


install d3dx9 using winetricks
Game doesn't lunch without tinkering. Mnaged to start it after seeing a recommendation here to install d3dx9 via winetricks - it worked!
I ended up creating a manual Steam shortcut using Heroic Launcher with the latest GE-Proton at the time (10-8), going into properties, selecting winetricks there and installing d3dx9 there.
Works and runs fine via Steam afterwards.
gamemoderun %command%
Experienced crashing but was fixed by running as Proton Experimental (even the Proton GE versions had issues)

OP can play with GE-Proton8-25. With Proton 8.0-4, test card shows when playing OP.
install d3dx9 using protontricks

Tried multiple versions of Wine-GE (7-39, 7-12, 7-1, game crashes) and Proton and Proton-GE (game never launches)

Proton-6.5-GE-2 GloriousEggroll
Proton-6.5-GE-1
Created dxvk.conf file in the same folder as the game's executable. Only line in the file was "d3d9.deferSurfaceCreation = True". Without this, the game can't be run.