TAMASHIKA was provided by EDGLRD for review. Thank you!
When I go to events, I get to check out so many upcoming, incredible games. It’s pretty amazing seeing what developers are able to create, and the ideas they have that are so wildly different than the mainstream games. One of those games was TAMASHIKA. From far away, it looked like a fast-paced, first-person shooter, so I went closer, and I saw one of the weirdest games I had ever seen. With a setting that looked like it came right out of LSD Dream Emulator and arms that looked like they were drawn in MS Paint, TAMASHIKA caught my interest almost immediately.
And weird doesn’t even begin to describe the experience. There’s almost constant bright flashing colors, Japanese characters that will come up on the screen, a world that looks like it’s unfolding right before you, in these green blob aliens that you have to kill as you run around. Yet, despite the weirdness, I find it hard to put down.
No, there isn’t actually much content in the game, and it can be completed relatively quickly. After going to the tutorial, you basically get to play one procedurally-generated level and try to get as high as you can on the leaderboard. Now the level does change each day, but I wouldn’t go into TAMASHIKA expecting depth.
However, you can’t expect a core experience to be so tight and fast that you’ll feel compelled to keep on going on the same level over and over to get the best score possible. You’re armed with a pistol and a knife, and the pistol will not run out of ammo as long as you are hitting enemies. Every time you hit an enemy, your score goes up, and it can only be solidified. Once you deflect the bullet from a glowing enemy. If you miss, your accumulated score that isn’t solidified goes away. You have to be precise and act fast, or you will not be able to succeed.
This is expertly combined with fantastic audio and visual design that accentuates some of the actions you will need to be taking. For example, deflecting bullets to solidify your score will pop up with flashing lights, giant Japanese text spread across the middle of your screen, and a very clear audio cue telling you when to deflect. That means in every run, you’ll have to watch and listen to what happens. I actually tried playing this without sound, and I found it significantly harder to survive. Thankfully, the soundtrack is a blast, filled with engaging beats that had me popping my head while I was shooting the green aliens coming at me.
On top of that, the levels are designed oddly so that you won’t have to think twice in the moment as you’re running around them. Sometimes it will be straightforward, following the white line on the ground to where you need to go next, but sometimes, there will be gaps in the level, and you have to find a yellow balloon that you can teleport to by shooting it. Sometimes, the yellow balloon is just out of sight, while other times, it could appear right where you killed the last enemy.
This is the perfect example of a quality game that will hook you in despite only technically having one level. But one level is all it needs to let that weirdness entice and bring you in, where you can only go back and keep trying to get your score as high as possible, and wait until the next day to do it all again in a new level.
Ahead of its release, TAMASHIKA was rated Steam Deck Verified, and it definitely deserves it. The game runs flawlessly at 90 FPS, looking as it’s supposed to, and works perfectly with gamepad controls. There were maybe one or two times where there were some slight stutters, which can really screw up the gameplay, but these were so far a few that I don’t think they’ll be an actual issue.
While these kinds of games aren't generally good on a gamepad, this one does well. It has a nice balance with aim-assist that it feels great to quickly move the camera around and shoot.
TAMASHIKA is a weird, fast-paced FPS that doesn’t need an overwhelming amount of content to prove its worth. The balance of visual craziness and audio cues turns each run into a skill-driven rush to kill every enemy on screen and get to the end of the level as fast as possible. And with how tight the core mechanics are, it’s hard not to love every second of it. The game is extremely small, and I mean, only one procedurally-generated level small, but I still couldn’t stop myself from playing that same level over and over until the next day comes, and I can try a completely new level to top the leaderboard.
And because it isn’t a very demanding game, it runs almost perfectly on the Steam Deck. I did encounter a slight stutter here and there, but this is ultimately going to be an incredible experience on the go that fits perfectly.
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 of game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got your back.
SAMSON was provided by Liquid Swords for review. Thank you!
Of all the trailers for upcoming games that I consistently see, none of them excited me as much as Samson. It felt like the game just appealed to me, with its gorgeous graphics, action-packed gameplay, and seemingly unique direction. And knowing it was being made by ex-Just Cause developers, I had my hopes high. However, I think I had them a little too high, because what I was met with was a frustrating mess that I found hard to enjoy.
