Syberia II
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| Syberia II | |
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| Developer(s) | MC2-Microïds |
| Publisher(s) | XS Games, LLC |
| Designer(s) | Benoît Sokal |
| Engine | Virtools Engine |
| Release date(s) | 2004 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T (Teen) ELSPA: 3+ PEGI: 12+ |
| Platform(s) | Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox |
| Media | 2 CD-ROMs (WIN) 1 DVD (PS2), (Xbox) |
| System requirements | 350 MHz CPU, 64 MB RAM, 16 MB video card RAM, 16X CD-ROM drive, DirectX 8.1, 400 MB available hard disk space, Windows 98 (WIN) |
| Input | Keyboard, mouse, or gamepad |
Syberia II is a 2004 adventure game conceived by Benoît Sokal and developed by MC2-Microïds, and a continuation to Syberia. It is a third-person puzzle-solving game. Stylistically identical to the first Syberia, Syberia II improves upon the first game by introducing more realistic character animation. This game is not a sequel to the first game, but rather a continuation or second chapter. The game includes a recap of the first chapter, so therefore does not require the player to have experienced the first game. Sokal's latest adventure game Paradise has no connections to Syberia but does use the same high quality artwork and a similar interface.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
Syberia II continues the adventures of American lawyer Kate Walker from the first game as she abandons her increasingly stressful life in New York in order to accompany an eccentric inventor to a remote land in Russia known as Syberia where surviving remnants of prehistoric mammoths still live. But unknown to Kate, her controlling employer isn't about to let her just disappear on a wild adventure.
[edit] Romansburg
Kate begins at a small frontier town called Romansburg. Just like its prequel, there are several puzzles that Kate has to solve before being able to go on. One major puzzle is the mechanical horses that are owned by Cirkos, an old friend of Hans. He asks Kate to ask Hans to come and fix them. Later Kate finds Hans at Cirkos's pub staring at the horses. He faints and therefore Kate must find someone to heal Hans. From a little girl named Malka, she learns that the priests at the monastery can heal Hans. When she arrives at the monastery they refuse to let her in because she is a female. Kate steals some robes and sneakily goes in. The monks take care of Hans, but they are reluctant to let Kate talk to Hans. Kate learns from Hans that he had a friend at the monastery that went away to live with the Youkols. She finds the friend's notebook and finds out about a herb mixture that would help Hans. When Hans recovers, the monks do not let him out. Finally, Kate takes Hans out to the small cemetery, where there is a crack in the wall and a neglected coffin. Hans gets in and just as they are about to go, the priest finds out. The priest tells his men to take Kate and Hans, but Kate pushes off and jumps in. After a wild ride down the mountain where the monastery sat, they reach the bottom. Hans still needs to rest in the train carriage, so the duty of fixing the mechanical horses falls to Kate. When Kate does fix it, she hears a rumbling above. She soon realizes that the train has left without her and that two evil men, Igor and Ivan, have taken Hans and Oscar hostage and stolen the train so they could go to Syberia and take the mammoth ivory there. She finds a gangcar, but finds out that she will need an animal to power it. Kate remembers that Ivan and Igor had a youki, a cross between a seal and a bear, which would be just right for the job. Kate 'borrows' the youki and sets off to catch the train.
[edit] Wilderness
Kate finally catches up with the train when it barely makes it across a bridge that collapsed under the weight of the train. Unfortunately, Kate is on the other side of the bridge and so she must find a way to cross the river. The youki, which Kate names Youki, is caught up barking at a beaver across the river. Kate finds out a way to lure Youki away, and while finding out she spots a house across the river. She lures the youki and suddenly, a tree falls across the river. Kate and the youki cross the river over the tree and enter the house, which turns out to be a fisherman's house. After a brief exploration of the house Kate and Youki become trapped as a hungry bear prowls the outside of the cabin. Fortunately there is fishing gear out back, facing a river, and Kate is able to catch a salmon. But this bear is a picky eater and only wants one kind of salmon which Kate is able to catch with information from a handy fishing guide.
Once the bear leaves, Kate and Youki continue through the wilderness and come to a cliff where Ivan and Igor drop rocks from above. However a plane crashes in their vicinity and the evil men flee giving Kate the chance to scale the cliff after them. Reaching the top she is nearly run over by the men (holding Hans) on a snowmobile. Knowing she'll never catch them on foot Kate explores the area and finds a radar tower and the crashed plane piloted by Boris from the first game. Boris is trapped in a tree by his parachute and unconscious. After Kate finds a way to wake him, Boris helps Kate rig the co-pilot ejection seat to launch Kate back to the train before the evil men can escape.
