Trilogies are particularly popular in the film industry. They offer a wider scope for telling a story, and the characters are often adopted as family members by the second installment at the latest. Therefore, the sadness is all the greater when the final part draws to a close.
Years later, a surprise suddenly arrives. Despite the seemingly concluded ending, another chapter unexpectedly unfolds, leaving the reader with mixed feelings of excitement and skepticism. Will the quality be maintained, or will it descend into a content-related disaster?
Well, what the film industry can get away with should be fair game for the gaming industry. Daedalic Entertainment ventured to release a new sequel in 2016, three years after "Goodbye Deponia," and since February 2019, the entire port of the quadrilogy to the PS4 has been complete. Thus, shortly after the "TEST: Goodbye Deponia – Humor reaches its limits" now "Deponia Doomsday“On the test bench. Will this final episode reach the pinnacle of ratings or end up on its junkyard planet?”
Rendezvous with Pink Elephants
Unexpectedly, this time the tutorial is wrapped in a dark scenario. At the beginning, you must guide a hooded figure through an icy area. A sense of desolation pervades the game as your first objective is to open the door to a demolition tower. What are they up to? Is Deponia in danger? Once again, you need to combine the right tools, and suddenly the door opens. But what terrible creatures lurk in the background (some might even call them quite ugly)?
Thankfully, the protagonist notices the danger behind him, but can only risk a run forward, scrambling up the stairs inside. Oh no – he's already been grabbed by a claw. The threat is barely averted before he continues upwards. He steps through the next opening and barricades it at the last second. Reaching the top, a red button beckons like a magnet. Very tempting for some, especially with a bomb nearby. Yes, the trigger is part of the plan, and at this point, our character's identity is revealed: surprisingly, it's the aged… But wait – the necessary detonation takes priority, is having trouble starting, and then the enemies enter the room. So, he quickly climbs the enormous projectile and activates it manually. Then, with a tremendous bang, the planet explodes.
Was that the end? No, a nightmare Rufus had about his older self! Fiction or an oracular prophecy? That is the question. But before he starts pondering that, he has his duties to attend to. He needs to prepare for a trip with his girlfriend Toni. Of all things, a pyramid made of her glasses has to come along and be packed securely. But as fate would have it, a vehicle backs into the stack and wrecks it. The driver, however, is a time traveler, and his car can turn back the clock. This time, Rufus wants to help with the maneuvering and is distracted at the crucial moment by a pink elephant that briefly appears and then vanishes just as quickly. Imagination? So, back again for a few minutes…and there it is…that same oaf. The well-intentioned plan just won't work. So, the star of the game has to come up with something else, and the story unfolds once more…
Time travel! Time travel! Time travel!
The typical elements of a point-and-click adventure game have been retained in the fourth installment. Players expect to see pointing and clicking, and that's exactly what they get. A new feature is the ability to zip through the environment at a faster speed. This doesn't seem particularly useful at first, as getting from point A to point B is easily achievable with slow steps, allowing Rufus to conserve his virtual breath. But the adventure is long, and who knows what other uses this feature might have.
As before, objects are combined and/or the environment is interacted with. In "Deponia Doomsday," there's no need to overthink things. The crazier, the better.
Speaking of crazy. After the first time travel backward, you're in danger of questioning your sanity. Suddenly, painstakingly collected items have vanished from your inventory. But wait, that makes sense! The character hadn't collected them yet. So, you bite the bullet and redo the completed tasks and their rewards. And all at once, the relationships between objects and areas are different. Damn time travel…
Fourth comic book exhibition on the PS4
Although three years separate the third and last Deponia games, everything feels cohesive and consistent, and that's a good thing! Many animated series from the seventies and eighties have returned decades later, overly modernized. Here, Daedalic Entertainment stayed true to its style (thank you!), and Doomsday landed safely on consoles in 2019.
The same applies to the quality of the music and the dialogue/subtitles. Everything is superbly executed once again. Now you should just leave your Rufus avatar standing there and see what happens. Hopefully, the sound system isn't turned up too loud, otherwise you might have trouble with the neighbors…giggle.
