Evil West - Steam Deck Review

Posted:  Nov 21, 2022
SDHQ BUILD SCORE: 
Cloud Saves
Disclaimer: This is an initial impression of the game. Our review and recommended settings will be updated when we've completed a full and thorough analysis of how it performs on Steam Deck. Check back soon for our full analysis!
SDHQ Settings
Review
Game Info

SDHQ Recommended Settings

SteamOS
45 FPS
Limit
45
Refresh Rate
HRS
No
TDP Limit
11
Scaling Filter
Linear
GPU Clock
Disabled
Proton Version

No Forced Compatibility

Game Settings

Resolution Scale: 90%

View Distance: Near

Anti-Aliasing: Medium

Post Processing: Medium

Shadows: Low

Textures: Medium

Effects: Medium

Foilage: Medium

AMD FSR: Ultra Quality

Projected Battery Usage and Temp
12W - 18W
65c - 72c
Around 3 hours

Should SDHQ re-evaluate this game review?

Review

A dark menace has consumed the Old West and now it is up to you to eradicate the vampires plaguing the land. Evil West is a third-person shooter where, armed with your lightning fueled gauntlet, you will battle hoards of bloodthirsty foes in stylish and gory combat. With upgradable weapons, perks, and tools, you will fight across the narrative-driven campaign alone or with a friend to save America.

Before I get into the pitfalls of the game's performance, I want to make a special mention to how well the game is optimized. Not only is FSR included in the game, and it looks like FSR 2.0, there are a plethora of graphical options to help increase performance. Flying Wild Hog should be very proud of the way this game is performing as I was able to hit 45 and 50 FPS very comfortably without battery draining over 17W and Evil West still looking gorgeous.

Evil West defaults to medium settings, which I would say is a good starting point so far. Near max settings will probably work for 30 FPS, but I think the game shines when smoother. From there, turning shadows down and AMD FSR on to Ultra Quality allows 45 FPS to shine and hover around an average of 13W - 15W. This can spike up to around 18W during larger fights, so I set a TDP of 11 to accommodate.

The one and only problem, which is the only reason why this game isn't a 5/5, is stuttering. Evil West is built on UE4, which can have some stuttering problems that spawn from asset loading. No matter what settings I changed, it has never gone completely away. Turning view distance down to "near" helps a good bit, but it is still there. The stuttering is worse in combat, but doesn't last long and can go away relatively quick. It will be worse in boss battles.

I still rate Evil West highly though since it didn't hamper my enjoyment of the game itself. I am still enjoying and having a great time, so while it can be a problem and will put some people off, I believe this can be looked past and the game can be enjoyed. I have not tested the entire game yet though, so it could get worse further in, but I would still say Evil West will be an enjoyable time on the Steam Deck.

Screenshots:

Comparisons:

Left ImageRight Image

Stills:

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

If you enjoyed this review, be sure to check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ! We have a wide variety game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for newstips and tutorialsgame settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got your back!

SDHQ's Build Score Breakdown

Evil West is a fantastically optimized game that runs well for the most part on the Steam Deck, apart from the UE4 stuttering.

Performance: 
VISUALS: 
Stability: 
Controls: 
Battery: 
Reviewed By:
Noah Kupetsky
Steam Profile
Steam Deck Compatibility
Current Price: 
$49.99
View in Steam Store
Proton DB Rating

Review

A dark menace has consumed the Old West and now it is up to you to eradicate the vampires plaguing the land. Evil West is a third-person shooter where, armed with your lightning fueled gauntlet, you will battle hoards of bloodthirsty foes in stylish and gory combat. With upgradable weapons, perks, and tools, you will fight across the narrative-driven campaign alone or with a friend to save America.

Before I get into the pitfalls of the game's performance, I want to make a special mention to how well the game is optimized. Not only is FSR included in the game, and it looks like FSR 2.0, there are a plethora of graphical options to help increase performance. Flying Wild Hog should be very proud of the way this game is performing as I was able to hit 45 and 50 FPS very comfortably without battery draining over 17W and Evil West still looking gorgeous.

Evil West defaults to medium settings, which I would say is a good starting point so far. Near max settings will probably work for 30 FPS, but I think the game shines when smoother. From there, turning shadows down and AMD FSR on to Ultra Quality allows 45 FPS to shine and hover around an average of 13W - 15W. This can spike up to around 18W during larger fights, so I set a TDP of 11 to accommodate.

The one and only problem, which is the only reason why this game isn't a 5/5, is stuttering. Evil West is built on UE4, which can have some stuttering problems that spawn from asset loading. No matter what settings I changed, it has never gone completely away. Turning view distance down to "near" helps a good bit, but it is still there. The stuttering is worse in combat, but doesn't last long and can go away relatively quick. It will be worse in boss battles.

I still rate Evil West highly though since it didn't hamper my enjoyment of the game itself. I am still enjoying and having a great time, so while it can be a problem and will put some people off, I believe this can be looked past and the game can be enjoyed. I have not tested the entire game yet though, so it could get worse further in, but I would still say Evil West will be an enjoyable time on the Steam Deck.

Screenshots:

Comparisons:

Left ImageRight Image

Stills:

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

If you enjoyed this review, be sure to check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ! We have a wide variety game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for newstips and tutorialsgame settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got your back!

SDHQ's Build Score Breakdown

Evil West is a fantastically optimized game that runs well for the most part on the Steam Deck, apart from the UE4 stuttering.

Performance: 
VISUALS: 
Stability: 
Controls: 
Battery: 
Reviewed By:
Noah Kupetsky
Steam Profile

SDHQ Recommended Settings

SteamOS
45 FPS
Limit
45
Refresh Rate
HRS
No
TDP Limit
11
Scaling Filter
Linear
GPU Clock
Disabled
Proton Version

No Forced Compatibility

Game Settings

Resolution Scale: 90%

View Distance: Near

Anti-Aliasing: Medium

Post Processing: Medium

Shadows: Low

Textures: Medium

Effects: Medium

Foilage: Medium

AMD FSR: Ultra Quality

Projected Battery Usage and Temp
12W - 18W
65c - 72c
Around 3 hours
Steam Deck Compatibility
Current Price: 
$49.99
View in Steam Store
Proton DB Rating

Should SDHQ re-evaluate this game review?

related Settings

2 comments on “Evil West - Steam Deck Review”

  1. One of those games i will try via Geforce NOW, since it has been added.
    At least, for when i am home (where i am 90% of the time).

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