focus on the world and characters really help later narrative beats resonate that much more.

Technically Uneven

At a technical level, Syberia: The World Before is a bit of a mixed bag. It’s a title that is dripping with detail at every turn and looks absolutely stunning. While it should, theoretically, only take you around twelve to fifteen hours to roll credits, my playtime became wildly inflated as I couldn’t help myself poking around the intricately designed environments and soaking in the atmosphere. This was especially true of Roze’s chapters, with the 1930s setting and the slight steampunk leanings, the series is known for creating a truly spellbinding look. This has always been a series that oozes style and originality, and it feels like, with the current generation of hardware, the developers are finally realizing their vision in full.

Unfortunately, although it looks gorgeous, the performance isn’t so great. Syberia: The World Before aims for 30fps, but rarely feels like it’s hitting it. I’m not sure if it’s actually dropping frames, or if it’s a weird frame pacing issue, but I was constantly plagued by stuttering that made it feel as though I was playing on a vibrating screen. While I would consider myself fairly tolerant of framerate issues, I really struggled with the stuttering to the extent that I could frequently feel my eyes straining the longer I played and was forced to take breaks, even when I was so gripped by the narrative that stopping playing was the last thing I wanted to do. Hopefully, some patches can sort the issue out, and ultimately, everything else in the package is so strong that it makes playing in its current state worthwhile. Still, it’s definitely something to be mindful of if you have an especially low tolerance for frame issues, and there is absolutely no excuse for Syberia: The World Before running like this on the hardware it’s running on.

Despite a slow start and some persistent technical issues that are inexcusable, Syberia: The World Before is a fantastic narrative adventure that continues the series in spectacular fashion, and does Benoit Sokal’s legacy proud. It’s not clear where Syberia as a series goes from here now that the Sokal is sadly no longer around to steer the ship, but I have full faith after playing Syberia: The World Before that Microids is more than capable of continuing to deliver more incredible tales in this universe.

Final Verdict: 4/5

Available On: PS5 (reviewed) PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC; Publisher Microids; Developer: Microids Studio Paris; Released: 15 November, 2022; Players: 1; ESRB: T for Teen; MSRP: $49.99

Full disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher.