The original Syberia was one of the iconic representatives of point-and-click adventures, with a strong atmosphere, visual style and storytelling. The first version was released in 2002 under the publishing house of French Microids. Like any 2D adventure, it was not demanding on hardware, and what I particularly like about this series is that the puzzles are logical and there is not much complication. Strong atmosphere, striking visual style and narrative. Therefore, it's no wonder that the announcement of the remaster, signed by Microids Studio Paris and Virtuallyz Gaming, caused a lot of attention. The remaster was released on November 6, 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. So, the game more or less comes up to today's technological standards, which opens up opportunities but also challenges.
What's new - modernization and fidelity
The advantages of the remaster are obvious: new graphics, improved character and environment models, modernized interface, better support for today's platforms. According to official information, everything has been redesigned with respect to the familiar visual aspect. As Microids themselves say, every part of the environment has been carefully refined in order to remain consistent with the work of Benoît Sokal. For the uninitiated, Benoît was a Belgian comic book artist and video game developer. He designed the Amerzone and Syberia franchises, and he is known for his striking comics, Inspector Canardo. He passed away in 2021. The user interface (UI), navigation and controls have received a "refresh" to adapt to the expectations of today's players. The original voice recordings, music and ambience have been retained, which is a plus for nostalgic fans who played the first version. The remaster tried to fulfill two goals: to satisfy old fans and to attract new players who may not be adventurers in their character. As far as they succeeded in this, opinions are quite divided.
Comparison with old version
I also played the original Syberia many years ago, and these are some of the differences I noticed; The graphical experience has definitely been improved - textures, lighting, character and environment models look more contemporary and "alive". If you want to try the game, you can definitely enjoy the view in 4k resolution. In terms of gameplay, the game retains the "old school" structure. The pace of the action, the method of playing is the same, and the puzzles are still in the spirit of the original. If you are already used to the faster pace of the games, with the remastered Syberia you will have to slow down and feast, because you have no other choice. What is definitely lacking in this version are the animations of the characters' faces, which act like puppets on a string that stiffly open their mouths every third word spoken. You could say that they all act like Oscar the Automaton (the animatronic man, one of the main characters in the game). Kate Walker, the main character you control throughout the game, has problems with her body anatomy, so her neck looks strange, "protruding" forward. In the dialogues, her gaze seems creepy at times, because her eyelids make her look like she's staring all the time. Mass Effect Andromeda also had this problem with the "bulky" look. As for the cut-scenes, they are the biggest disappointment, because the old versions were used, which visually does not quite fit, especially in the shots where you can see Kate's face, which is now drastically different from the original version. I also noticed a problem with the sound. Sometimes the music is so loud that speech is barely audible even if you try to turn down the music volume manually in the settings. But there is also a positive side - some sound effects have been added, so you can feel the difference when you step into the bar or walk down the marble-paved corridors.
Final impression
If I were to summarize the overall impression, Syberia is a successful remaster in terms of respect for the original, graphical refresh and the opportunity for today's players to experience a classic adventure. If you're trying out Syberia for the first time, I think you'll enjoy what the game has to offer visually and narratively.
On the other hand, if you're a big fan of the 2002 original, you'll feel like the remaster is a half-baked product. There are incompleteness (sound, animation) and present bugs. There are no massive design changes (that's the point of a remake, not a remaster, and people often don't know the difference) and it's generally nicely restored anyway. If you care about a pure experience, the game offers you the option to turn off the hints, so you can experience the puzzles more like in the original. Take your time for the atmosphere. This game is not a sprint, but a contemplative walk through the environment, characters and puzzles. If you are used to the pace of modern adventures/actions, now slow down and enjoy with coffee and gameplay. Also, check if the patches are out, because many problems have already been reported so it is highly likely that some of the bugs have already been patched. During my gameplay, I experienced a random crash when entering the train and a bug when talking on the phone, where Kate remains locked in the conversation pose after a conversation and you have no other choice but to forcefully exit the game and reload the savegame. Speaking of which, I think the downside is that there is no more manual savegame, you are solely dependent on the checkpoint. According to the latest information, the developer has promised to return the manual save option.
Syberia – Remastered lives up to its name. It is not a radical reinvention, but a careful return of a cult title in a new guise. Although it is not without flaws, it manages to convey the spirit of the original and make it more accessible to today's audience. Fans of this type of game and the steampunk genre should definitely give the new edition a chance.
A copy of the PC version has been provided by publisher Microids
for review purposes
