QuizzicalCube
Published
Game runs overall well, however could benefit from improvement to native controller support
The game does not support both gamepad and KB/M bindings at the same. I highly prefer analog input so I recommend binding the right TouchPad to output as joystick using either an aggressive response curve or custom for the stick response curve, any joystick values below the absolute max values lack as fine of precision for twin stick shooters.
Occasionally regardless of previous settings, gamepad will become disabled in the menu requiring either switching controller configs to KB/M or holding down the guide button to change the setting using Steams chord mouse bindings.
Although, I can't remember the out of box settings the game can run very well at high settings and mostly performs seamlessly. The game pairs very well with Steam Deck
The game unfortunately defaulted to the developers predefined DualShock 4 configuration meaning that select was not bound, on DS4 it's bound to touchpad. An easy change but it did throw me off especially because I played around with some mods and thought they may have broken something before realizing.
Also worth noting that the game had native support for the original Steam Controller but this support was never updated to add Steam Deck icons therefore defaulting back to Steam Controller. This is only a visual hiccup and does not affect functionality. This is likely why the game has been marked as playable and not verified.
I capped the TDP at 9 Watts; I've found that this is more than enough to maintain a solid 60 FPS high settings even on more demanding tracks. If you end up installing the high frame rate mod, this is still enough to maintain 90 FPS in most tracks and typically does not drop below 80 FPS.
Running under proton 9.4 the game immediately crashes every time you go into the display settings. Please be aware that this is the version of proton Steam defaults to! From what I have tested gameplay is unaffected however I highly recommend using an earlier version.
The game runs very smooth and is fairly lightweight. Personally I've taken two using some of that headroom to provide a better visual experience; I'm currently running the game at 1680X1050 as a form of super sampling which although subtle does help remove aliasing.
You can try it yourself by going to the cog on the games page > properties > set game resolution to 1080p or higher > check "set resolution for internal and external display" > in game set the resolution as desired.
I've completed and earned all achievements on Steam Deck without issue.
By default the in-game subtitles are quite small, somewhat bearable at the Steam Deck's native resolution but likely unreadable at above or from average TV distance. I followed the steps in this thread to replace the current subtitle font with something a bit more readable. https://steamcommunity.com/app/228300/discussions/0/846954921950255190/?
Most UI elements scale fine so those not needing subtitles should be fine.
Limited TDP to 9
Subtitles don't scale properly based on resolution.
So far the game has run fine at high settings 60 FPS with the exception of hitches during certain loading sequences.
As slow down becomes apparent quality of audio can wobble a bit
Steam Deck fairs well enough in comparison to the recommended minimum specs however past the first few levels as a lot of AI characters and sprites are on screen considerable slowdown can happen. Whether or not the slowdown is to the point of unplayability is going to be subjective but personally I've only been using Steam Deck to play so far
Many of this style of game tends to eventually lead to slow down as the enemy count becomes untenable for a mobile device. Vampire Survivors being the most widely known example, so I certainly don't consider it a fault of the game, however I think it's also important to take into consideration if your particularly picky about performance or slow down
Every so often frames will drop by 15 or 20%-ish however this seems to happen irregardless of what the frame rate cap is so as an example changing from 90 to 60 although may mitigate the issue it does not correct it. I haven't tried lowering the resolution and the in game settings are very limited so I haven't messed with much , however changing power settings like TDP cap and manual GPU clock hasn't had much of a noticeable change. The game is absolutely playable and mostly enjoyable however not performing as I would expect given the recommended requirements
I think given the chill nature of the game it's a reasonable experience and enough for those simply wanting to play the game; but it could be highly improved with better remapping options for controls and at the very minimum at least a bit more scalability when it comes to graphics options. I've gotten through the main "storyline" on Steam Deck with no major hiccups but at the very least the lack of any rebinding options was at least felt
