E3 2002: Syberia preshow report

Paris-based game publisher Microids will use this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, the biggest trade show in the game industry, to officially launch Syberia, its latest adventure game, in the US. The publisher will be showing off a gold master version of the game, which has been in development at Microids' Montreal studio for nearly two years.

In the game, you assume the role of Kate Walker, a lawyer from New York who is hired by a toy company to complete the acquisition of an automaton factory located in a mysterious European village. When Walker arrives in the village, though, she finds that the owner of the factory, Anna Voralberg, has died. Walker must then locate Hans, the heir to Voralberg's estate, in order to complete her mission. You must use logic and deduction in order to figure out where Hans has gone.

Through the course of your investigation, you'll travel through a series of locations ranging from an industrial town with underground mines to a seaside resort on the shore of a vanished sea. The game will feature a wide variety of puzzles, prerendered environments, and detailed characters. To aid you in your quest, you'll be accompanied by Oscar, a robotlike automaton created by the Voralbergs.

We've posted some new screenshots in the gallery above that show off some of the different characters and environments you'll encounter in the game. For more information, take a look at the movies linked below. Syberia is scheduled for release on the PC near the end of May.