Deponia is a classic adventure game developed by the German studio Daedalic Entertainment. The game was released in January 2012, but only in German. Later, the game appeared on Steam, allowing the local audience to appreciate the project in its Russian-language version. However, full localization did not occur; only subtitles were added.
The action of the game unfolds on a polluted, filthy, and not very beautiful little planet called Deponia. Ruthless industrialization has destroyed almost all vegetation, polluting the seas and the air. Deponia can rightly be called a junk planet or a dump planet, whatever you prefer. In such conditions lives a guy named Rufus, who hates his way of life, his home, his neighbors, and all of Deponia as a whole. His hatred for everything around is so strong that he is constantly trying to escape the planet by any means available. His main goal is the beautiful city of Elysium, floating in the skies, but getting there is not so simple. Ordinary Deponians are forbidden to go up, and Rufus, fully aware of this, repeatedly devises ingenious (at least, in his opinion) plans to achieve his cherished dream. Accordingly, he repeatedly fails. It should be noted that Rufus is quite inept, moreover, an insufferable talentless and incorrigible lazy person. He is truly a comedic character, elevated by the developers to the rank of a local clown.
During his next attempt to escape from Deponia, Rufus saves a girl named Goal, who, as it later turns out, is a resident of Elysium. The cunning Rufus immediately comes up with an idea on how to infiltrate the flying city with the best chances for himself – he just needs to use the beautiful Goal as a passport. Here, I saved your poor red-haired girl from a horrible death among the garbage and rust; take me up. But poor Rufus had no idea what adventures he would have to endure. No, they are not terrifying and awful, but suits the unfortunate Rufus well.
Deponia is primarily notable for being very beautiful. The game features vibrant colors, pleasant graphics, high-quality detailing, and lively animation, and just for this alone, the developers at Daedalic Entertainment deserve praise. Everything is wonderful plot-wise too – players can expect unexpected (and usually funny) twists in the narrative, engaging dialogues, and lots and lots of humor. In other aspects, Deponia fully adheres to the classic canons of the good old adventure game. The player must collect various items, use them where necessary, and also combine things if the situation requires it. Deponia also includes mini-games, but passing them is not mandatory.
The Daedalic Entertainment project is good on all sides, no matter how you look at it, although there are some minor complaints about Deponia. For example, at certain moments, it is very difficult to understand what the player needs to do to progress further in the story. Then you have to act by trial and error, leaving behind all attempts to think logically. It can also be noted that there is some ambiguity after completing the game, but that’s understandable - Daedalic Entertainment was initially focused on creating a trilogy.