Deponia Doomsday is a point-and-click adventure game that came out in 2016. Daedalic Entertainment developed and published Deponia Doomsday and, as a whole, the German video game publisher focuses on similar point-and-click style games. Deponia Doomsday originally debuted as a computer game compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux. In February 2019, Deponia Doomsday came to the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, and later that year, the Nintendo Switch also got a playable version of the game. A final version of the game was released in 2020 for Amazon Luna.
Deponia Doomsday is the sequel to Goodbye Deponia and is the fourth game of the series. The overall reception for Deponia Doomsday is positive. Steam rates the game a 9 out of 10 and GOG.com rates it a 3.9 out of 5. The game has been described as “charming” and makes players fondly remember why they fell in love with the series in the first place. The one major criticism about Deponia Doomsday is the puzzle mechanic. Players often rely on trial and error to complete each puzzle because there aren’t always obvious roots to take.
Deponia Doomsday Premise
Deponia Doomsday is the fourth game in the Deponia series. It is a sequel to Goodbye Deponia, but it also stands out from the rest of the games. The first three titles, Deponia, Chaos on Deponia, and Goodbye Deponia are considered a trilogy, which leaves Deponia Doomsday as an outlier. The developers of Deponia Doomsday describe the game as parallel to the rest of the franchise. Players play as Rufus, the Deponia series’ main protagonist. Rufus has been the playable character in every single game and although he’s the protagonist, he’s also an anti-hero due to some of his choices.
That’s where Deponia Doomsday comes in. After a prologue that tells the story of how Rufus ultimately saved Deponia but also sets out to destroy the planet, Rufus wakes up from a nightmare as a young man. At first, things seem fine, but Rufus is hit with a huge wave of deja vu. He’s sure this has already happened. He remembers incidents that haven’t happened yet, like the destruction of the crystal glasses he needs to wrap. Without fail, Professor McChronical breaks the crystal glasses with his car. Everything he thinks he remembers starts to happen.
As it turns out, McChronicle’s car is actually a time machine. McChronicle resets the time machine and attempts to change the outcome of his arrival, but every time, the crystal glasses are destroyed. What’s more extraordinary is that Rufus remembers these events each time, which isn’t supposed to happen. Time travelers only remember these details if they’re equipped with a special hood designed to make sure they don’t forget. With the power of McChronicle’s time machine, the game takes off on an exploration of Rufus’ life. More specifically, Rufus travels through time to revisit his worst moments and fix his past mistakes.
Deponia Doomsday Main Characters
Rufus is the main protagonist of the entire Deponia series. Each game focuses on Rufus’ story as the playable character, but he’s not the only person who makes up the Deponia series. Deponia Doomsday has a number of major characters who help build the world and flesh out the hero’s journey.
- Rufus: Rufus is the playable protagonist and anti-hero in every Deponia game. Rufus is from Deponia, the “trash planet”. He manages to save Deponia by proving that the planet is still inhabitable to Elysium, the people who want to destroy the waste planet. That said, Rufus doesn’t want to be on Deponia. All Rufus ever wanted was to live in Elysium, the city that floats above Deponia. His entire life revolves around figuring out how to get there. Although Rufus is the protagonist of the series, the games consider him an anti-hero. He’s selfish and only motivated by what’s best for himself. He lacks empathy and while he does get better through the series, he never truly outgrows these behaviors. Rufus is also incredibly clumsy despite believing himself above other people. Rufus is a prototype for the Organon, which is more or less a workforce army created entirely of clones.
- Goal: Goal is Rufus’ girlfriend and she’s the secondary protagonist of the series. Goal is an Elysian with a whole lot of empathy. Goal stepped in when Elysium wanted to destroy Deponia regardless of whether it was inhabited. Unwilling to see the destruction of innocent people, Goal insisted that she go to Deponia herself to investigate. Saving the planet became the most important thing to her when she found proof of life. Goal is intelligent, unwilling to back down from arguments, and careful with whom she associates. In this way, Goal is very different from Rufus. Unfortunately, Rufus has a negative impact on Goal’s mind and personality, so it’s sometimes hard to tell what’s authentically Goal and what’s Rufus’ influence.
- Cletus: Cletus is one of the main antagonists of the Deponia series and he’s easily recognizable by his striking similarity to Rufus. As it turns out, Cletus is another Hermes prototype, though whether or not Rufus knows he’s a clone isn’t clear. Cletus is extremely similar to Rufus, not just in looks, but in personality as well. He believes everyone he meets is beneath him and puts his own goals first.
- Argus: Argus is the Organon army’s bailiff and he is one of the main antagonists that shows up throughout the Deponia series. Argus is Prototype A and he, along with Cletus and Rufus, are the only surviving prototypes. Out of the three of them, Argus is the most unique. While he takes his duties very seriously, he isn’t full of himself the way Cletus and Rufus are. He’s strict and puts his work above all things, but he also cares deeply for the Organon.
- Ronny: Ronny is a character special to Deponia Doomsday. Unlike the rest of the main characters, Ronny doesn’t show up until the last installment of the series. Ronny is an AI helper designed for Elysian’s everyday use. Ronny becomes a pretty standard science-fiction AI trope when he becomes an antagonist. Eventually, Ronny uses Fewlocks, a reptilian species, to destroy both Deponia and Elysium.
