Then, in 2017, 13 years later, Benoit Sokal and Microids delivered the 3rd entry to the series. Again, starring the resourceful lawyer Kate Walker, but this time around, not in pre-rendered point and click game. Syberia 3 takes her into a real-time 3D world. But, this change did bring some issues, mostly technical, which do cause some annoyances.
After having accompanied Hans Voralberg on his final voyage to the island of Syberia, Kate is now travelling with the tribe of Youkuls who are guarding their ostriches during their migration. Together with the nomads, Kate travels through a former Soviet country, where the nomads aren't looked at very kindly. The reason Kate decided to travel with the Youkuls is, that they saved her life after her ship crashed, so she feels indebted.
The game itself begins in a hospital, where Kate and a Youkul named Kurk are being held. It soon becomes evident, that the staff isn't very keen on letting the duo go, so Kate needs to plan an escape. After that, she gets the doctor and the military after her and the nomads, so it's a race to the border. There's also the American detective, who has been looking for her since the 2nd game, with an arrest warrant for Kate.
In order to get where they need to be, Kate needs to lead the Youkuls on a short boat ride, after which they need to navigate a radiated amusement park, an abandoned Olympic village and finally, find a way to cross a secure border bridge, a feat that is made harder by the fact, that the old ceremonial bridge of the Youkul's is broken and they need a permission of the spirits for the final stretch.
Oh, if you were wondering, despite Oscar sacrificing himself at the end of Syberia 2, he makes a comeback as well. Thank god Hans Voralberg was one busy man during his stay in the Soviet Union.
Best things first. I like the story of Syberia 3 better than Syberia 2. While Syberia 2 has better highs, the overall story of Syberia 3 is better and doesn't feel like filler like most of the Syberia 2 does. Syberia 3 also has better puzzles and overall, a better structure. And, you get to play Oscar as well. Once in the main game, the second time in a rather anticlimatic DLC story snippet. Then again, the story doesn't really feel like a personal story for Kate this time around, she's more like an outsider, who just follows others on the adventure.
The to the bad. And this is really the dealbreaker for many. See, the transition to the 3rd dimension has played havoc on the controls of the game. On PC, you do have to possibility of playing with either a mouse or a pad, but the gameplay doesn't feel well optimized for either. Even at their best, the navigation and interaction with the hotspots are clumsy. I don't know why the controls work like they do, but considering the game was released in 2017, there are no excuses to be had there. Someone goofed up badly with the controls, plain and simple.
An obstacle of its own is the game camera, which makes navigating the scenes an overly cumbersome task at times, which is a kind of an issue because the locations are at times rather cluttered and finding a proper exit might not be the most obvious thing.
Critically, and commercially as well, Syberia 3 was a failure. It got a pretty negative reception and it is easy to see why. The clumsy technical execution alone warrants it and that was the reason why it took me 3 years to finally complete the game, as I had to put it down for a while after I got frustrated by the issues.
It is a shame, really, as there's a lot to like in Syberia 3. Now, I do have a dislike for Syberia 2, but even with its flaws, it's a far more playable game. It might not have a strong story, but at least technically, it is a solid game. Syberia 3 also ends with a cliffhanger, from which Syberia 4 continues off. But, as many reviews have stated, playing Syberia 3 isn't necessary for enjoying Syberia 4, as most of Syberia 3 matters very little and all the necessary matters are told during Syberia 4.
Still, if you want to give Syberia 3 a go, you can get it from GOG and Steam. I don't really recommend it, but if you are a completionist, then go ahead. just wait for a sale though.
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