PC gamers may be going hog wild over the Oblivion remaster right now. But Bethesda's RPG isn't the only game involving people with uncanny faces to get a makeover this week. French publisher Microids just released a very shiny remake of its 1999 game Amerzone – The Explorer's Legacy, the game that kicked off the Syberia series of adventures.
Created by the late French illustrator and game developer Benoît Sokal, Amerzone introduced the world that was later used by the Syberia games, but tells a different, self-contained story. Set in a fictional region of South America inhabited by fantastical creatures, it puts you in the shoes of a nameless journalist tasked with returning the last egg of a species of giant bird to the region, according to the dying wishes of zoology expert Alexandre Valembois.
At the time, Amerzone was praised for its advanced 3D visuals and was a big hit for Microids, selling a million copies. Comparisons were drawn to Myst, which Sokol cited as one of his major inspirations for the game. Indeed, I wonder whether it was Cyan Worlds' recent overhaul of Myst that prompted Microids to give Amerzone similar treatment.
According to Amerzone's Steam page, the remake "naturally pays tribute to the original game, but also offers a totally new experience of it." Primarily, this comes in the form of a significant visual overhaul. There's a gif on the Steam page comparing the old and new versions of the game's Jesuit priest David Mackowski, and it's quite the improvement. The original Mackowski looks like a jump scare, while the new one looks like an actual person.
While it's pleasing to see this adventure gaming artefact get a new lease of life, the broader future of the Syberia series looks highly in doubt. Sokol died during the production of 2022's Syberia: The World Before, and the game is dedicated to his memory.
Moreover, Microids reportedly laid off its entire Paris team—who developed both The World Before and this Amerzone remake, earlier this month. While I wonder how big the audience is for an Amerzone remake in 2025, laying off the development team before the game it made even has a chance to prove itself is brutal.
Amerzone – The Explorer's Legacy is available now for $40 (£35). There's also a demo available on the game's Steam page, if you'd like to try it before you buy.
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