Daedalic Deponia series

[Berekän]

Didn't think it fit the style of the game too much myself.

 

[Jaesun]

How exactly?

 

[Taluntain]

So I got Deponia in the latest GOG sale and I'm liking it in general so far, but dear God, is this game glitched text-wise... you almost can't find a single dialogue without a glaring typo in it, I've seen typos in object names, seen German being displayed instead of English, VO and text constantly have mild discrepancies which is throwing your perception of what's being said off, the narrative doesn't take into account what you have or haven't done already and you get text and descriptions talking about actions that you haven't done/completed yet as if you already had, other minor bugs... and this is all with the latest patch. Am I seriously the only one who's bothered by all this half-assedness? Because I couldn't find any mention of this in a few of the reviews that I scanned. The game simply feels unfinished and unpolished, dropping any rating I'll give it by the time I get to the end by at least 10% just due to this. I could understand seeing something like this on release day, but after all the patching? Dear God, just how bad must it have been originally if this is supposed to be the finished state for Daedalic?

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Yeah I remember the typos, most of them being in the first one. At least, I REMEMBER most of them being in the first one.

What's REALLY gonna get to you is how stretched and forced the lyrics will become in those intermission songs.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Huzzah, the chorus guys rule.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Huzzah, the chorus guys rule.

Actually, scratch that.

Huzzah, Droggelbecher!

 

[pippin]

It seems they are making a pen and paper game based on Deponia.



At least that's what I understood with google translator's help

Pen&Paper, ‪#‎Deponia‬, Würfelprobe – Da klingelt es bei euch?
In Kooperation mit Orkenspalter TV ist nun DAS VIDEO entstanden - Poki sowie Da und Maria von Daedalic und Jan von Deck13 spielen das Pen and Paper-Rollenspiel zu Deponia– weitere Teile folgen!

Das Spiel wird bald in Druck gehen, wir werden das Datum auf jeden Fall extra ankündigen.

 

[Jools]

After having had it sit in my Steam collection for ages, and after watching GF play it while I wasted my existence on CS and R2TW, I finally hit an all time low and decided I needed a change in my recently declining gaming habits, so I went on a rampage and installed a few adventure games on my PC. Adventure games are my "comfort zone" really, they always entertain me and really throw me back in time: that's because they were such an important part of my gaming experience when I first started PC gaming.

So, I installed Deponia (the Complete Journey edition), and played a bit: I'm currently at the beginning of the 2nd instalment, and here are a few (provisional) impressions.

Visuals
The backdrops are very nice and show care and attention to detail: some of them may seem a bit "generic" at times, eg, stuff you'd find aplenty on deviantart or similar sites, but overall they're quite enjoyable, make a good use of colour and have a somehow distinct art style ("mellow" is the word I'd use: soft lines, 0 harshness, matching palettes). There is a great use of colour palettes.

The characters are well-drawn, in cartoonish/cute art style, and also quite "soft". A few secondary characters aren't that well-designed, and I find the characters to "stand out" a bit too much against the backdrops. The animations are quite meh, to be honest.

The UI is very nice and perfectly blended into the game's design style.

Sound
The game is mostly (entirely? not sure, I usually move convos on as soon as I've read the lines, which happens faster than the VO, and I can't remember if there's some lines around that are not voiced) VO'd, it's not over-the-top but definitively between "decent" and "good".

The music is alright, not intrusive nor too bland. What I noticed is that, in some screens/scenes the music wasn't really fitting the "mood" of the moment, but it doesn't happen that often.

Gameplay
It's a P&C adventure, and that's it. It works. The chains of actions are well-designed but never too complicated, the actual puzzle-minigames fairly easy. There is also a "skip" options in regard to the latter, btw. The minigames never feel "forced", meaning that it makes sense fot them to be "there", both from a gameplay and from a plot perspective, so good job on that.

Story
It's good enough, so far. The main character is deliberately hideous/annoying/douchy, you'll hate him. There are a few moments who managed to steal a smile from me, some fairly unexpected twists, a few cliches (not presented in a trite way, though), and good pacing. The writing is good enough, too. The game tends to recycle locations quite a bit.

 

[pippin]

Parts Two and Three are way better than One so if you like it already you should only feel better with it.
Get ready to feel the feelz and also for the *problematic* jokes in part Three.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Iirc, part one has some really good multiple screen-spanning puzzles. Been a long time since I played it though.

I actually think the entire series is great puzzle-wise, possibly the best among this gen classic-style point and clicks, though 2 is my favorite.

 

[Jools]

For whatever reason, I've lost some momentum.

I got to a point in part 2 which is typical of many games, where there is a lot of stuff to do, a lot of unresolved situations/"subplots", a lot of items in the inventory, and quite a few locations available. I'm not "stuck", I'm just "lost", I would say. Thus I took a couple of days' break from the game, and played some other stuff instead (Wanderlust: Rebirth, specifically).

I hope I'll get the "craving" back soon, because at the moment, it's kind of gone, and I feel it's a shame. Deponia was feeling like a nice little game! Furthermore, kudos to the writers for managing to make me (any many others, afaik) enjoy a game and plot centered on a fairly hideous/douchy/insufferable character.

Glory to Arstotzka!

 

[Jools]

Damn. Well into the 2nd episode, I got a lot of stuff done in the floating market, I'm beginning to see "the light" (that feeling you get when the loads of different threads and subplots start to click together and the story is definitively advancing towards the next big event...), and I'm stuck. Proper stuck. And I don't really want to use guides/hints. I guess I'll leave the game "rest" for a while, as I wait for off-game enlightenment.

