Deponia

About

Deponia is a single-player comedy arcade game with a spectacular story, good gameplay, splendid graphics, and good music. The game follows the outrageous love story of Rufus and Goal in a world where the planet has become a garbage dump. Despite some grinding and bugs, Deponia boasts a dense atmosphere, plenty of humor, and a wholesome story, although its replayability is low.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 5,612 reviews

story1.1k positive mentions

stability82 negative mentions

Great art style and animation, creating a vibrant and engaging world.
Humorous dialogue and quirky characters that add charm to the game.
Challenging puzzles that encourage creative thinking and problem-solving.

Game-breaking bugs, particularly the magnet puzzle, that prevent progression.
The main character, Rufus, is often unlikable and annoying, which detracts from the experience.
Some puzzles lack logic and can be frustrating, often requiring a walkthrough to solve.

story
2,296 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
48%
5%
The story of Deponia is a mix of humor and absurdity, centered around the protagonist Rufus, a self-centered character on a quest to escape his garbage-ridden home planet. While many players appreciate the engaging and quirky narrative, some criticize it for being linear, featuring an unlikable main character, and having unresolved plot points that lead into sequels. Overall, the story is seen as entertaining and well-crafted, though it can be hindered by frustrating puzzles and pacing issues.
- “The story is original and enjoyable.”
- “The story, characters, artwork, and humor is outstanding.”
- “Deponia is a masterfully crafted story with an incredible cast of characters in a unique piece of junk of a world (literally).”
- “The story is incomplete, clearly designed with a money grab sequel in mind.”
- “The story is so incoherent and feels like there was literally no thought put into it.”
- “The main character is an unlikable loser who never learns his lesson.”
humor
1,901 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
2%
The humor in *Deponia* is a mixed bag, with many players finding it both hilarious and crass, often relying on absurdity and sarcasm reminiscent of classic point-and-click games like *Monkey Island*. While some appreciate the witty dialogue and quirky character interactions, others criticize the humor as juvenile or offensive, particularly due to the unlikable protagonist, Rufus, whose antics can be grating. Overall, the game's comedic style appeals to those who enjoy dark or absurd humor, but it may not resonate with everyone, especially those sensitive to its more controversial jokes.
- “The story is okay, and the humor was great, especially considering the marvelous voice acting.”
- “The game's humor is top-notch, and the player is constantly treated to witty dialogue and hilarious situations.”
- “I truly enjoyed every moment of it: the hilarious dialogue and solving puzzles.”
- “Outdated unfunny humor, nonsensical puzzle solutions.”
- “Everything is ruined by an insufferable protagonist and unfunny attempts at humor.”
- “Unfortunately, it is tragically unfunny; the puzzles are dumb and not in a good way, the writing is trash and the voice acting is subpar.”
graphics
911 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
32%
The graphics of *Deponia* are widely praised for their charming hand-drawn art style, vibrant colors, and detailed backgrounds that create an engaging atmosphere. Many reviewers highlight the cartoonish visuals and unique aesthetic, reminiscent of classic point-and-click adventures, which enhance the overall experience despite some criticisms regarding character design and color diversity. While the visuals are generally considered a strong point, some players noted occasional graphical glitches and a lack of depth in the story and character development.
- “The hand-drawn art style, with its vibrant colors and detailed backgrounds, brings the world of Deponia to life.”
- “Simply a cult adventure story with uniquely beautiful graphics.”
- “The graphics are gorgeous, the story is really fun and overall it's just a good time.”
- “Graphics textures are all mixed up and misplaced, so try and play a point and click with broken graphics.”
- “I started up the game already having graphical glitches.”
- “Once you get past the cute graphics you realize the puzzles are illogical messes, the story is uninteresting, the main character completely unlikeable and the rest don't really deserve to use the word 'character'.”
music
512 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
41%
4%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its catchy and atmospheric qualities that enhance the overall experience. However, several players find the soundtrack repetitive and annoying after extended play, leading to frustration. Overall, while the music is often described as fitting and enjoyable, its lack of variety can detract from the immersion over time.
- “Music: beautiful and fitting for the atmosphere, it wanders from classical to more industrial or techno territories.”
