AMID EVIL

AMID EVIL: The Black Labyrinth DLC was provided by New Blood for review. Thank you!

With so many fast-paced boomer-shooters out there, each one needs to go a little further to really stand apart from the rest. DOOM is over-the-top gory and hellish, DUSK has a much more retro feel sprinkled with redneck/western influences, and SPRAWL is cyberpunk-themed with a focus on slow-motion and wall-running. As for AMID EVIL, creativity takes the lead here. AMID EVIL has all the makings of an incredible shooter. It has an addicting gameplay loop, incredible level design, a variety of game modes and maps, and a fantastic soundtrack. But the creativity that comes into play takes the form of its distinct settings, enemies, and weaponry that feel so different.

Each of the seven episodes of the main campaign contains four levels, each having different environments like underground caverns, moonlit sanctuaries, desert-inspired ruins, dark factories, and more. All of these are accompanied by a non-linear design and enemies that you won't be able to find anywhere else. Then, we have the weapons. The distinctive designs of each weapon reeks of creativity, which can range from a mace that shoots out crystal spikes all the way to a claw that can grab planets from outer space and shoot them. Each of these weapons has a distinctive feel and design, with alternate uses that can enhance and change how you use them. Every weapon has its place and can be used effectively in different scenarios.

Now, put all of this together into one package, and you have a game that is hard to set down. But AMID EVIL doesn't stop there, thanks to its new prologue DLC:

AMID EVIL: The Black Labyrinth

The Black Labyrinth is a full expansion to the base game, providing a prequel experience that goes through the trial to get the legendary axe you use in the base game. In this expansion, which costs $11.99, you are getting new levels with brand-new enemies, more complicated puzzles and traps, a new soundtrack, and two new weapons: the Gauntlets of Platinum Star and the Voidsplitter.

Each level is carefully plotted out, just like the ones in the base game, but have a completely different aesthetic and vibe to them. There's something very special here with each environment's level and visual design, creating a feast for the eyes and a playground to use the two new insane weapons added with this expansion. The gauntlets are a great melee weapon with an alternate attack with heavy JoJo's Bizzare Adventure inspirations, while the Voidsplitter is a scythe that can cut through the air, and the alternate attack literally cuts into space and erases enemies from existence.

The Black Labyrinth adds more of what AMID EVIL does best: incredible levels mixed with creative weapons and enemies to create one of the best retro FPS experiences. I was blown away by what the DLC is capable of and really just expected more of AMID EVIL, but it ended up going over and above. And I am so happy to say that playing on the Steam Deck is going to be very easy.

AMID EVIL - Steam Deck Performance

Like other shooters, AMID EVIL feels best at higher framerates, and for the most part, it hits this with ease. 60 FPS is possible in almost every area in the game without changing settings, but there is high battery drain and some dips in select areas. After much testing, I feel playing at 60 is possible, but it requires turning the resolution scale down to around 90%. The game still looks phenomenal and handles extremely well, but the battery drain can still spike into the 20W range, and I found some areas didn't feel as smooth as they should. Luckily, there's a simple solution to stabilize and keep the battery drain a bit lower.

Recommended Settings

By electing a 55 FPS framerate/refresh rate lock and 85% resolution scale, we can bring the game to a more stable place. On top of that, this keeps the battery drain down below 16W most of the time, with some minor spikes to 18W. 55 feels just as smooth, if not more at times, than 60 and keeps the Deck within a good battery life for a fast-paced shooter.

Some larger moments, or ones with tons of enemies, can drop to 50, but these are few, and I very much preferred the smooth feeling of a higher framerate over pure stability.

40 FPS Quality

I decided to make a build that would not only have no drops whatsoever but would also keep the battery low and keep the resolution scale at 100%. By setting the framerate and refresh rate to 40, we can retain every bit of quality and keep the battery around 12W - 13W. This is fantastic, but the compromise is a less-fluid feeling throughout. If you are looking to play with no compromises to visual quality and want low battery drain, this will be the way to do it.

Accessibility

As far as accessibility goes, AMID EVIL is pretty well-off already. The in-game text is a good size, it has full cloud save and controller support, and it supports 16:10 resolutions. You can also change input sensitivity and axis, HUD scale, message size, crosshair visuals, and color.

Conclusion

AMID EVIL is one of the best boomer-shooters that I have seen in recent years. While some are truly amazing, like Turbo Overkill, AMID EVIL stands high with its immaculate level design and unique arsenal that can be handy in different scenarios. And with The Black Labyrinth DLC, the good times continue with even more levels, weapons, enemies, and more. All of this culminates with an experience that feels fantastic on the Steam Deck, no matter how you choose to play it.

Our review is based on the PC version of this game.

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