Syberia 3 (PlayStation 4) Preview

Haven't played the first two? Fear not! Publisher Microids explains that newcomers to the series will not be at a disadvantage. Syberia 3 will include features that mean the player will not be missing out on any key information, although cards are being kept close to chests as to how this will work. Comics and cut-scenes are the usual suspects for delivery of information like this.

Benoit Soukal, author and artist behind the previous releases, returns to the series to bring his story to life - something that Syberia I and II were praised for when they were released - and although no names have been revealed, it is promised that familiar faces will make appearances in the upcoming adventure.

Changes are aplenty, though, and Syberia 3 looks to be moving with the times. In recent years, adventure games have broken the shackles of point and click, and Syberia 3 is no different, sporting fully 3D environments and movement compared to the pre-rendered models in previous games. Soukal stresses that despite the move to 3D, the team was keen not to lose some of the sweeping and dynamic camera movements that characterised the previous titles, so this game has scripted camera moments, which can then be explored in 3D.

Dialogue trees are also used, with a nice twist in that successfully navigating tense discussions between two or more characters can result in new opportunities opening up for Kate. At the same time, responding in a negative way can cut off potential help for her, making solving puzzles or finding out information that bit more difficult.

Difficulty has long been an issue for Syberia. Although receiving widespread acclaim for its story and gameplay, equal amounts of criticism was drawn towards the toughness of the puzzles that players needed to complete to advance. The developers have listened and have ensured that visual cues and information will be on-screen to guide the player through the tasks. Old-school adventure fans that pride themselves on solving fiendishly difficult puzzles are in luck, too, as a mode has been included that disables help, meaning gamers must pit their wits against the brains of the game designers tête-à-tête. Syberia 3 also features a neat dynamic audio cue system, where the music changes, becoming more triumphant as you edge closer to completing the puzzle, and fizzles away if taking the wrong approach.

While discussing audio, it would be rude not to mention the returns of Sharon Mann, who voices Kate - and has done in all English-speaking releases so far - and Inon Zur, who composed the score for Syberia II.

Built with the Unity engine, Syberia 3 looks absolutely stunning and allows the steampunk aesthetics to really shine. The series has never been shy of characters, but here, the setting truly is almost a major character in and of itself.

From the demo Cubed3 had access to, Syberia 3 explores some very interesting themes, including racism, to the highly intelligent and vertically challenged Youkons, who inhabit the island. A juxtaposition between the power of nature and the influence of technology looks to underpin the story, too.