This is a piece of music made by Iron Zur in the game Syberia: the world before. When Kate Walker decided to take the train to Vaghen international airport to fly back to New York, where she needs to fix all the relationships with her friends Olivia and Dan. Then she saw a train to Baltayar then she realized that Dana (her grandmother) may go to some cave in Baltayar to live with the Gorun to achieve the unfinished dream with León after her husband died. The music started as Kate went off the train and managed to catch the train to Baltayar with the help of Mr. Ludwig, the Gorun who had a deep connection with León, Dana, and Leni. He decided to return home after Leni died of guilt in her sleep. The game ended here as Kate headed for her new journey to Baltayar, and maybe she will meet Dana later in the real life.
My love for Kate Walker grew gradually throughout my journey in the video game. At first, I thought it was a bit weird as Kate started the journey to Vaghen as her lover (not mentioned clearly in the game but I found some chemistry between them) Katyusha got interested in the picture of a girl who looked almost identical as Kate and asked Kate to find her with her dying breath when she was unluckily shot by the prison guard. I thought maybe the twist of the story is not smooth as the curiosity for the girl in the picture comes from nowhere only the same appearance. I even made the guess that the game developers were not familiar with how to depict the romantic feelings between lesbians so they decided to give Katyusha a quick death and force Kate to go on a journey on her own. But as the cinematic story goes on, I realize that Kate is not a female protagonist with a perfect personality. Her family and friends didn't understand why she left her home to chase some unrealistic dreams and get on trains for adventures. She even missed the funeral of her mom when she got the letter in prison one year after the funeral. She was not a good daughter in normal people's eyes and she felt pressured to call her old friend Olivia because she knew that Olivia would not understand why she would come all the way to look for a person who looked similar to her.
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| Kate thought about Katyusha after her death |
However, Katyusha understood her that's why she asked Kate to look for the girl in the picture at the end of her life. At that time, Kate felt lost in the world as her mother passed away and her friend maybe lover was going to die. But the girl in the picture gave Kate hope for some family connection. According to the search engine result for Katyusha in the game, she was a young rebel (punk) and fought for the rights of women, lesbians, and other oppressed groups. They may not be accepted by the world but they could understand each other. I could relate to Kate when my parents told me that we could not have all the good things together but the most important thing is we stay with the people that we love. However, I miss my family but at the same time I got on different trains to have my adventures (first in America then in Europe) and I am not ready to go back. There is something hanging there for us to chase, so we can not go back and the trains seem to take us far away from home.
According to my previous research on female protagonist games, I find out that there are three manifestations of how video games represent non-traditional female roles. First of all, from appearances and clothes, they are not sexy objects with revealing clothes. Second, from professions and skills, they are leaders and geniuses in their professions. Last but not the least, from storylines, they are independent of men. Syberia: the world before can be a good example of having both three manifestations. The two female protagonists Dana and Kate wear clothes that align with their professions even though they are good-looking and white. According to their stories, Kate doesn't have any romantic stories with guys and she is a pure adventurer who is good at mechanics. Dana had a romantic relationship with León but she continued her life when she thought León was dead or after León's death. She had a husband in the US and she managed to become the greatest pianist in the world. The love story is part of her life but not the whole. She lived her own life by chasing her music dream and fighting for her country. Even though she missed her daughter, she didn't want to disturb her life. The only connection with her daughter was the music anthem of Vaghen. One of the most moving scenes in the game was when Dana and Kate performed on the same piano across the time of two generations and music made this city alive again. Also, they are not the only two female characters in the game. Leni is a complicated character who fought for her country while also keeping the secret and guilt for the rest of her life. Also, Junta is a mysterious character who acted as a double agent and helped Dana after the massacre and felt sorry for the loss of her child. Compared to these women, guys are not that important throughout the journey.
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| Dana, Junta, and Kate felt the same sorrow for the loss of Dana's child |
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| Dana taught Kate how to play the anthem of Vaghen |
I think this video game helps to reduce my anxiety about life somehow as I relate myself to Kate as an adventurer and traveler. So, there will always be a train waiting for me and I am looking forward to my new journey driven by my curiosity and instinct.
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| A new journey |
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