I was going into this, hoping for the gameplay to take center stage, bringing forth intense action, both with hand-to-hand combat and with cars. While there are a few moments where it seems to work okay, I mostly found myself annoyed. The two main gameplay elements that we will play around with the most are the hand-to-hand combat and vehicle-related jobs like car chases, races, and takedowns. But in each of these two elements, there are some major issues that keep it from being fun.
With hand-to-hand combat, there were more times than I could count that my dodging or parrying just did not work. Lots of times, especially when fighting multiple enemies, it will not know who to target, and animations can break. He can also be futile when multiple enemies throw punches at the same time, and the parrying window is a little too small.
On top of that, the controls and movement just feel awkward. Swinging punches may never land, the dodging distance isn’t far enough, and moving around just doesn’t work well. And with how often animations broke, I sometimes couldn’t even tell if I punched an enemy. I would run up to a person I needed to attack and start a heavy attack, but they wouldn’t flinch at all; sometimes, they would just stand there or immediately attack me back. This led to my death more times than I could count, and it was infuriating.
Now, there were moments where I actually did enjoy the combat in Samson. Fighting enemies one-on-one can be fun when the animations aren’t breaking, and I love using objects to smack them across the face and see spit fly from their mouths when I punch them. On top of that, being able to throw weapons was another nice touch that made me want to seek them out and use them more often. So, despite the issues here and there, there is some fun peeking through, but it’s like finding a needle in a haystack.
Jobs that require using our car are a little less frustrating, but still have a good chunk of issues. Handling the cars could feel slippery at times, making it feel like I was driving on ice rather than a road, and it was very easy for my car to get damaged beyond immediate repair. Luckily, we can break in and steal other cars if that happens, but by the time we get to it, the job could either fail or you could get run over by the other cars that will not stop, even if you’re in the middle of the road.
On top of that, just trying to attack others using the car's moveset was a chore. Each time I tried to use moves like side ramming, my car would go in the opposite direction of where the enemy car was, no matter what direction I looked. The only way I was actually able to complete those missions was by regularly using my nitrous boost and slamming them with the front of my car, which felt like it defeated the purpose of having these moves to begin with.
And trying to get away from the cops or gangs, while we are wanted, was equally frustrating. It felt like it would take too long to get them off my back, and every time I was very close, they would come out of nowhere to start the timer all over again. Paired with the icy handling, it was just difficult overall.
This is all wrapped together by a semi-roguelike system where we will level up, get perks, and grow stronger as we consistently have to make a specific amount of money each day. This system disappointed me a little bit as well, as I was expecting a little bit more customizability when it comes to how we focus on our stats. Instead, when we level up, we level up one of four stats, which gives us static perks each time we do. This means we may have to go through and get some perks. We don’t necessarily care for, like taking significantly less damage while holding $0, just to get to perks that are much more appealing.
Upgrading these four trees also increases different stats, whether it’s health, power, or adrenaline. This does help us in the long run, but it also forces us to upgrade different trees, specifically to get the stats up that we want, and I just wish the system were more freeform. There are collectibles that we can find that will give us experience and give us some extras, like more action points to do more jobs before the day ends, or extra nitrous boost for cars, and there are some side-quest-ish stories we can find around the world. They are nice bonuses to have to complement the otherwise frustrating gameplay.
The structure of the gameplay reminds me of a roguelike. Each day, we have a specific amount of ability points, or AP. We will use this AP to take on different jobs, accumulating money and experience. We have to make a certain amount of money each day to pay off our debts, and if we die during the game, we lose all the money we have. So, every day we take on multiple jobs, get experience for permanent upgrades, and if we die, we basically have to start over from zero.
I don’t mind the structure as much, but the way we get stronger just doesn’t feel impactful enough. While we have our upgrade trees and perks, we also get a little buff throughout the three tiers of each day. I called this little because I almost never felt the impact of them. Recover a little health after each enemy dies? I have a perk for that. Get a little defense boost so I can survive a little longer? Try going up against five enemies at once. Can my car cause more damage to other cars in jobs? Let’s see if I can land any of the attacks my car has. It’s a nice thought, but it almost feels negligible when actually playing.
However, we do have a gorgeous world to explore. There’s something about Tyndalston that’s just stunning. The gritty world, the reflections in the water, it all looks cinematic in a way. It reminds me a lot of how I felt about driving around Los Santos in GTA 5 for the first time. It was nice to just explore and take in the sights, and I felt the same thing here.