Deponia Titles in the Series
The Deponia series consists of four games:
- Deponia (early 2012)
- Chaos on Deponia (late 2012)
- Goodbye Deponia (2013)
- Deponia Doomsday (2016)
The series also released a bundle called Deponia: The Complete Journey in 2014. This bundle includes the original trilogy of games: Deponia, Chaos on Deponia, and Goodbye Deponia. Deponia: The Complete Journey also includes several bonus features, like developer commentary and other inside looks at the making of the Deponia series.
Since Deponia Doomsday’s release, there have been no more games. That said, a reveal trailer for Surviving Deponia dropped on June 10, 2023. This game is going to be different from the rest of the series, as players will get to create their own base. The game promises to let players “meet new and old friends”, but Surviving Deponia will be a simulator-style story game. Surviving Deponia has a 2023 release date according to Steam, but it isn’t out yet.
Deponia Doomsday Cheat Codes
Deponia Doomsday is a simplistic story-driven point-and-click style game. While the game is criticized for being a bit too obscure with the puzzles, most of them can be solved by simple trial and error. Some players may not enjoy these style puzzles, because they often need to keep trying until something works. While this mechanic could be more refined, it’s straightforward enough. Most players won’t struggle to come to the right conclusions sooner rather than later.
Unfortunately, since Deponia Doomsday is such a simple game, there aren’t any cheat codes or ways to extort the game for an easier experience. That said, there are plenty of achievements for players to work towards.
Steam Achievements for Deponia Doomsday
It’s worth noting that the Steam Achievements are more or less identical to the PlayStation trophies and Xbox Achievements. Xbox and PlayStation’s wording of each entry might vary slightly, but these are mostly the same across all platforms.
- 1001 Jackalopes: Create all 243 jackalope variants
- Against Better Judgement: Put the blowtorch back where it originally was
- And Again, And Again, And…: Complete the Kuvaq segment
- And Everything Comes Full Circle: Complete Deponia Doomsday
- Apoca…huh?: Let the doomsday timer expire
- Blast from the Past: In the surfing minigame, travel through three different (active) portals
- Boat of Love, Boat of Love: Complete the carnival segment
- Brainfreeze: Eat ice cream five times
- Burn, Elysium, Burn!: Complete the first Elysium segment
- Chunky: Mix the drink, then puree the maggot in the blender
- Deponia Doomsday unlocked!: Collect all other trophies
- Distraction: When using the blowtorch, get distracted by fewlock while three bars are glowing
- Elysian Minigame Master: Complete all Elysian minigames without skipping any
- Every Man for Himself!: Let all junk knights die in the mirror maze
- Funscore: Get a fun score of 9999
- Funtime’s Over: Complete the Elysium segment
- Goat Team: Repeatedly raise and lower the university’s flagpoles
- Heading the Inverter: Hit the thrown inverter with Rufus’ head
- Huzza, He’s Back: Complete the prologue
- Kuvaq Minigame Master: Complete all Kuvaq minigames without skipping any
- Masseltov: Repeatedly break the toilet seats
- Monstrous Harassment: Repeatedly inspect the bubbles at the Tunnel of Love
- No Man Left Behind!: Don’t let any junk knights die in the mirror maze
- Pacifist: Never pick up the paintball gun
- Paradox!: In Elysium, try combining the Milk and the Cheese
- Photo Friend: Take 4 unique photos with Mock-Up Goal at the carnival
- Play It Again, Ronny: Repeatedly inspect the cafe’s jukebox
- Portals Come in Packs: Reach Kuvaq, again
- Quickdraw: Slingshot the elephants with the cactus button as soon as one’s able
- Sadist: Repeatedly dump sauna coals on Elder Un’s lap
- Scaffolding Expert: Inspect the university lecture hall’s roof scaffolding
- School’s Out: Complete the university segment
- Shall We Play a Game?: During the Rotten Fruit game, don’t put a fruit in the middle
- Sole Music: In the prologue, kick the fewlock pursuer repeatedly
- The Customer is Always Right: Repeatedly ask the carnival robot for sausages
- Thuna…?: Inspect the dolphin skeleton at the carnival
- Weapons 101: Give Tuck every rifle variation
Deponia Doomsday Cheat Codes FAQs
Does Deponia: The Complete Journey include Doomsday?
No, Deponia: The Complete Journey does not include Deponia Doomsday. The Complete Journey was released in 2014 and features the first three games in the series, Deponia, Chaos on Deponia, and Goodbye Deponia. Deponia Doomsday didn’t come out until 2016. It is considered a sequel to the trilogy, but it also runs parallel to the main timeline, rather than only following up after Goodbye Deponia.
How long to beat Deponia Doomsday?
According to HowLongToBeat, the main game takes around 11 hours to complete. This estimate only accounts for players doing the main story and nothing else. A completionist run of the game will take closer to 13 and a half hours.
Which Deponia game to play first?
Start with the first game, Deponia. Each game builds on the story from the previous installments. Players won’t understand the newer games if they don’t play the original. Players should play the Deponia series in order as well.
Does Deponia have multiple endings?
No, Deponia is a story-driven game that doesn’t seek to hide its “true” or “good” ending from its players. It only has one ending.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Daedalic Entertainment.