Deponia

78%
Game Brain Score Based on 2,808 reviews
  • story
  • humor
  • graphics
Deponia Game Cover
Deponia wins players with rugged charm and clever puzzles, despite how convoluted the story can get.
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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.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Gog Com
  • Linux
  • Mobile Platform
  • Play​Station
  • Tablet
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

78%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,808 reviews
story543 positive mentions
stability41 negative mentions
  • Deponia captures the true spirit of 1990s point-and-click adventure games with its humor and quirky characters.
  • The art style and world-building are top-tier, creating a vibrant and engaging environment.
  • The game offers a mix of fun and challenging puzzles that require creative thinking.
  • The main character, Rufus, is often seen as unlikable and annoying, which detracts from the overall experience.
  • There are known game-breaking bugs, such as the magnet puzzle, that have not been fixed since the game's release.
  • Some puzzles lack logical coherence, leading to frustration and reliance on walkthroughs.
  • story1,146 mentions

    The story of Deponia is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its humor, quirky characters, and engaging plot, while others criticize it for being shallow, poorly written, or overly reliant on clichés. The protagonist, Rufus, is often described as unlikable, which can detract from the overall experience, but the game's unique setting and comedic elements keep many players invested. Overall, while the story has its flaws, it offers a blend of absurdity and charm that appeals to fans of the point-and-click genre.

    • “The story is original and enjoyable.”
    • “The story, characters, artwork, and humor are 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 main character is an unlikable loser who never learns his lesson.”
    • “The story is so incoherent and feels like there was literally no thought put into it.”
  • humor951 mentions

    The humor in "Deponia" is a mix of absurdity, sarcasm, and dark comedy, appealing to fans of quirky and offbeat humor reminiscent of classic point-and-click games like "Monkey Island." While many players find the dialogue and character interactions genuinely funny, others criticize the humor as crass, dated, or overly reliant on the unlikable main character, Rufus, whose antics can be both amusing and grating. Overall, the game's humor is hit-or-miss, with some players enjoying its unique style while others feel it falls flat or becomes tiresome over time.

    • “The game's humor is top-notch, and the player is constantly treated to witty dialogue and hilarious situations.”
    • “The story is okay, and the humor was great, especially considering the marvelous voice acting.”
    • “It's a fun little game about a complete douchebag, selfish but funny and silly guy who wants to escape his literal trash planet but finds himself involved in a corruption case.”
    • “Outdated unfunny humor, nonsensical puzzle solutions.”
    • “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.”
    • “Everything is ruined by an insufferable protagonist and unfunny attempts at humor.”
  • graphics456 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming hand-drawn art style, vibrant colors, and detailed backgrounds, reminiscent of classic point-and-click adventures. Many reviewers highlight the unique and whimsical aesthetic, which enhances the overall atmosphere and complements the game's humor. However, some critiques mention a lack of diversity in the visuals and occasional graphical glitches, but overall, the artwork is considered a standout feature that adds to the game's appeal.

    • “The hand-drawn art style, with its vibrant colors and detailed backgrounds, brings the world of Deponia to life.”
    • “The graphics are gorgeous, the story is really fun and overall it's just a good time.”
    • “The art style is charming and allows for very fluid and frequent animations.”
    • “The main drive to games like this is its story, the characters; unfortunately, the game fails at that. The closest people to the character you play are complete jerks to you, but for good reason. The main character is the most unlikable person I've seen in a long time, even towards people who manage to have the patience to not want to kill him on sight. Gorgeous visuals, good sound design, but the characters and story that are supposed to be the reward after completing the puzzles completely suck.”
    • “I started up the game already having graphical glitches. I get into the tutorial and future actions begin occurring all over the screen (more graphical glitches) and what a clunky tutorial it was.”
    • “Once you get past the cute graphics, you realize the puzzles are illogical messes, the story is uninteresting, the main character is completely unlikeable, and the rest don't really deserve to use the word 'character'.”
  • music256 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its fitting and atmospheric qualities, as well as its catchy and humorous interludes. However, several players find the music repetitive and annoying after extended play, leading to a desire to turn it off. Overall, while the soundtrack enhances the game's charm and complements its art and humor, its lack of variety can detract from the experience for some players.

    • “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 kind of repetitive and annoying many times.”
    • “Regrettably the audio does suffer, with music often being quite annoying after the 10th loop.”
  • gameplay201 mentions

    The gameplay 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 unlikable characters, leading to a mixed reception overall. Despite its charming art style and solid mechanics, the gameplay often suffers from a lack of intuitive design and can feel repetitive or tedious at times.

