Syberia II
Ages: Teen

OK -- so you have played Syberia. Now you MUST play Syberia 2 even though it is the dénouement of the story. In the first story, Kate Walker finally finds Hans Voralberg - a tired, weak old man who still insists on searching for Syberia and his mammoths. In a quick ending that bespoke of a serial, Kate makes the decision to not return to the States and join Hans in his search.

Syberia 2 picks up seamlessly with our trio Kate, Hans and Oscar the automaton in the train searching for fuel in Romansburg, the last outpost before heading into the tundra. There will be a side adventure to a monastery on a mountain top before they leave into the snowy wastes. Getting closer to their goal they come to the Youkol Village, a whole underground community made of ice and massive structures built from mammoth skeletons. Clearly they are close to finding Syberia. Do they find it and what happens when…, is for you to discover. The graphics are great, the constantly falling snows are both peaceful and chilling. Not as much music as the first one. All in all, it is sure to take you away from your daily life and pull you into Syberia.

There will be much talk about the meaning underlying the story. What is man and what is a machine and is there space between them for something other? Is there loyalty, accountability, and what of free will? What do we gain in helping someone else in their quest and what is our responsibility to ourselves. Heavy questions for a game.

Reviewed by: Editor - 09/04