Advertisement
Review: Syberia VR
When Syberia VR was revealed, I felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of exploring this classic puzzle game in virtual reality. Given the successful transitions of titles like Myst and Riven from Cyan Games into the VR, I was optimistic that Syberia would follow suit. Having now experienced the world in VR, did it translate effectively into virtual reality?
Game Details
Release Date: November 13th 2025
Developer: Virtuallyz Gaming, Microids Studio Paris
Publisher: Microids
Price: £24.99
Reviewed On: Meta Quest 3
* Access Provided For Review *
An Incredible Journey Across Europe And Russia
You play as the character of Kate Walker, a lawyer from New York, sent to France to finalise the sale of an automaton factory. What starts as a simple deal rapidly evolves into an incredible journey across Europe and Russia, as you search for the factory’s eccentric, long-lost heir, Hans Voralberg, and his mission to uncover the mythical island of Syberia.
Solid Puzzles But No Much More
I believe it’s important to begin by mentioning that this is a from the ground-up virtual reality remake of the original game, offering a 3D representation of the Syberia world that you can physically inhabit and explore within the confines of accessible areas.
The development team has also aimed to remain faithful to the puzzles from the original game, although they have made minor adjustments to some of them to better fit the virtual reality experience. For instance, instead of using metal shears to cut through materials, you now have a small handheld blowtorch to achieve what you need. If you have played the original and recall the puzzles, much of this will feel somewhat familiar – though some puzzles have omitted certain steps from the original. This means you are presented with a classic puzzle game featuring well-conceived and designed challenges, but with a fresh approach to solving them. As this is a remake of the highly regarded puzzle game, this aspect of the game is very solid, as it draws directly from the original source material.
Regrettably, this is the only well-developed aspect of the game, and even this can lead to some minor frustrations due to its design.
I will begin with the problem that caught my attention immediately upon entering the game: the limited movement options available. The team has not included a smooth turning option, which means players are restricted to snap turning. Additionally, the only option for snap turning and teleport is blink, which significantly detracts from the immersion essential in virtual reality. Furthermore, where smooth locomotion is offered, it is the slowest I have ever encountered in virtual reality; even when sprinting, it is slower than the typical walking speed found in other games. As a result, I resorted to using teleportation, combined with snap turns, reminiscent of the early days of virtual reality. I sincerely hope they introduce more comfort options in a future patch, as I can envision these limitations causing players to abandon the game before they have the opportunity to appreciate the puzzles.
Advertisement
Advertisement
The reason behind the frustration with the puzzles in the game design stems from certain interactions that can feel awkward, cumbersome, and at times unresponsive. This can lead to situations where you have to exit to the menu and reload the game just to get certain elements functioning properly. Additionally, the way items are placed involves a silhouette indicating where to position them, but instead of allowing players to place them directly, the item floats from their hand to the designated spot. This again detracts from the overall immersion in the game.
One more problem that diminishes the immersion is the subtitles, which appear in black boxes that often obscure the face of the character you are currently engaging with. Additionally, the text pop-ups cover essential areas, such as when you need to press ‘next’ to turn the page; this action gets concealed behind the text box, making it tricky to interact with.
The last issue I noticed regarding the gameplay aspect is the overwhelming number of loading screens. Every time you receive the prompt to press A to transition to a new area, a loading screen appears, and they occur far too frequently. Consequently, when the puzzles require extensive backtracking to various locations, you’ll find yourself facing an abundance of loading screens, which can become quite frustrating.
A Jagged World
One aspect that thrilled me at the announcement was the chance to immerse myself in the industrial world of Syberia, making me feel like I was part of a beloved game. Sadly, it didn’t quite deliver the wonder I anticipated. With it being exclusive to Quest 3 and 3S, I expected much more than the mixed experience the game provides. In certain areas, it felt as though I was playing a game designed for the Quest 2.
What upset me is that there are certain parts later in the game that resembled what I had anticipated, and I felt immersed during those instances. However, these moments were quite rare, as the majority of the world suffered significantly from the notorious jagged edges throughout the environment – which appear even more problematic and distracting in VR, given that you are immersed in the world. Due to their severity, I believe this is yet another factor that could lead players to abandon the game after a brief period.
Advertisement
Advertisement
This is to the point that most detail part of the game is undoubtedly Katie’s hands. While the NPC character models are decent, they exhibit some jagged edges in certain areas and have textures that can be somewhat unappealing. Another visual issue is the texture pop-in, which becomes particularly apparent during smooth locomotion, as the ground beneath your feet gradually reveals more details while you move across it.
One aspect I really appreciated was the way they presented the cut-scenes. I understand that implementing them into the game must have required significant effort, which made me understand the decision to include them as vidoes. What stood out to me was that the team chose not to display them in a void; instead, they were shown on a screen inside the train carraige. This approach felt much more immersive and aligned with the game, as opposed to the unsettling emptiness of nothingness in VR.
While the world may have its flaws, the sound design effectively enhances immersion. The environment comes alive with atmospheric sounds, with more being introduced upon completing certain puzzles – for instance, activating a water wheel triggers these additional audio elements. The voice acting is strong, truly bringing the characters to life; however, it’s unfortunate that the previously mentioned subtitle boxes are quite intrusive. The auditory experience is beautifully complemented by a gentle classical score in the background, which aligns perfectly with the game’s overall vibe.
Comfort
The Verdict
I was excited to dive into Syberia in virtual reality, eager to explore a richly crafted world built from the ground-up for VR. However, that excitement quickly faded once I started the game. To begin with, the movement options were quite restricted, and the smooth locomotion felt painfully slow – even during sprinting. This led me to resort to teleportation and snap turning, which was further hindered by the blink mechanic, causing me to be momentarily pulled out of the game with each movement, disrupting the immersion that VR aims to provide. I had high hopes of immersing myself in the industrial landscape of Syberia, reliving the nostalgia of a puzzle game that holds a special place in my heart from my past. Unfortunately, most areas were plagued with aggressive jagged edges, and what frustrated me even more was encountering a few visually nice looking spots that hinted at the potential of the game. Sadly, these moments were rare. It’s disappointing because, aside from the occasionally awkward controls, the puzzle elements remain true to the original material, with some tweaks to enhance the VR experience. The overall puzzle design is engaging and enjoyable to solve. I can only hope that the developers won’t abandon this project and will release updates to improve the visuals and introduce more movement options in the future. If these issues are addressed, this could become a remarkable addition to the collection of classic puzzle games reimagined in virtual reality—rather than a puzzle game I pushed myself to play because of the nostalgia I personally feel for it.
Copyright / The VR Realm / 2016 -
