Deal | With 77% positive reviews, hand-drawn adventure game Deponia is free to keep on Steam

Steam users have the chance to get a classic hand-drawn game for free. This offer, like other free-to-keep promotions on the platform, will be available for a limited time. More specifically, it will run until March 16, 2026.

The game under the spotlight is Deponia. Developed by Daedalic Entertainment, it was released in 2012, and it resides in the point-and-click adventure category. This hand-drawn comedy title is set on a trash-covered planet, in which humanity is still thriving by scavenging through endless piles of garbage.

Its story follows Rufus, who is an ambitious but often incompetent junkyard dweller. Rufus dreams of escaping to the floating utopia of Elysium, and through luck, he gets a chance to secure a trip to paradise.

Players get to control Rufus through a mouse-driven interface, and most of the gameplay sticks to the classical point-and-click mechanics. Interacting with objects, examining items, and combining inventory pieces to solve puzzles pretty much define this current free game on Steam.

A big part of Deponia's appeal, however, comes from its presentation. It features over 100 hand-drawn backgrounds, and there are fully voiced dialogues that create a cartoon-like atmosphere. As for the puzzles, it's mostly about solving usual tasks, such as repairing a broken machine and crafting strange beverages.

Deponia has built quite a reputation on Steam throughout the years. It currently holds a 77% positive rating out of over 2,900 reviews. Among all, players praise the sharp humor, visual style, and memorable characters of this currently free game. However, like many traditional point-and-click adventures, some of its puzzles feel more reliant on trial and error. There are some repetitive voice lines as well, which can disrupt the smooth flow of the narrative.

Even so, for a free game that usually goes for $9.99, Deponia is worth trying for those who are into point-and-click adventure games. It also comes with the Steam Deck Verified compatibility rating, meaning that it will be easy to run on most systems, even on those with iGPUs (such as the Beelink SER 9 Pro that's curr. $699 on Amazon). To learn more, check out the video attached below.

Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.