French publisher Microids is back with a remastered version of their classic point-and-click adventure, Syberia. Masterminded by the Belgian comic artist Benoit Sokal (rest in peace), Syberia became a titan in the genre. Even now, whenever people discuss the concept of a point-and-click game, Syberia is often cited as a reference point. Its iconic status in the gaming world is undeniable. Now 23 years later, Microids – the original developer – is back with a newly remastered version of the original classic. It isn’t perfect, but it is undoubtedly the best way new players can experience Syberia in 2025.
In Syberia Remastered, you play as Kate Walker, an American lawyer sent to the fantastical (and completely fictional) French village of Valadilène to mediate a corporate takeover of a toy factory. Shortly after arriving, she finds out that the recently deceased owner informed the local authorities before her passing that her long-deceased brother is actually still alive. Now, Kate and an automaton named Oscar must convince Hans, the current owner, to sign over the estate. On paper, the plot seems almost mundane. But anybody who knows anything about this game will tell you it’s far from.
You get to meet a smattering of eccentric characters along your journey. You also get to visit these highly stylized steampunk-adjacent landmarks that really impress with the game’s updated visuals and 3D environments. The new lighting engine really shines in the cave sections and the already iconic and memorable greenhouse sections from the original release. There’s now a journal that allows you to track your progress, which is a major quality-of-life improvement over the 2002 release. There’s also voice acting available in a variety of languages; however, I only speak English, so I went with that one.
Kate is much easier to control in the 3D spaces. Typically, I don’t enjoy playing these types of games with a controller. I played Syberia Remastered on a PlayStation 5, so I opted for the DualShock controller for this one. Using the control stick, rather than the original’s clicking of the ground to move around, feels a lot better. What’s unfortunate, though, is that due to this freedom of movement, it’s much easier to find yourself bumping into invisible walls. I also had issues where sometimes Kate would just stop in her tracks in the middle of the road, but not due to an invisible wall. I think the input just stopped for whatever reason. I also encountered a couple of audio glitches where voice lines would cut in and out, but this issue only occurred a few times.
One of the most unusual aspects of Syberia Remastered, to me, is that the original cutscenes were left unchanged. It’s quite jarring because you have the updated visuals for the gameplay, and then the original 2002 cutscenes with the outdated visuals and textures. I don’t entirely understand the reasoning behind this, but I do think it detracts from the overall immersion. NPCs also have pretty stunted animations that do not match their updated models at all.
Where Syberia Remastered excels is its atmosphere, and this remaster lets that atmosphere shine in a brand-new coat of paint that spotlights what made it special, while simultaneously highlighting its blemishes. Syberia‘s story is what made it special in the first place. 23 years later, the plot remains interesting and gets its hooks in you right from the start. If you’re a fan of point-and-click adventure games and you somehow haven’t played this classic, then Syberia Remastered is the best way to do it in 2025. I also think there’s plenty to love here for brand-new players as well. I can confidently say that despite the shortcomings I’ve mentioned, Syberia Remastered is totally worth your time.
