There has been debate about whether video games can be classified as art,
with both gaming's detractors and fans giving their input. Some claim
that the interactive nature of games stops it from being art, others
have played many games which have genuinely touched them or affected
them. In my opinion, art is something that makes you think or affects
you in some interesting or profound way, and many games have done that
for me. Perhaps this discussion will be re-visited later on, but for now
I would like to discuss two computer adventure games, in the same
series, that struck me as being particularly profound: Syberia and Syberia 2. This blog will focus on these games, not the games as art debate.
Syberia
was released in 2002 and Syberia 2 came out in 2004. They were released
for the PC, but ports were made for the Xbox (original) and PS2, and a
more recent adaption for the DS (for the first game). The games are,
however, outstanding and old-school examples of the computer adventure
game genre. What do I mean by adventure games? Adventure can mean so
many things nowadays including action games with exploration elements,
but that is not the kind of adventure game I am referring to. These
games are point-and-click, inventory and puzzle based adventure games.
You control a character, wandering around different environments,
picking up a ludicrous number of items (that your character could not
realistically fit on their body!) and interacting with characters and
environmental puzzles. The Syberia series is more than its gameplay, if
that makes sense. It is a beautiful and moving experience with a
poignant story to tell and a timeless message, the endlessly bleak yet
evocative windswept environments of the game mirror the delicateness,
isolation and slow pace of the unraveling story. Syberia would not work
nearly as well as a movie or book, the interaction inherent to gaming
actually adds to the uniqueness of the story.
Your protagonist,
Kate Walker, is an ambitious, hip, resourceful lawyer from New York
whose outward confidence hides insecurity and a kind streak. She has
arrived in the small, quaintly picturesque French town of Valadilene,
hidden away in the European Alps. The game world is set in modern times
in a slightly altered timeline: one where automatons were, for a brief
time in the 1800s, extremely important and widespread inventions in the
fields of toy-making, industry, transport and war. Automatons are
wind-up mechanical inventions, ranging from moving figurines to wind-up
trains to automated workers. These automatons became obsolete with the
onset of electricity, and by modern times, they are nothing but a faded
memory. Valadilene happens to be the home-town of the Voralberg
automaton factory which was the most popular and profitable automaton
producer back in its hey-day.
So why is Kate in Valadeline? She is
a lawyer for a large law firm which is currently representing Universal
Toy Co, a toy mega-corporation. Their client wants to buy-out the
Valadeline factory to acquire its historical name, and convert it to a
modern producer of electric and battery-powered toys. I assume taking
over and modernizing a company with nostalgic appeal in Europe would
have appealed to local customers as a brand name. In any case, the deal
seems simple. Voralberg Toys is on the verge of bankruptcy, unable to
pay its debts. The current owner, Anna Voralberg, cleverly mitigated the
decline of the industry by advertising the company to obscure, wealthy
art-house clients. This enabled the company to barely eke out an
existence for years, but recently this meager source of income is no
longer enough to even pay the company's debts. An offer to acquire the
company for a large sum, from a wealthy corporation, seems like an
irresistible offer, especially considering the potential economic
revitalization of the fading town. And Anna Voralberg did agree to the
terms, Kate is there merely to take care of the formalities, the
contract and signatures required.
Naturally, as stories tend to
go, Kate finds out her newest job will not be so straightforward. Upon
arriving at Valadeline, she witnesses a funeral procession for the
recently deceased Anna Voralberg...
Look out for the epic, dark fantasy ebooks of Goodreads-rated author T.P. Grish at:
http://booksoftpgrish.blogspot.com.au/
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