Turok 3 was provided by Nightdive Studios for review. Thank you!
Testing for this game was done on a Steam Deck LCD.
Since its founding, Nightdive Studios has been hard at work remastering some of the largest games from years ago. They have remastered multiple different franchises, including Quake, Doom, and Rise of the Triad, but one of their remasters that has always captured my eye is Turok. The studio did the remasters for the first two games already, and they were both fantastic, so when Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion was announced, I had high hopes. And I am happy to say they weren't dashed.
Like the other games in the series, you will go through multiple different levels in first-person and play through the finale as either Danielle or Joseph as they battle Oblivion and the Flesh Eaters. You will travel to different locations, find new weapons, and save the world. This remaster only includes the story/single-player mode, but this remaster improves the original Nintendo 64 release in every single way, while adding in some new content.
With Turok 3 using the developer's latest version of the KEX engine, the visual quality is improved over the other remasters. Compared to the original, which was released in 2000, we have advanced rendering features like Ambient Occlusion and Dynamic Shadows, fully remastered art, and updated weapon and character models, all with better performance. There are also some additional levels and updated sound, both of which breathe some new life into the game for those who played the original years ago.
Other than that, this is a faithful remaster in all of the right ways. Nightdive balanced new content and updates while respecting the original game perfectly, creating an experience that feels both modern and retro at the same time. The price point may seem a bit high at first glance, but the quality that the studio put into this speaks for itself. And it is flawless playing on the Steam Deck!
As expected, Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion Remastered performs magnificently on the Steam Deck. No setting changes are needed to enjoy the game at the highest visuals at a solid 60 FPS and no higher than a 10.5W battery drain. With how easy it is to run and how great it feels on the Deck, this is an easy Best on Deck game!
You can also set the Gyro controls to "As Mouse" for flawless gyro aiming. It works with the default controller layout, and you can move, turn, and aim all at once.
As for accessibility, we can change keybindings, change HUD style and crosshair, turn on movie and game intros, damage feedback and weapon messages, audio bars and subtitles, and different languages. You can also turn on a CRT filter for a more retro effect.
The game also starts with Auto Aim, which is in the "Control" section of the settings.
Turok 3 does support 16:10 resolutions, so you won't see any black bars when playing, and it has full cloud saves and gamepad support.
Turok 3's remaster is quite possibly Nightdive's best so far. They found a fantastic balance of modern and retro, keeping what made the original so great, fixing its flaws, and modernizing it for a new audience. This is definitely the best way to finish off the trilogy and play Turok now, with updated visuals and gameplay mechanics, as well as new content. It is a bit pricey at first glance, but there are a lot of improvements to justify it if you are a fan.
And with how well the game runs on the Steam Deck, this is essential to add to your library. Since there aren't any settings that need to be changed, this is an easy Best on Deck game!
Our review is based on the PC version of this game.
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Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion Remastered is a fantastic balance of modern and retro that runs perfectly on the Steam Deck.
