Deal | Escape the junk planet: This indie adventure is completely free for a limited time

Deponia is a classic point-and-click adventure from Daedalic Entertainment that transports players to a planet that is essentially one gigantic garbage dump. The goal: escape from there and make it to Elysium, where the wealthy live in a floating city above the clouds. Normally, the indie game, which was released in 2012 and is “Verified” for the Steam Deck, costs around $10. Until August 20, however, gamers can claim the title completely free of charge.

Deponia puts players in the role of Rufus – a self-absorbed troublemaker and notorious good-for-nothing. The opportunity to finally make his dream move to Elysium seems to arrive when an Elysian woman named Goal literally falls from the sky. Rufus wants to return her to her home and secure himself a ticket to the city in the sky in the process. What begins as a selfish escape plan, however, quickly develops into a bizarre love story – complete with a conspiracy and the impending destruction of the entire planet.

In terms of gameplay, Deponia is a classic point-and-click adventure. Players explore hand-drawn locations, chat with all kinds of eccentric characters and pick up every questionable item they can find in case it eventually proves useful for one of the many puzzles. Deponia relies heavily on slapstick humor, bizarre ideas and a deliberately unlikable protagonist whose grandiose plans regularly backfire in spectacular fashion.

German gaming magazine GameStar awarded Deponia a solid 88 out of 100 points. The reviewers praised the lovingly crafted cartoon visuals, even though they were already somewhat dated back in 2012. The puzzles are generally said to offer a pleasant challenge and, together with the mini-games, provide around 10 hours of gameplay. According to GameStar, however, the game becomes somewhat too linear – and occasionally too easy – later on. Of the more than 14,000 Steam reviews submitted so far, 86% are positive.

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