And as for the story, it’s an interesting take, but it was never a motivation to keep playing. We go back to our hometown of Tyndalston after a job in St. Louis landed us in jail. Now, we have to do jobs across the town to pay off our debts each day and bring our sister home. There are some little story bits throughout, but this is the overarching plot of Samson.
While I was hoping Samson would be playable on the Steam Deck with some compromises and downgrades, I can’t say it is. The game is rough on the Deck, almost never getting to 30 FPS on the lowest possible settings. Walking around was manageable, but trying to drive or fight was a nightmare. Even still, if I pushed myself hard enough through the consistent drops and stutters, I could still play. It just isn't enjoyable.
And turning on in-game frame generation only made things worse. It would still stay below 30 FPS, with some times going to 35 FPS, but the amount of stuttering and input lag was insane. The ghosting of models when driving or running around was clear as day. It arguably only made everything worse.
However, I will admit that using lossless scaling frame generation was a step up. At 2X, it feels significantly smoother and almost makes the game playable in my eyes. But the input lag was still noticeable, and there were still times when the game would stutter badly when driving. So while it does seem to improve framerate smoothness, the cost is still going to make it hard to play the game on the Deck, especially when model pop-in is an issue, and cars can appear out of nowhere.
Samson is the game I really wanted to enjoy, but all of the bugs and awkward controls led to too many frustrating moments. When the combat works, it can be fun, but it’s rare for this to happen, whether it be walking around or in a car. The world itself is gorgeous, and I can sense an interesting story here, but it was hard to find myself excited to keep playing, and find out when it was so frustrating to just complete one job.
I would also say this is not a game to enjoy on the Steam Deck. Lossless scaling makes it a little bit more bearable, but the core issues that it has still remain and can’t be fixed with frame generation.
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 of game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got your back.
After almost six years since its first reveal trailer, it's safe to say that Cyberpunk 2077 lives as one of the most anticipated games the industry has ever seen. At the time, it was hard to grasp the idea of CD Projekt RED, the Poland-based development team behind the masterpiece The Witcher 3, one of the defining trademarks of the RPG genre, releasing a brand-new massive RPG set in an entirely different environment. Expectations were sky-high, but sadly, it didn’t live up to them on launch. In fact, it was the exact opposite.
When Cyberpunk 2077 launched, it became one of the biggest disappointments in recent gaming history. Countless game-breaking bugs, underwhelming visuals and animations, horrendous enemy AI, frequent crashes; too many problems to count. I played it on release day, and it felt noticeably unfinished, almost as if it had never been properly play-tested. The situation became so severe that refunds were offered across all game stores regardless of playtime or purchase date.
Still, the gaming industry has seen some incredible comebacks. No Man’s Sky, Fallout 76, and Final Fantasy XIV all launched in rough states, faced massive criticism, and were buried with their disappointment. Yet with enough determination, vision, and relentless support, they proved there was a gem hidden beneath the surface. Polish, and lots of it, is what makes the gem shine.
And Cyberpunk 2077 ultimately endured the same redemption arc after countless hotfixes, the massive 2.0 update in 2023 that fundamentally reworked core systems, and most importantly, showcased a genuine labor of love from the developer. Today, it offers players a smooth, immersive experience in its wild dystopian future, a beautiful and ambitious RPG that finally feels complete.
In Cyberpunk 2077, we control V, a charismatic mercenary with big plans and even bigger dreams. In a city like Night City, dreams are currency. Everyone wants to become a legend, and V is no different. Alongside their partner Jackie, V takes on increasingly dangerous jobs, climbing the ladder in a world ruled by corporations, gangs, and power-hungry elites. Things start small: street deals, fixer contracts, risky gigs. But one job changes everything.
A high-profile heist that promises fame and fortune goes horribly wrong. In the chaos, V ends up with a mysterious biochip implanted in their head. That chip carries the digital personality of Johnny Silverhand, a long-dead rockstar and terrorist with a deep hatred for the corporate world. Johnny isn’t just a voice in V’s head; he’s slowly overwriting V’s mind.
From that point on, the story becomes more personal than political. It’s no longer about becoming a legend; it’s about survival. V is racing against time, trying to find a way to remove the chip before it completely erases who they are. Along the way, they form fragile alliances, dive into Night City’s darkest corners, and question what identity, legacy, and freedom really mean in a world where even your mind can be altered.
