Deponia Doomsday

4 years after the first installment in the Deponia series, Deponia Doomsday is a game that follows the aftermath of Goodbye Deponia in 2013. In this game, you’ll experience a more time-focused adventure as you follow alternate timelines as a formerly deceased Rufus tries to piece together his story in the previous games. Deponia Doomsday is a game that didn’t have to be made, but the developers over at Daedalic Games created a new adventure for fans that weren’t too happy with the conclusion of Deponia’s story in the previous installment.

Like every eventual “time heist” sequel in overdrawn franchises, Deponia Doomsday is definitely still true to the themes of the Deponia game series. However, it lacks the heart from the other three installments in the franchise. Instead, it feels too apologetic in its purpose, yet, sympathetic to fans in its delivery. Although franchises are supposed to appeal to their target audiences, Deponia Doomsday seems to try too hard to be an appealing Deponia game.

Story

In Deponia Doomsday, the story begins with Goal’s narration of the origin of Deponia and Elysium, alongside a brief summary of the various events from the previous games. She talks about how her ancestors originally settled on Deponia and eventually grew their civilization to the extent of creating Elysium and abandoning Deponia. She finally concludes with the story of Rufus’ selfless sacrifice to save Deponia and thwart the original plans that were made from the planet. After the opening sequence, we are met with Rufus as an old man who carries out the original plan to destroy Deponia. However, we quickly cut to a regular Rufus as he awakens from this dream. With this Rufus, players seem to be in an older timeline where Rufus was still with his girlfriend Toni.

As the events of this game unfold, you will have to go through different points in time as Rufus with the help of Professor McChronicle, a character that is an expert in time travel.

During the epic conclusion to Deponia Doomsday’s tale, Rufus manages to make things right in his timeline, while Goal from the original story reflects on the fact that she has lost her Rufus, however, she takes pride in the fact that the new Rufus is somewhere living happily.

Gameplay

In Deponia Doomsday, the wheel isn’t really reinvented. It still plays like a regular Deponia game with solid point and click mechanics that allow players to freely interact with the world around them. Deponia Doomsday even manages to feel fresh with its newer spins on time travel elements in the series. Playing as Rufus and exploring the world feels nostalgic, yet brand new.

As you journey through Rufus’ past, present and future, the game truly feels like a real send-off for the series. Compared to Goodbye Deponia, players will certainly be satisfied with this conclusion.

Pros:

• Great ending
• Solid Story
• Fun cast of characters

Cons:

• Feels more like a gift to fans instead of an organic Deponia game