Deponia is a quirky point and click adventure game, one that makes me nostalgic for the good old days. As a younger child, I used to love playing Humongous Entertainment games. For some reason, even though this game is far cruder and not meant for kids, I am reminded of those days. Deponia tells a solid story, and does it in the guise of a point and click game and I dig it.
Deponia tells the story of a normal guy named Rufus. Rufus might not have much but he does try, somewhat to do his best. Rufus is joined by an odd cast of characters as he discovers the world around him. With a little work and ingenuity, this man in an aviator costume will do what needs to survive.
Deponia is all about examining and putting things together. For the uninitiated, there is a tutorial which will help guide the player in understanding how the game works. While its a relatively simple process a little help goes a long way. This tutorial goes over how to interact with people/objects and how to solve puzzles. It’s great for a game to have a tutorial especially when it does it in a rather wry and sarcastic way. It definitely helps set up how the game will play out.
Deponia is a game that slowly opens up as players complete the puzzling levels. There are a variety of locales and interesting things that cannot be interacted with fully until one gets to the right part of the game. It’s basically all a puzzle and that is what makes it so intriguing.
This game is certainly one that people could speedrun. It has a certain set flow, that people could memorize and see how quickly it would take them to win the game. The game itself is rather formulaic once the player knows how it works. But that doesn’t mean its a bad game. There is something peaceful in uncovering exactly how a game functions. Sometimes players just want to feel comfortable with a game and know that they can beat it easily, this game definitely fits that mold.
The animation is also weirdly beautiful. The characters might look odd, but they are doing their best to live the best lives they can. The player will never know how integral to the puzzle solving a person will be until they speak to them. So speak to everyone and solve all the puzzles possible. There is something great about finishing everything in an area that makes this game worth it. While it might not look as great as other games the weird aesthetic adds to the game’s charm.
There is even voice acting which I wasn’t expecting. The voice acting works wonders for the game as the characters all really get to speak their mind. I enjoyed hearing these characters speak and trying to imagine what they’d sound like was always quite fun. It certainly is great because voice acting does add to the workload, and I am glad they decided it was worth it.
I was really enjoying this game, but then the game seemed to lock up on me. I got to the third chapter and had done everything right, but for some reason was unable to move on. It was disheartening, so I played to the same point again and got the same conclusion. For me, it seems my Deponia adventure has come to an end, but I still enjoyed my time.
Deponia might not be the greatest game but it is a solid quirky puzzle game. There is something about Rufus that makes him a likable guy even though he isn’t very popular amongst the people who actually know him. He needs help on his adventure will the player help him out or will he be stuck at his ex’s house forever?
Disclaimer: A review key was provided