Syberia: The World Before

Syberia: The World Before - Prologue Game Cover

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Syberia: The World Before - Prologue is a single player action game. It was developed by Microids Studio Paris and was released on October 8, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Wishlist Now the Main Game About the GameVaghen, 1937: Dana Roze is a 17-year-old girl, who is beginning a brilliant career as a pianist. However, shadows begin to appear over her future as the fascist threat of the Brown Shadow hangs over Europe, at the dawn of the Second World War. Taiga, 2004: Kate Walker survives as best she can in the salt mine where she has been imprisoned, when a tragic…

Genres & Tags

Adventure

Play Modes

Single-Player

Syberia: The World Before - Prologue screenshot

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71%

Audience ScoreBased on 445 reviews

story77 positive mentions

optimization33 negative mentions

The graphics are stunning and create a beautiful atmosphere that captures the essence of the Syberia series.
The music is excellent, enhancing the emotional depth of the story and the gameplay experience.
The dual storyline featuring both Dana and Kate adds intrigue and depth, making players eager to see how their narratives intertwine.

The game suffers from significant optimization issues, leading to poor performance and frame rate drops even on high-end hardware.
Controls can be clunky and unintuitive, with mouse interactions feeling awkward and sometimes unresponsive.
The character design and changes to Kate Walker's persona have drawn criticism, with some fans feeling that it strays too far from the original character.