    • “Gameplay-wise, it is also great with well-built, imaginative puzzles and responsive control mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay is simple; you play as Rufus, you explore the areas, then pick up and combine things to get yourself out of scenario puzzles.”
    • “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 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 gameplay is absurd and you'll find yourself just clicking everywhere on the screen to try and figure out what the hell you're supposed to do next.”
  • stability42 mentions

    The game is widely criticized for its numerous stability issues, including major glitches, animation problems, and game-breaking bugs that can hinder progress and require players to rely on save game patches. While some users report minimal glitches that do not significantly affect gameplay, the overall consensus is that the game is plagued by bugs that detract from the experience, leading to frustration and confusion. Players are advised to approach the game with caution due to its unstable nature.

    • “The game runs smoothly without any noticeable lag or crashes, providing a seamless experience.”
    • “I appreciate how stable the game is; I can play for hours without any interruptions.”
    • “The performance is impressive, with consistent frame rates and no technical issues.”
    • “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.”
    • “The game is buggy and can't be completed (e.g., detonation plan).”
  • atmosphere41 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique blend of humor, beautifully crafted artwork, and fitting music that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the detailed steampunk world and the engaging character dynamics, which contribute to a captivating and immersive environment. However, some critiques mention that the English dub may detract from the intended atmosphere, suggesting that the original language better captures the game's charm.

    • “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 graphics are beautifully rendered in a cartoon style, creating the perfect atmosphere for this wacky adventure.”
    • “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 give a sh*t about all this madness he's making everywhere, as if it's just some kind of a joke.”
  • character development29 mentions

    Character development in the game is largely criticized, with many players noting a lack of growth or depth in the main characters, particularly the protagonist, who is often described as unlikable and sociopathic. While the character designs and art style are praised for their appeal and creativity, the overall narrative fails to deliver meaningful character arcs, leaving players hopeful for improvements in future installments. Despite the engaging universe and entertaining dialogue, the absence of substantial character development detracts from the overall experience for many reviewers.

    • “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.”
    • “Reminded me a lot of Monkey Island, and made me love the character development and the wacky story.”
    • “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.”
  • grinding26 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the "Deponia" series is frequently criticized for its tedious and repetitive gameplay, with many players feeling that the puzzles are overly convoluted and lack logical coherence. Achievements and quests often require excessive backtracking and trial-and-error, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment. While some players appreciate the artistic style and occasional compelling story elements, the overall consensus is that the grinding nature of the game detracts significantly from the experience.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The story moves forward in a very jerky way with 30-second cutscenes of story followed by long, tedious bouts of point-and-click puzzle solving full of very contrived quests which are barely related to the story.”
    • “Unfortunately, the tediousness and time consumption really put me off on this game and any of its future counterparts.”
  • emotional20 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players feeling a lack of connection to the protagonist and finding the narrative humor overshadowing emotional depth. However, others report being deeply affected by the story's poignant moments and character arcs, particularly in the trilogy's conclusion, which left a lasting impact. Overall, while the game offers humor and entertainment, it also contains moments of genuine emotional resonance that resonate with certain players.

    • “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 had a boring story and stupid puzzles.”
  • replayability16 mentions

    Overall, the replayability of *Deponia* is considered low, with many players noting its linear story and minimal incentive to replay after completing the game. While some mention the presence of multiple endings and achievements as potential motivators for a second playthrough, the consensus is that the game lacks significant replay value, especially given its relatively short playtime of around 8-10 hours. Players recommend purchasing it on sale rather than at full price due to this limited replayability.

    • “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 (go for the bundle, 2 is amazing too).”
    • “I got it on sale, and I would recommend avoiding the full price as the game is too short (around 8-10 hours for the first playthrough) and has little replayability.”
    • “The major flaw in this game is that it has little to no replay value.”
  • optimization9 mentions

    The game suffers from significant optimization issues, resulting in low frame rates and various bugs that disrupt gameplay, such as non-clickable objects and misaligned dialogue options. Despite these technical shortcomings, players appreciate the solid storyline and voice acting, which contribute to an overall enjoyable experience.

    • “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.”
    • “Good, convincing voice acting performances.”
    • “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.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

77% average critic score

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Play time

9hMedian play time
12hAverage play time
8hMain story
10hCompletionist
8-20hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 19 analyzed playthroughs

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