Remasters and remakes may have become a touch too common in gaming these days, but it seems there’s still plenty of room in the market for those with some actual effort put into them. As with the2020 Demon’s Souls remakeand now again withThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remasteredfans are absolutely still ready to either revisit old classics or try them out for the first time. And sinceSyberia - Remasteredis confirmed for release this year, players will soon have another chance to do exactly that.
Review: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
This isn’t a remake by any means, but the updated visuals create the world of Cyrodill that’s been in your mind for years.
For those who need a bit of a refresher, Syberia takes place during the early 2000s in a fictional version of the world wherein clockwork technology, and clockwork robots (known as “automatons”) in particular, saw much more development and much wider applications than in our world.
This is a “clockpunk” setting. Think more modern than steampunk but less than cyberpunk and with more devices running on precision clockwork mechanics rather than electronic technologies.
The story follows Kate Walker, a lawyer based in New York who is suddenly sent to a remote mountain village in France in order to complete the sale of an old automaton factory. Unfortunately for Kate, the owner of the factory and genius inventor, Hans Voralberg, isn’t home. He has, as it turns out, left on a journey in search of the lost island of Syberia and the world’s last living mammoths rumored to be living on it. So, Kate must follow his trail if she’s ever going to do her job and get the sale finalized.
Everything that made the original great is still here, just updated to meet current standards.
Syberia Remastered will retain all the qualities that made the original what it is, but there are a few adjustments and upgrades for fans to look forward to. The first of these are character redesigns and newly enhanced environments rebuilt according to somewhat modernized art direction. Microids goes out of its way to say that the new artwork stays true to the original, so fans can probably rest assured that this new version won’t lack the charm of the original.
The original’s mechanical puzzles and other gameplay elements have also gotten some updates in Syberia Remastered. In particular, puzzles have been overhauled to provide players with a smoother, more intuitive experience. And an improved UI with better 3D navigation and modernized controls should ensure that even those who areentirelyunfamiliar with Syberia will be able to pick it up without much difficulty. Supposedly, these changes won’t affect the atmosphere or pacing, so the experience should still be genuine.
Puzzles have been overhauled to provide players with a smoother, more intuitive experience.
Along with the announcement of Syberia Remastered’s release window, Microids also revealed the existence of Syberia VR for the Meta Quest 3. Details were not given as to what kind of gameplay experience fans should expect, but Microidsdidsay that it’s being crafted from the ground up as its own separate experience rather than an extension of one of the other Syberia games or stories. No release window was mentioned for it, so it’s probably safe to assume it won’t release for another year or so.
Syberia Remastered is set to launch some time in 2025 for PC viaSteam,PlayStation 4 and PS5. Those interested in seeing more about Syberia shouldmake sure to check out our review for Syberia 3.
Syberia - Remastered
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