Syberia: The World Before is a continuation of the cult quest series. We talked to the developers and learned a lot about the creation of the game. How did the death of Benoît Sokal affect the team? What conclusions did they draw from the failure of Syberia 3? How long will it take to complete? Game director and lead writer of the project Lucas Lagravette will tell you about it!
The interview was conducted in the form of correspondence, and we sent questions long before we had time to evaluate the demo Syberia: The World Before. And no one could even imagine the upcoming events in the world. A lot has changed since then.
For example, journalists stopped sending keys to games — this also affected the new Syberia. In theory, we could have already completed the game and shared our impressions, but they don't want to deal with the Russian gaming community. This is probably the publisher's position, not the developers', but that doesn't make things any easier for anyone.
The most offensive thing is that one of the main themes of The World Before is discrimination. The heroine of the fourth part, Dana Rose, is a Wageran by nationality, and in her lands, scoundrels who hate people like her have run amok. Nationalists are annoying the Wagerans in every possible way: they insult them, arrange pogroms in their homes, throw stones at their stores — this is only in the demo, the atrocities will definitely be even worse later.
The criminals know nothing about Dana. They don't care that Miss Rose has never done anything bad in her life. They judge her solely by her nationality. It's sad that the game raises such important topics, but the game's publisher chooses partners based on their place of birth.
Luckily, the developers did not refuse to answer our questions and communicated willingly and kindly. So let's put aside the game-related talk and discuss Syberia: The World Before with one of its creators, Lucas Lagravette.
VGTimes: Syberia is a special series for me. When I was 12, it helped me see the world differently, and shape my views on goodness, purpose and friendship. How does it feel to work on a series that has left such a significant mark on history?
Lucas Lagravette: Well, it's a big responsibility! I was also 12 years old when the first game came out. Working on a series with such an incredibly passionate community can feel a little surreal at times! Knowing that fans expect an incredible emotional experience from our game is incredibly exciting and quite terrifying at the same time.
We do not want to disappoint those who have a special place in Syberia's hearts. Personally, I am very careful about upholding the principles of the series. For example, the fact that Syberia: The World Before can be played with both keyboard and mouse, as well as with a controller, like in previous episodes, was a top request from the community. The team worked hard to make this possible, and I am proud of the result.
We are incredibly lucky that the Syberia fans are both demanding and kind. They would never let the series down. They warmly welcomed the game's prologue and gave us some valuable feedback that allowed us to improve the game experience.
Plus, the fans were supportive when we announced the delay. As we said before, Syberia: The World Before is a major episode in the franchise. The extra development time has had a positive impact on the quality of the game. The team joins me in thanking all players for their understanding and support.
We are pretty quiet on social media, but we read a lot of letters and posts from fans. In addition to finding courage and energy in them to continue working, we try our best to take their feedback into account.
VGTimes: Gamers from all over the world mourned when Benoit Sokal passed away. How did you cope with this loss? Did the tragedy affect the development?
Lucas Lagravette: With respect to Benoit's family, his wife Martine and children, Hugo and Jules, whom I greet warmly, I will give a short answer. Benoit's death was a terrible loss. Some of us worked with him every day for almost a decade. I find inner peace in the fact that he approved and put the finishing touches on the script months before he passed. He was very proud of the game and the way the team brought his vision to life.
VGTimes: When Syberia 3 came out, many gamers were happy to see the series return, but others were critical of the game. As a result, the game has «mixed reviews» on Steam. After that, did you ever consider leaving the series and not making a fourth game?
Lucas Lagravette: Speaking for myself, I would say «no». Even though Syberia 3 didn't include everything we wanted, it helped us grow as a team. We learned a lot: both in terms of the game's concept and in terms of technical and organizational aspects. It may seem counterintuitive, but the third part was one of the steps that allowed Syberia: The World Before to become a game we are proud of. I truly believe that this is a good thing!
VGTimes: Syberia 3 was criticized for its bugs, optimization, and awkward controls. What did you change in The World Before?
Lucas Lagravette: A lot has changed. When I say «a lot», I mean almost everything. We kept the Unity engine, but we switched to the latest version, which we work with in a completely different way. The production processes gradually changed, and much of the middleware has not remained the same. Some team members have left, some have returned, and we've also had a lot of new talent join us. We've also changed the methodology of how we use motion capture.