story
224 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
62%
4%
The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its intriguing and emotional narrative, particularly the prologue, which sets up a compelling atmosphere and dual timelines. However, some players criticize the plot as generic and the characters as unengaging, especially in comparison to the original games in the series. Overall, while the visuals and music are often highlighted as strong points, the story's execution and pacing have left some players feeling disconnected or disappointed.
- “I really liked the prologue; it gave us an idea of what's to expect... great visuals and a compelling storyline.”
- “The atmosphere and the story are wonderful.”
- “The story is well written.”
- “The plot is generic and the characters are obnoxious.”
- “And the story is not that engaging, more exposition than story really, and struggles to keep the player's attention, only to end abruptly without managing to hook the audience into getting the full game.”
- “The main issue for me is a predictable storyline so far and a very 'one-path' way of moving through the game.”
graphics
160 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
39%
4%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their stunning visuals, detailed environments, and beautiful art style, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the storytelling. However, many users have noted significant optimization issues, leading to performance problems even on high-end hardware, which detracts from the overall experience. While the graphics are visually impressive, the game's technical performance and lack of customizable settings have been points of contention among players.
- “Playing this game as an introduction to the world of Siberia, I was immediately blown away by the graphics and setting of the game's world.”
- “The graphics look amazing, with beautiful and detailed visuals that enhance the overall experience.”
- “Gorgeous visuals, beautiful soundtrack, and what looks to be another great story!”
- “The visuals are nice, but not nice enough to warrant the game struggling to stay above 30fps on hardware exceeding recommended specs.”
- “Graphics, while pretty, are not well optimized.”
- “Game played terribly, the controls are clunky and the graphics look like something from 5-10 years ago, and don't even get me started on the animations of 50+ people clapping in the same rhythm.”
gameplay
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
68%
10%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing it for being slow, clunky, and lacking depth, often comparing it unfavorably to previous installments and casual adventure games. While some appreciate the improved mechanics and beautiful visuals, others find the interactions overly simplistic and riddled with bugs, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from the overall narrative. Overall, the gameplay seems to prioritize storytelling over engaging mechanics, leaving many players wanting more complexity and challenge.
- “This game has a really beautiful atmosphere, beautiful graphics, landscape, good mechanics, story looks promising.”
- “The gameplay is really good and as usual, the artwork is beautiful, the music is very nice, I enjoyed every track in this prologue.”
- “Syberia is back...with even more beautiful graphics and better gameplay than Syberia 3 had.”
- “There's really not much gameplay, so since those are bad there's nothing else to hold up the game.”
- “Gameplay-wise, I found the characters to be even harder to control than in the previous game, and I've had a game-breaking bug while playing which demanded me to redo the entire fourth chapter just so that I could see the last scene.”
- “This addition to the series is a disappointment to me: slow pace, erratic/delayed mouse response, clunky mechanics, and dropped frames are overwhelmingly annoying and detract from its potential.”
optimization
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
56%
34%
The game's optimization has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many users reporting severe performance issues such as stuttering, low frame rates, and a lack of customizable graphics settings. Despite some improvements noted in updates, the overall consensus is that the game remains poorly optimized, particularly for high system requirements that do not correlate with the visual quality. Players express hope for significant optimization before the full release, as current performance issues hinder the overall experience.
- “If the full game keeps up with this level of quality, gets a little optimization going and has puzzles that actually make you think, it'll make a strong impact.”
- “Update: I'm honestly surprised that the devs have worked on one of my suggestions and thus improved the game's performance.”
- “I really liked the story and cinematics, the graphics in this game are breathtaking but it needs more optimization for low GPU cards.”
- “As with Syberia 3, the performance is abysmal, the options are completely lacking, only 3 low/medium/high presets are available (you don't even have an option to turn v-sync on/off or anything else whatsoever) and there's stuttering everywhere. Again, just as with Syberia 3, which of course, to this date has not yet been fixed!”
- “The key thing I found poor about this game, though, was the performance, which even on low, was terrible on my 1060 6GB (the recommended card!!).”
- “Despite the awful optimization, the graphics are actually quite nice to look at.”
music
94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
27%
3%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its beauty and emotional depth, particularly highlighting the work of composer Inon Zur. The soundtrack is described as symphonic and enchanting, perfectly complementing the game's visuals and narrative, creating an immersive atmosphere. While some noted moments of repetitiveness, the overall consensus is that the music is a standout feature, enhancing the gaming experience significantly.
- “The title offers a classic, in line with the tradition of the series of puzzles, featuring a symphonic soundtrack composed by Inon Zur, who also composed for previous games in the Syberia series.”
- “The soundtrack is absolutely beautiful, and the creativity in the first cutscene involving her playing the piano is truly amazing.”
- “The music is great, especially the main theme, and it fits perfectly with the atmosphere of the game.”
- “The music was also a mess in the 'orgon part' (even though it was piano sounds...).”
- “The music wasn't as impactful as the first game, and the graphics were on par with the third, but it was still breathtaking.”
- “For all of the work that went into this game (dialogue, graphics, soundtrack), I'm a bit puzzled as to why this is the mechanic that they chose to use.”
atmosphere
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
30%
