Syberia 2's graphics mix the sublime and the ridiculous. Kate looks good even by today's standards; nearly everyone else looks awful. They're not simply unattractive: they're grotesquely misproportioned, often to the point of cartoonish absurdity. Next to Kate's slim, trim figure, they look even worse. But the scenery is sumptuous. The rundown outpost of Romansburg is appropriately seedy; the windswept, snowy forest could make one chilly on a hot summer day; and the monastery buildings have all the beauty and charm of Valadilene in Syberia 1.
Music and sound effects are fine. Most of the voice acting is rather plodding, but Kate's actress has a pleasant voice and fine delivery.
The writing is poor. The choice of who handles tokens for shrouds makes no sense given the backstory. The monastery patriarch can't decide whether he thinks Hans is a dangerous influence on Kate or Kate is a dangerous influence on Hans. Colonel Emiliov can't decide whether he has nothing to do or is too busy to talk. In Syberia 1, Kate develops from a rather timid girl into a confident woman; Syberia 2 has no character development. In Syberia 1, the professors had a reason not to share everything they're up to; in Syberia 2, a monk withholds key information for no discernible reason. In Syberia 1, Kate's unsympathetic employer Mr. Marson showed little appreciation for her and threatened to fire her at one point; in Syberia 2, he's frantic, meeting advisors, calling Kate to beg her to return, and hiring a detective to go to Russia to search for her, which can't be cheap. He goes from complete indifference to acting like he's searching for his long lost daughter all because Kate's mother is fussing? Kate's an adult; if she decides to quit her job to jaunt about Russia, Marson & Lormont Associates isn't responsible for bringing her home. As lawyers, they should know that; they should also know how to deal with irate but ineffectual people making empty threats.
Gameplay leaves much to be desired. The next step is often an object or person added to a previously visited area with no in-game indication that there's a reason to return. Find a walkthrough, or be prepared to retrace your steps. Frequently.
Instead of interacting with objects, Kate typically advances through the game by exploring all conversation paths with all characters until she triggers a character action. There aren't many puzzles, and too many are arbitrary inventory puzzles in the vein of apply-lampshade-to-bulldozer. One "puzzle" with 4 possible solutions has no clues for which is correct, because it's whichever one you try last. Little gameplay lends itself to logic in problem solving. Furthermore, for many puzzles, entering a possible solution and testing it is separated by lengthy travel, slow-running animations, or tedious conversations you can't bypass.
Conversations have no pause. Once a conversation starts, if you must set down your device to answer the door, let the dog in, or check on a crying baby, you miss the conversation, sometimes with no way to replay it other than restarting the entire game.
There are glitches. I had to restart after the game let me do something out of sequence with the mechanical horses, and crashes cost me progress.
The first star is mandatory. I gave another for the scenery and another for Kate's character design and voice acting, and the occasional moment of humor or pathos.
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