- “The atmosphere in the game was awesome, I really enjoyed the music and the artwork of the game.”
- “The music is a great addition to your immersion while playing the game, the music of the starting area in the game uses sounds and audio that wonderfully mesh together.”
- “The music gets annoying real fast as it is usually just a short loop on repeat.”
- “Music is kinda repetitive and annoying many times.”
- “Regrettably the audio does suffer, with music often being quite annoying after the 10th loop.”
gameplay
402 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
68%
8%
The gameplay of the game is primarily a traditional point-and-click adventure, featuring a mix of engaging puzzles and absurd solutions that can be both rewarding and frustrating. While some players appreciate the nostalgic mechanics and humor, others criticize the illogical puzzles and the main character's annoying traits, leading to a divided reception regarding the overall enjoyment of the gameplay experience. Despite its flaws, the game offers a solid amount of content and a charming art style, appealing to fans of the genre.
- “Gameplay-wise it is also great with well built, imaginative puzzles and responsive control mechanics.”
- “With lovably odd characters, a fantastic art design, and an engaging gameplay style, Deponia shows what a modern point-and-click game should be.”
- “The humor is frequent and clever, the gameplay is simple and engaging, and the storyline is, for lack of a better word, perfect!”
- “The gameplay is where they lost me.”
- “This game (in terms of gameplay) can offer only brainless repetitiveness: try this, try that, again, over and over.”
- “The biggest flaw this game has is the gameplay itself.”
stability
84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, which can significantly hinder gameplay and progression, often requiring players to rely on save game patches. While some users report minor issues that do not affect their experience, many others describe game-breaking problems and a lack of developer support for fixing these known issues. Overall, players are advised to approach the game with caution due to its unstable nature.
- “The game runs great, but as mentioned, it’s a cartoon, so there isn’t much the computer needs to generate.”
- “I don't understand why the game is being sold with known major glitches that require save game patches.”
- “Main problem is that the game is very buggy, has a lot of points where if you make a slight wrong move you're stuck and can't progress, which is especially bad because the game has no built-in chapter saves.”
- “It felt like a hastily made and quickly abandoned buggy project to make money off hastily made and quickly abandoned buggy sequels.”
atmosphere
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
45%
4%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique blend of humor, engaging storytelling, and stunning artwork, particularly within its intricately designed steampunk world. The music complements the ambiance beautifully, shifting from classical to industrial tones, enhancing the overall experience. While some critiques mention inconsistencies in voice acting affecting the atmosphere, the general consensus highlights the game's captivating and immersive environment, making it a standout feature.
- “The atmosphere in the game was awesome; I really enjoyed the music and the artwork of the game.”
- “Gorgeously designed steampunk world with a rusty, dusty atmosphere, tons of details here and there and unique, wide cameras.”
- “The atmosphere is so unique and the artwork is fantastic.”
- “Horrible... the atmosphere, the exploration that has a timeline of events you need to guess in order to get on.”
- “The English actors aren't bad, but they're horribly miscast (I felt the subtle sense of humor was raked over coals and the game's atmosphere became unsavory, grating, and cynical).”
- “Not only Rufus, the protagonist (I would never use the word 'hero' on this guy), but the atmosphere of this game also doesn't care about all the madness he's making everywhere, as if it's just some kind of a joke.”
character development
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
52%
10%
Character development in the game is largely criticized, with many players noting a lack of growth or depth in the main character, who is often described as unlikable or sociopathic. While the character designs and art style are praised for their appeal and creativity, the short length of the game limits the potential for meaningful character arcs, leaving players hopeful for improvements in future installments. Overall, while the universe and design elements are engaging, the absence of substantial character development detracts from the overall experience.
- “In the end, I had a good feeling though, and I see a lot of potential in character development for Rufus.”
- “It's a magnificent series and well worth playing if you're the point-and-click gamer type who loves to see character development and an incredibly engaging storyline.”
- “Graphically, the game is most certainly comical, with character designs and environments well executed in terms of conveying character and atmosphere.”