 

[FeelTheRads]

Is that where you have to get the secret code?

 

[Jools]

Is that where you have to get the secret code?

Spot on. Yes, I obtained it, but going through the market to reach the dark alley makes you "forget it". Please don't tell me, yet. I wanna sit on it for a couple of days first, see if it comes to me. That's part of what I like about adventure games: they "carry on" off-screen.

 

[pippin]

The solution to prevent you from forgetting the secret knock is amazing :D

 

[Jools]

The solution to prevent you from forgetting the secret knock is amazing :D

Damn you. Is it something so obvious I'm not seeing/doing it, or am I just a retard?

 

[FeelTheRads]

No, you're not a retard (not for this anyway ), but it does require some thinking outside the game... or "off-screen" if you wish.

 

[Jools]

No, you're not a retard (not for this anyway ), but it does require some thinking outside the game... or "off-screen" if you wish.

The "solutions" I pursued so far, none of which proved effective/viable:

- get to the dark alley location without walking through the market (dunno, get kicked there by the gardener or something?)
- find a way to evacuate the market (and maybe the music would be gone too?), by speaking through those tubes, after redirecting them accordingly
- something to do with that silly crate in the dark alley, but no idea
- wear the juicer hat from the souvenir shop, hoping it would provide enough muffling (but the hat is un-obtainable)

Oh well, again, I'll think about it off-screen. Hopefully, it'll strike me.

 

[pippin]

and maybe the music would be gone too

You're getting there...

 

[Unkillable Cat]

That puzzle is THE best puzzle in the entire Deponia trilogy.

The solution is stupidily simple once you figure it out. You WILL kick yourself, and your girlfriend will laugh at you, then kick you herself.

I'll give you a little clue, as it hints at just much of a groundbreaker Deponia really is for the adventure game genre: Approach the problem with the perspective of someone who's NEVER played adventure games before, yet is tasked with solving this puzzle.

 

[Jools]

That puzzle is THE best puzzle in the entire Deponia trilogy.

The solution is stupidily simple once you figure it out. You WILL kick yourself, and your girlfriend will laugh at you, then kick you herself.

I'll give you a little clue, as it hints at just much of a groundbreaker Deponia really is for the adventure game genre: Approach the problem with the perspective of someone who's NEVER played adventure games before, yet is tasked with solving this puzzle.

OMG.

I think I got it. I'm gonna turn the game's music off in the settings. Makes sense with all what you guys have hinted: "out the box", kinda "off-game", very in-line with the often "WTF" puzzle solutions of Deponia, and pretty much "genial", not to mention "LOL @ MUHSELF", and generic LOLs because it's funny. Kinda 4th-wall breaking, a-la Monkey Island.

FUCK I JUST GOT TO WORK, GOTTA WAIT 8 HOURS NOW BEFORE TESTING. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.

Edit - I've been thinking of it all morning. It's GOT TO be that trick.

 

[Berekän]

Yeah, definitely one of the best moments in the series for me.

 

[Jools]

So I was right! And I loved the climax right after, especially the plot twist involving Lady Goal. And shortly after, another "off-screen" or "out-of-the-box" puzzle to solve, the one about the fisherman and the boot. I got that one solved right away. Really good stuff, this 2nd half of chapter 2. Some feelz were touched, too!

Edit - and stuck again. Hmmm, I'm sure I'm doing the right thing, but wrong. XD

Edit 2 - the game does have some strong Monkey Island vibes, in its humour, in puzzle/plot resolution, in the unfolding of events, in its general feeling of wantonness. And Rufus does even occasionally resemble Guybrush in character, well, in a way more hideous and annoying manner, but still...

 

[Jools]

So I was right! And I loved the climax right after, especially the plot twist involving Lady Goal. And shortly after, another "off-screen" or "out-of-the-box" puzzle to solve, the one about the fisherman and the boot. I got that one solved right away. Really good stuff, this 2nd half of chapter 2. Some feelz were touched, too!

Edit - and stuck again. Hmmm, I'm sure I'm doing the right thing, but wrong. XD

Edit 2 - the game does have some strong Monkey Island vibes, in its humour, in puzzle/plot resolution, in the unfolding of events, in its general feeling of wantonness. And Rufus does even occasionally resemble Guybrush in character, well, in a way more hideous and annoying manner, but still...

Awwwwwww at the ending of part 2! Muh feelz! I'm truly in love now. :3

Well, silly me for not having played this game before, it's been sitting there in my library, gathering virtual dust, for ages. I'm really enjoying it, and it even stirred up a massive craving for oldschool adventure games, which I will play right after completing it.

 

[Jools]

What's REALLY gonna get to you is how stretched and forced the lyrics will become in those intermission songs.

That's the one low-point of the game, to me.

I am not sure if the lyrics are deliberately fucked up, for comedy, or if they really just translated the original songs into that... There's not a single lineor verse where they don't either cram an ungodly amount of syllables onto a handful of chords, or the opposite, that is stretch a handful of words over a preposterous abount of notes.

And the lyrics themselves feel "amateur" in translation. Out of curiosity, I think I'll listen to those interludes in German, at least to prevent the ear-rape that the English dub delivers.

The rest of the game is pretty ok, no more typos (I have the "complete" edition, so maybe they put in some etra work on polish), nor other complains of the sort. The translation is fairly good, they even managed to keep the puns in place and not screw up the humour too much.