Daedalic’s Deponia ended on a very abrupt note, with the promise of more shenanigans to come. Chaos on Deponia certainly lives up to that billing, though it has the odd distinction of being a poor sequel yet a great stand-alone game.
Chaos on Deponia starts you off with the same tutorial as the first game, but Daedalic manages to avoid making it annoying by having Rufus point it out as well, and making it skippable. I decided to go through it again, just to see what jokes or comments I would hear during it.
The game then begins with an introduction to great, comedic puzzle solving as Rufus manages to kill a bird, clog a drain and set a house on fire all while trying to retrieve a hammer as the owners sit in the foreground discussing Rufus’ shortcomings. This serves as an excellent introduction to the world of Deponia. For the most part, the puzzles are well made and clever, though a few of them are more obtuse than they should be.
Unfortunately, while the gameplay itself builds upon the first game, the story doesn’t actually seem to move forward at all. It’s largely a retread of the previous plot. Rufus has once again damaged Goal’s brain disc, only this time it somehow split her personality into three parts. You’ll have to convince all three distinct personalities to go along with your plans.
This leads to some pretty funny interactions and story bits, though it can be tiring going through the same dialogue options for each version of Goal. That’s not to say that this is a bad thing, just that more progression was expected from a sequel. I look forward to the next entry in the series, and hope for a satisfying conclusion to the story.
The characters, writing and humor are all superior to Deponia, and even the visuals themselves manage to look sharper and more vibrant. And, as usual for Daedalic titles, the music is great, particularly the chapter interlude songs.
While the story itself doesn’t really go anywhere, Chaos on Deponia is still a better game than its predecessor, and very much a worthwhile game for any adventure game enthusiast.
Pros: Gorgeous graphics, enjoyable story, great logic puzzles
Cons: Story doesn’t advance