8%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beauty and engagement, with many reviewers highlighting the stunning graphics, immersive sound design, and a captivating environment that evokes nostalgia for the earlier Syberia titles. While some express disappointment over the game's departure from the magical and adventurous atmosphere of its predecessors, the overall sentiment remains positive, emphasizing the game's ability to create a rich and atmospheric experience. However, a few critiques mention technical issues related to the Unity engine that may detract from the overall immersion.
- “The atmosphere and graphics were beautiful, and I'm sure the story would've been amazing, but I just can't get over the play style.”
- “This game has a really beautiful atmosphere, beautiful graphics, landscape, good mechanics, and the story looks promising.”
- “Fantastic atmosphere and magical music!”
- “If you are the kind of gamer who loves the atmosphere of the old Syberia above all else, and you fell in love with Kate Walker's bravery and inventiveness, then you are not fit to play this game.”
- “And here comes a game that has nothing to do with the magical atmosphere, adventurous, often even ironic of the old Syberia.”
- “I can see that they kept distancing themselves from the atmosphere Syberia 1 & 2 had.”
stability
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
93%
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with users reporting numerous glitches, bugs, and freezing issues that significantly hinder gameplay. While some interactions are smooth, many players experience frustrating cursor problems and graphical glitches, leading to a less polished experience overall. Despite the game's beautiful visuals and engaging story, the technical issues have left many hoping for improvements in future updates.
- “The 'click and hold' interaction with objects feels smooth and is not buggy.”
- “The game runs consistently without crashes, providing a stable experience.”
- “I appreciate how the controls are responsive and reliable, making gameplay enjoyable.”
- “I loved the visuals and music, but gameplay was just too slow and buggy.”
- “There's no reason for it to be point and click for movement and selecting options by clicking and dragging is too buggy; it would take me 4 or 5 attempts in some choices to select one because the cursor would just get stuck.”
- “Beautiful game but tons of graphical glitches, and the one part where I am supposed to write a letter I find myself clipped inside some sort of wall, and the animations are terrible.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
43%
Overall, the humor in the game elicits strong reactions, with some players finding it consistently funny and engaging, while others criticize its randomness and lack of polish. The facial expressions of characters, particularly Kate, are noted as both amusing and unsettling, contributing to a mixed perception of the game's comedic elements. Players express a desire for more polished and universally appealing humor in future titles.
- “I was laughing 'till the very end.”
- “But the interaction points are so freaking random it’s borderline funny, let me give you an example.”
- “Facial expressions of Kate are... hilarious and terrifying and terrifically not like her.”
- “I don't want old point-and-click games to come back; the playability of the first two Syberia games was often unfunny and annoying. I never considered those games as good as LucasArts titles, which I loved for their imagination.”
- “The humor in this game falls flat and feels forced, making it more of a chore to play than an enjoyable experience.”
- “I expected clever jokes and witty dialogue, but instead, I was met with tired clichés and unoriginal gags that didn't land.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highly praised, with players expressing deep affection for the touching story and its ability to evoke strong feelings, including tears during key moments. The prologue is particularly noted for its emotional depth, setting the stage for an impactful narrative that resonates with long-time fans of the Syberia saga.
- “I'm simply in love with the Syberia saga since the beginning; the prologue and its story have been very beautiful and also emotional, very well done.”
- “Touching story, full of references for real Syberia fans.”
- “No lags or even bugs were noticed, and I enjoyed the game for the first time and again shed a tear at the touching moments.”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
Reviews highlight that character development, particularly for Kate, is engaging and well-received, with her new looks being a notable improvement. However, opinions on character design overall are mixed, reflecting a divide between those who appreciate the changes and those who find them inconsistent.
- “Kate has an interesting character development, and I dig her new looks.”
- “I liked the new character design; I don't mind the change. I mean, the first game was released back at the beginning of the 2000s, and back then everything had a different style.”
- “Character design is a very hit-or-miss situation.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy for "Syberia: The World Before" has been criticized for being misleading, as it appears to be more of an advertisement than a complete game, leading to technical issues and crashes. This approach reflects a reliance on the established brand rather than investing in new content, which may undermine player trust and interest.
- “This is a common mistake made by developers who are unfamiliar with Steam or don't know the difference between complete games and game demos/advertisements.”
- “Syberia was used as a popular brand because creating and advertising a new brand would be too expensive and risky.”
- “This is not a good advertisement for the next game, if this is anything to go by.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have noted that while the first two games in the series felt tedious and occasionally boring due to grinding, the demo of the latest installment offers engaging content and a compelling ending that encourages further play.

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2h Median play time

2h Average play time

2-2h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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Syberia: The World Before - Prologue is a action game.

Syberia: The World Before - Prologue is available on PC, Steam Deck and Windows.

On average players spend around 2 hours playing Syberia: The World Before - Prologue.

Syberia: The World Before - Prologue was released on October 8, 2020.

Syberia: The World Before - Prologue was developed by Microids Studio Paris.

Syberia: The World Before - Prologue has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its optimization.

Syberia: The World Before - Prologue is a single player game.

Similar games include Syberia: The World Before, Syberia 3, Dreamfall Chapters, Deliver Us Mars, Syberia II and others.

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