Patch Quest was provided to us by Curve Games and PressEngine to review. Thank you!
Imagine if The Binding of Isaac had a baby with Pokemon, Patch Quest is that child. Built by a single developer, you will go across the land of Patchlantis to unravel the mystery of why this ancient civilization fell. Run through unique biomes that are shuffled after each death, find dungeons, and fight monsters that will kill you if you aren't careful enough. But don't worry, you have a trusty lasso that can allow you to capture and ride each animal you see, giving you special abilities you can use while riding. Level up your creature, increase your skills, and get new perks to make each run easier, so lets hope the patchy terrain shuffles in your favor.
Roguelike games are one of my weaknesses, so it makes sense why I would be drawn to this one, but after playing it, I feel it has definitely become one of my current favorites. The aesthetic is simple and colorful while the gameplay feels tight. I love the lasso mechanic to capture monsters and level them up, unlocking defensive, offensive, and special abilities, all while getting items to increase one of your 6 skills to make yourself and your gun stronger. On top of that, the perk system is linked to a level that only goes up as you take plants, rocks, and other minerals to customize your home base.
The one small negative I found with Patch Quest is that some mounts feel near identical to others. Some defensive or offensive moves between different animals really felt so close that I thought I was riding the other. But the majority of animals do feel different from each other and I like the fruit powerups to change your gun's shot patterns (shotgun blast, big bullets, rapid fire, etc.). It is a really interesting game and for $15, this is definitely worth the money. And it will be an awesome addition to your Steam Deck library thanks to how well it runs!
Just looking at the game, I had a very good feeling this would have no issue running on the Steam Deck, and thankfully, I was right! Without changing any settings, Patch Quest runs at 60 FPS with around a 9W battery drain for 4 hours of gameplay.
The game has no issues with the controller and has no visual issues whatsoever. The game supports 1280x720 resolution, but even when forced to 1280x800 through Steam, the game will default to the 16:9 aspect ratio. I found this a little weird considering the loading screen before the main menu fits perfectly into the 16:10 ratio and fills the entire screen, but in the end, it really isn't a big deal.
Patch Quest is a fantastic mix of a roguelike with a monster catching game. The way you can capture the monsters you fight against and use them integrates well with the tight bullet-hell gameplay. Collecting your surroundings to level up and get new perks is quite enjoyable while it is a good time seeing your stats go up is always a treat. Overall, this is a enjoyable, addicting game that plays wonderfully on the Steam Deck without any changes, making it a Best on Deck game easily!
Our review is based on the PC version of this game.
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Patch Quest is a wonderful roguelike with monster-catching elements that works fantastic on the Steam Deck without any changes needed!