It was a long process, not always painless, but we ended up with a stable team. This team has recently become Microids Studio Paris, headed by Antoine Villette. I personally see this new structure as proof of the trust Microids has in our ability to create AA games with strong narratives. And all thanks to the experience gained during the development of Syberia 3 and Syberia: The World Before.
VGTimes: One of the heroines of The World Before will be Dana Rose. What is her role in the story?
Lucas Lagravette: Dana Rose is an important character in The World Before. She is not the main character, who is, of course, Kate Walker. However, the mystery and plot revolve around her. Who is she and why does everyone think she looks so much like Kate Walker?
I don't want to spoil the story for you, but I can tell you this: we meet Dana in 1937, when she is 18 years old. She lives in Vaughan, the capital of a small fictional German-speaking country in Central Europe. She is full of life and has high hopes for the future, but will quickly be confronted with the rise of fascism in Europe and the Second World War.
Although Dana lives in the past, she is a modern person looking to the future, whose fate will be shaped by the dramatic events of the 20th century. Benoit Sokal often said that the purpose of Syberia is to express the artistic vision of this century, and we can consider Dana to be a true allegory.
VGTimes: Kate Walker starts the game in a penal servitude. How have her hardships changed her character? What will she strive for in The World Before?
Lucas Lagravette: Kate is still the same character that fans know so well. A thoughtful woman, strong and determined — her adventures have made her more confident and independent. She is a pacifist, but when faced with extreme situations, she will not hesitate to overcome obstacles, even if it means affecting someone else's property.
The difficult time she goes through at the beginning of the game, when she is imprisoned and grieving, leaves her with a sense of uncertainty and doubt. What is she really trying to achieve since leaving her past life behind by boarding the train after Hans Vorarlberg? Has she become a «traveller without a destination», as the old shaman said in Syberia 3?
Kate will begin a restless search for Dana Rose, whom she learned about during her time behind bars. But why is she mindlessly throwing herself into this new search? Is she trying to overcome her sadness and contain the existential doubts I mentioned, or is she simply running away from her problems? As I said, this is the same Kate, but from time to time prone to introspection with a touch of melancholy!
VGTimes: In Syberia 2, Oscar passed away, but he returned in the third part. Will we see him in The World Before?
Lucas Lagravette: Sorry, but I'd rather not answer that question. Playing through the prologue might give you a hint... ;)
VGTimes: Will the new game have a finished story or is it written with a sequel in mind?
Lucas Lagravette: Again, I'd rather avoid spoilers. However, I can say that all the questions and problems of Syberia: The World Before will be resolved by the end of the game. However, Benoit Sokal has planned several elements that will make a sequel possible someday.
VGTimes: Gamers were able to check out the demo of The World Before and give feedback. What did you change in the game after the demo?
Lucas Lagravette: The feedback from players was incredibly helpful. It helped us make a lot of improvements and adjustments. For example, I can mention things like new voiceovers (Russian, German, Polish, and French), as well as the secondary objective system. It encourages players to explore levels in search of additional content.
We also made a lot of technical improvements. We developed a new save system that records the player's progress after almost any action. We optimized the character controls and interaction triggers, especially with the mouse. But most importantly, we improved the performance of the game through optimization. You will find a lot of graphical options, as well as some ergonomic features.
Finally, we put a lot of effort into the visuals. The user interface was designed from scratch. We completely redesigned the character animations during gameplay. We've also improved many of the cutscene animations, including lip syncing for dialogue. Kate and Dana's diaries are now filled with beautiful illustrations that unlock as you progress.
VGTimes: How long will it take to complete the game?
Lucas Lagravette: Most testers have finished the game in 12 or 15 hours. I explore the levels in depth to learn all the extra content, and often reach the 20 hour mark.
VGTimes: Quests aren't as popular as they were in the early 2000s. Do you think The World Before can repeat the success of the first games?
Lucas Lagravette: I really hope so! The pre-orders are encouraging. I'm not a publisher representative, but I think Syberia has always been a successful series. Word of mouth from happy players allows the audience to grow over time. Fingers crossed that this episode follows the same path!
VGTimes has been operating since 2011 and during this time has visited dozens of exhibitions and festivals, where our journalists have collected many exclusive materials. For example, in 2019 we got to a closed screening of Cyberpunk 2077 at gamescom, in 2017 we prepared a photo report from WG Fest, in 2020 we were at the largest gaming event in Central Asia CAGS, and also visited IgroMir several times, where we saw Hideo Kojima and other famous developers.