- “They ignored any character development that occurred throughout the previous games and just went for the 'kill'.”
- “Then comes the story itself, with its colorful, but ultimately unpleasant, cast of characters who fail to go through any sort of character development over the course of the story.”
- “However, the sociopathic protagonist ruined it for me, and he has no character development in this game.”
grinding
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
2%
96%
The grinding aspect of the "Deponia" series is frequently described as tedious and time-consuming, with many players expressing frustration over repetitive puzzles and convoluted quests that detract from the overall enjoyment. Achievements often require extensive grinding, leading to a sense of monotony, while some puzzles lack logical coherence, resulting in a trial-and-error approach that can feel more frustrating than engaging. Despite some redeeming qualities in the story and artistic style, the overwhelming sentiment is that the grinding elements significantly hinder the gaming experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The game is obtuse and tedious in a lot of areas, like a lot of old point-and-click games.”
- “Unfortunately, the tediousness and time consumption really put me off on this game and any of its future counterparts.”
- “Overall, I don't recommend this game, due to insane puzzles that barely make any sense, and they reduce the game to tedious clicking and trying out everything on everything until you make something new.”
emotional
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
90%
10%
The emotional aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players feeling a strong connection to the characters and a profound impact from the story's ending, while others criticize the lack of emotional depth and connection to the protagonist. Many appreciate the humor and vibrant writing, but some find the narrative's attempts at emotional engagement fall flat or are overshadowed by clunky gameplay and a boring storyline. Overall, the game elicits a range of emotional responses, from heartfelt connections to feelings of disgust or indifference.
- “I'm not a very sentimental person, but it took me weeks to emotionally get over the ending of this trilogy.”
- “This game has done something I thought was impossible: it made me feel for an egotistical maniac.”
- “The writing is witty, the characters vibrant, and the story is executed with a loving finesse that embraces its clichés so fondly it's hard not to excuse their faults, and then makes up for it with a sharp left-turn into some strikingly emotional scenes that defy the conventional tropes.”
- “Clunky movement, boring main character, boring story.”
- “This game was a boring story, and stupid puzzles.”
replayability
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
47%
44%
Overall, the replayability of *Deponia* is considered low, with many players noting its linear story and minimal variation in gameplay after the first playthrough. While the game features multiple endings and achievements that could encourage some replay, most reviews suggest that the lack of significant new content or challenges makes returning to the game less appealing. Players recommend purchasing it on sale due to its short length and limited replay value.
- “Deponia offers 19 achievements, adding an extra layer of replayability.”
- “Multiple endings provide replay value.”
- “Good humor and interesting situations make this a good playthrough for even seasoned point-and-click players, and multiple endings add a reasonable amount of replay value.”
- “Unfortunately, a sale is strongly recommended, since there's no replay value here.”
- “I got it on sale, and I would recommend avoiding the full price as the game is too short (around 8-10 hours for first playthrough) and has little replayability.”
- “Ps: the major flaw in this game is that it has little to no replay value.”
optimization
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
33%
44%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, including low frame rates and various bugs that disrupt gameplay, such as non-clickable objects and misaligned dialogue options. Despite these performance drawbacks, the voice acting is generally well-received, contributing to an otherwise enjoyable experience. Overall, the game's serious performance problems detract from its potential.
- “They actually get some decent actors, including Alix Wilton Regan of Mass Effect 3, and more recently Dragon Age: Inquisition fame, and they turn out a great performance.”
- “Voice acting is also decent overall, with few standout performances for better or for worse.”
- “[h2]Price / Performance[/h2]”
- “Although this game is poorly optimized (low fps) and has some very annoying bugs (which force you to hit the save button more often than you normally should), it has a pretty solid storyline with funny dialogues and turns out to be a really enjoyable experience after all.”
- “This game is horribly, horribly unoptimized.”
- “An interesting little game that is let down by serious performance issues.”