Syberia 2
2004 Microïds
Designed by Benoît Sokal, Patrik Mé&thé&
Relevance:
*) mechanical horses' heart
Not so much irrelevant in context, but in the flow of the game: it doesn't
flow with the plot. This is clearly a bolt-on puzzle to give you something
to do.
*) decouple train
Not very realistic, but a fair abstraction of the real problem.
*) stone circle
The final wind-sound machine is enough. This right next to it is gratuitous
puzzlement. :-O
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Mimesis:
*) running railcar (youki)
Youkis must be magic to have that much power.
*) waking Boris
Why can't I just throw snow (or snowball) at him?
*) ejection coordinates
If Boris knows the correct coords, why doesn't he set them?
*) fight Ivan (at Youkol village)
Silly since he wouldn't wait for you to phone.
*) lemming and berries
Why didn't the lemmings who carved the tunnel get the berries? Why would
you expect the lemming to get the berries, and then lose them? This is
easy because it screams "challenge", but it breaks immersion.
Finally, why can't I just break through the ice? It's not thick, since you
can see the lemming through it.
*) penguins
What are penguins doing in the arctic? :-)
*) ship door
There's a big door in the side of a primitive, wooden ship, at sea level?!
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Reasonability:
*) painting
Why would Kate deface a painting?
*) escape monastery
Kate knows the plan whether or not you do (even before she should need the
plan); you're forced to click along behind her.
*) get fish and distract youki
Pixel hunting for branches.
*) Youkol drums
Pixel hunt on icicle.
*) clock
The goal of the challenge is relevant, but the method of activating the
alarm is silly. Once the alarm is set, just wait for time to advance (fast
or slow). Having to touch the bell yourself makes no sense.
*) defeat Ivan (at ship)
You have no idea what the mechanism does, so it's arbitrary.
There's nothing else the game lets you do, so you can't miss it.
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Difficulty:
*) call mammoth
You have to combine several clues, with functional experimentation.
A good final challenge!
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Comments:
Exhaustive twiddling:
*) focussing mammoth projection
*) mechanical horses' heart
*) clock
*) lemming and berries
*) open Oscar
*) melt ship ice
Pixel hunting:
*) Youkol drums
*) start train (to melt ship ice)