Unfortunately they do escape by using the snowmobile and leaving the train behind. Oscar has been tossed in the snow and is too frozen to function. After Kate fixes him, Oscar tries to run the train but it remains stuck (the rear is too far over the ravine for the engine to pull it free). Kate disconnects the rear car and joins Oscar in the front. They (and Youki) continue their journey until they reach what seems to be the end of the tracks.
Kate explores and finds Igor who is frightened by the wailing of spirits. He confesses he just wants to go home. With some ingenuity Kate convinces him that she silenced the spirits and Igor takes the snowmobile abandoning his brother. Kate then confronts Ivan who holds her at bay until she manages to convince Oscar to offer some type of assistance allowing her to defeat him (in a manner of speaking) by breaking the ice they are standing on. Kate falls into darkness.
[edit] Youkol Village
Kate wakes in bed in an icy, underground village of the Youkol people. Fortunately enough of them speak English to enable Kate to function. She meets the Chief who informs her that Hans is with 'the Spirit Woman' and, after finding a way to her, learns he is not well. She tells Kate that Hans has "decided" to give up and the only way to rescue him is to enter his dreams and convince him to change his mind. Unfortunately the only way to enter his dreams involves fumes from a now-extinct berry. But in a frozen cave, many extinct things have been preserved and with the help of two small animals, Kate manages to get some berries and enters Hans' dream.
[edit] Dream
Kate awakens in the cave where Hans' accident occurred and finds the Mammoth doll. Returning to town she meets the child-version of Anna, Hans' older sister. Armed with her new information, Kate returns to the family home and meets Hans' father who says that Hans is locked in the attic as punishment. Kate discovers the door is in fact locked and there are no other ways into the room. Tinkering with the grandfather clock, Kate convinces the father it is time to go to work and he leaves but not before setting the key to the attic on a table. Entering the attic Kate convinces Hans not to give up and he tells Kate she must convince Oscar to "open up his heart."
[edit] Youkol Village Part 2
Kate awakes, finds her way to Oscar and explains what has happened. Clearly distraught, Oscar says they should focus on getting the train into the now open cave. The natives brought a towing cable but were frightened by Oscar and left it unhooked. As the cable/hook is too heavy for Kate and Oscar refuses to walk in the snow, Kate convinces the natives that Oscar is friendly and they complete the connection. After learning how to operate the machine, Kate tows the train inside the cave. Oscar bids an emotional farewell to Kate and departs. By the time Kate finds him he is with the Spirit Woman lying on the bed and seemingly falling apart. Hans is lowered into the remains which becomes an exo-skeleton/life-support system and Hans awakens.
The train tracks end and the voyage must continue on sea. Unfortunately the only boat available is virtually encased in ice but, as always, Kate finds a way. Kate, Hans and Youki board the boat and set sail for the island of Syberia.
[edit] Ice Floe
During the journey the ship crashes into an ice floe populated by an army of man-sized penguins. Kate leaves the ship to discover that the anchor has been released and stuck in the ice. She frees it and returns only to have her access to the ship blocked...by Ivan who had stowed away on the ship. Fortunately he is unable to get the ship sailing again and Kate finds a way of sneaking back on board and knocking Ivan off the ship. Ivan grabs the nearest thing to throw in anger which turns out to be a penguin egg. The penguins aren't happy about that and exact their revenge.
[edit] Syberia
The ship reaches Syberia at last and Kate and Hans explore; Youki has been hibernating since boarding the ship. They quickly discover their access blocked by large gates that require some animal assistance in opening. Kate finds a way to wake Youki who diligently performs the task. Hans finds a resting place to view the mammoths but none are present. Kate finds a way to activate a large noise-making device which summons them and Hans has a personal encounter ending with him riding one of the mammoths as they head off to the distance, leaving Kate to wave tearfully knowing she helped Hans fulfill his dream.
[edit] Conclusion?
While the ending of the first Syberia left an appropriate "cliffhanger" of sorts, a complaint among reviewers is that the ending of Syberia II is too abrupt, as it did not explain anything about what becomes of Kate after she reaches Syberia with Hans. Benoît Sokal has stated in interviews that there will not be a Syberia 3. Benoît Sokal left Microids shortly after the release of Syberia II and founded his own company White Birds Productions to release Paradise, a game that uses a similar style of gameplay as Syberia but is not related.
