Deponia Review (PC)

Review Context: I am relatively newer to classic point and click adventure games, only having played the well known ones, such as Pajama Sam and King’s Quest. Deponia won’t be my first foray into Daedalic’s point and click library though.
Date of Playthrough: March 5-10 2016

PC Specs Game Played on:
OS: Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core i7-5700HQ CPU @ 2.70 GHz
RAM: 8 GB
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 840M
Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Point and click games can come in many different forms, whether it be action adventure titles or with comedic intent. Ranging from the classic kid’s games like Putt-Putt and Freddie the Fish, to the great Sierra games like King’s Quest. Daedalic Entertainment is a company that came into the genre in the late 2000s with a title called Edna & Harvey: The Breakout. Edna & Harvey was the start of great comedic titles spawning from the minds in Daedalic. One of the latest series of course being the post-apocalyptic comedy known as Deponia. Deponia hopes to create a love story like none you have ever seen, but does it truly succeed in doing so?

Deponia is a point and click game based in the apocalyptic wasteland of, you guessed it, Deponia.  You follow the most hated person in the town of Kuvaq, the rambunctious Rufus, on his attempts to save a beautiful upper class woman called Goal from the diabolical clutches of the authoritarian Organon. That being said, nothing is available in the dump he calls home to do anything right so of course you always improvise. That is the high point of this game; its inventiveness and its comedic dialogue. There is never a dull moment maneuvering from one place to another, as you help Rufus try to go to the floating Eden called Elysium. From using bull’s blood to make an expresso, to figuring out a woman’s heart by using technological lingo, Deponia is not something you can predict but there is always a method to the madness. Your best friend in the game is the space key, for it shows all the interactive elements on any given screen. Due to its inventiveness with how to solve its many puzzles in your quest, sometimes it is hard to come to the exact conclusion it wants. While each of the puzzles may seem easy, some are mind-boggling to try to fix, as sometimes the smallest thing needs to be tinkered with. While working on getting the postal service birds to be in the right boxes, you also need to remember to get the cats to an exact speed to lick the parcel a certain way. It sounds insane and inane when told straight instead of experiencing it, but it can cause moments of frustration when the smallest details like those can clearly mess you up for a long period of time.

The “love story” is by far one of the most entertaining parts of the game, as well as its eclectic cast of deranged Deponians. The dialogue usually comes in one of two forms: Rufus’ snide remarks or the multiple insults that are spouted from the various inhabitants who rue the day Rufus was born. Each character has their own form of excuse to despise Rufus, from his ex-girlfriend Toni, to the many enemies he makes along his way like the policeman/firefighter/doctor Gizmo. The main characters of Goal and Rufus make up one of the most self-centered love stories ever told. Rufus is in love with himself, and believes that Goal is his ticket to happiness. Of course Rufus will change over the course of the story like every protagonist, but he will always remain that destructive idiot with his endearing charm and fantastic physical humor through his many weird contraptions. That being said, Rufus, as endearing as he is, is not someone everyone can connect to especially due to his spoiled personality. The pessimistic humor of the game can wane on a person, as you will hear many of the same comments over and over again, albeit said in different comedic ways it still means the same thing.

Deponia may be a dump, but that doesn’t mean the world is any less vibrant. Each wasteland is spiced up by a fantastic visual design with many intricate details into each background, from the mountains of garbage all over Deponia to the make shift buildings of its residents. Each is designed with their character in mind and each character’s personality shines through how they uphold their home. Toni has a guillotine to stop Rufus from entering her room, Rufus has a telescope to look up at Elysium, and the mayor sleeps in his desk is just the tip of the iceberg with this world. For as short as the game is, as it is only part one out of a now four part series, it gives these small slices of apocalyptic paradise the right bit of spotlight they deserve. Though sometimes navigating this world can be a charm, as sometimes clicking on specific areas will make you walk into the background when you have no intention of doing so. Background and foreground sometimes becomes a problem maneuvering around because of the pathing for trying to progress forward. If you also do not know about the double click mechanic to immediately skip to the next destination, it will become a long and tedious time walking through the game.

Every bit of dialogue embodies that pessimistic comedy of Deponia’s disgruntled cast. That, coupled with the beauty of both its world and its awkward and crazy narrative make this by far one of the weirdest love stories I have ever seen. While it is not the cleanest game technically speaking to go through, and some puzzles with small details can annoy if you don’t click the right thing, the comedy, narrative and story really pull you through. The first half of the game in the town of Kuvaq can be slow and tedious at times, but in the latter two parts of the game it is a lot smoother sailing through. Kuvaq calls for more tedious tasks than the other two, and will be where you spend the most time through the game. This game is worth the playthrough solely on its fantastic characters and the comedy that seeps through every line. That is the brilliance of Daedalic; that no matter what the scenario they can spin it in an original and comedic way to create both compelling characters and a detailed world. While not necessarily the love tale you were ultimately expecting, Deponia will leave you reeling with laughter by the time you are done despite its technical hiccups.

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Edna & Harvey: Harvey’s New Eyes (PC)