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The Mysterious Toy Factory
Syberia (**** out of four) is one of the most graphically beautiful role-playing mystery adventure games we’ve seen since Myst. The story line finds a New York lawyer, Kate Walker, traveling to an old-world Alpine village. Her job is to complete the acquisition of an old historic toy company that has recently fallen on hard times. The company specializes in making life-like toys and puppets--some maybe too life-like. When Kate arrives, she finds that the sole owner of the toy company had suddenly died and apparently left no heirs. But there really was a hidden heir, and your adventure begins as Kate searches for the mysterious heir. During her investigation, Kate uncovers a secret, and the follow-up will take her on a journey to other lands and times. What she learns may change her life forever. You control Kate’s actions as she tries to unravel these mysteries about the toy company, its founders and this hidden heir. In your quest you’ll be exploring the village and traveling to distant lands to gather information. Syberia is an incredibly crafted tale in which you must meet and interview many fascinating characters to piece together an intriguing story. You’ll also have to acquire many items, mostly wind-up toy keys, and solve many puzzles. Some puzzles are seemingly unsolvable. but that’s because you failed to pick up some needed item or take careful notes several scenes back. Some puzzles were admittedly quite contrived, but we didn’t mind because they are so beautifully rendered. Game play is straightforward, but you’ll need to pay attention to details and, of course, take notes. There’s only one conclusion to Kate’s quest in this mostly linear story, but since you can freely explore the many paths to get there, you’ll have loads of game play. And that’s OK because, if you’re like us, you’ll love being immersed in the beautiful, old-world, sometimes dreamlike scenery, original musical score and engrossing storyline. A special feature of this program is the ability to enjoy at any time any of the cut-scenes that you have unlocked. Syberia is an absorbing tale, full of wonderfully-depicted scenes, many with a dark eeriness and mysterious beauty. We enjoyed it mostly because of this beautifully done artwork and graphics, which are found in every aspect of the program. From The Adventure Company and Microids, Windows 98/Me/2000/XP, $29.99. |