At its core, Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t just about dystopian tech or corporate conspiracies. It’s about mortality. About what it means to leave a mark. And about whether becoming a legend is worth losing yourself.
Initially, the game offers three different life paths: Nomad, Corpo, and Street Kid. On paper, this is a very risky design choice. If the differences between them are too small, the whole system feels pointless. Why even pick a background if it changes nothing? But if the differences are too drastic, then you’re basically locking major content behind multiple playthroughs, forcing players to replay the entire game just to see everything.
Thankfully, your chosen life path doesn’t completely rewrite the main story. You won’t feel like you’re playing three entirely separate campaigns. At the same time, it’s far from meaningless. It changes dialogue options, offers unique ways to approach certain situations, unlocks additional context in conversations, and makes some relationships feel more believable depending on your background.
It’s not a Resident Evil 2 situation where you feel like you’re missing half the story if you don’t replay it. But it’s also not a cosmetic choice that exists just for flavor. The balance is smart. Players who want to experience the game once won’t feel punished, and hardcore fans who replay it will still discover new perspectives and subtle differences that enrich the experience.
One of Cyberpunk 2077’s greatest strengths is its characters. Night City doesn’t just feel alive because of its lights and chaos. It feels alive because of the people in it. The game does an exceptional job of writing characters that feel layered, flawed, and human. They have their own motivations, fears, and agendas. They’re not just quest givers standing around waiting for you.
Conversations rarely feel like filler. Dialogue flows naturally, and many choices feel meaningful and personally reflective of the characters and world around you. You can build trust, burn bridges, form genuine bonds, or create lasting resentment. What makes it even stronger is that the game gives you space to care. You spend time with these characters outside of main missions, seeing their vulnerable sides, ambitions, and mistakes. At some point, you realize you’re no longer just completing objectives; you’re making decisions that affect people you’ve grown attached to. You can admire them or hate them, disappoint them, or you make them proud. That emotional involvement makes the bigger story moments hit much harder.
Let’s talk about the gameplay… and yeah, we really need to talk about it. Not because it’s purely amazing or terrible, but because there’s just so much happening at all times. Cyberpunk 2077 feels like a “jack of all trades, master of none” kind of game, at least when it comes to gameplay variety.
You can play it as a full run-and-gun shooter, kick down doors, steal cars, cause chaos GTA style, and just go loud every single mission. Or you can slow things down, plan your approach, put a silencer on your weapon, and move like you’re in a stealth military game. You can barely be seen, barely be heard, and clear entire areas without anyone realizing what happened. And if that’s not your thing, you can lean into hacking and basically play as a cyber-mage, taking down enemies without even pulling the trigger. Or you can go full swordsman, rushing in with blades, parrying attacks, reflecting bullets, and turning every fight into a fast-paced bloodbath.
Then, there’s the RPG side of it. You can completely immerse yourself in your own version of V, shape your build through skills, perks, cyberware, weapons, and loot, and approach situations in ways that genuinely feel different. It’s not just cosmetic customization; your build changes how you think, move, and solve problems.
At times, it almost feels like playing several subgenres at once. Shooter, stealth, action RPG, immersive sim, all blended into one package. But here’s the problem. Every aspect I just talked about has already been done better somewhere else.
The gunplay feels solid, but not groundbreaking. It works, it’s satisfying enough, but it doesn’t have that tight, refined punch you’d expect from a pure shooter. Stealth can be fun, but it’s often too forgiving and a bit shallow compared to games that are fully built around stealth. Melee combat, especially early on, can feel clunky rather than precise and skill-based. And honestly, all of those are understandable because when a single mission can be approached in five or six completely different ways, you can’t realistically expect each of those paths to feel like a fully fleshed-out standalone subgenre.
It would be unrealistic to design a deep military stealth system, a top-tier FPS combat loop, a complex hacking simulator, and a refined melee action game all within the confines of one single game. So no, the combat isn’t bad, it just rarely shines. It’s there to experiment with, to toy around, and to express your build. It serves the role-playing, and that supports the experience, but it doesn’t dominate it.
However, the best parts of this game are found in the world-building and atmosphere. I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I said this is one of the most impressive worlds I’ve ever seen in a video game. From the spectacular visuals to the bold artistic direction, everything feels carefully crafted. But more importantly, it feels alive.
The lightning is genuinely phenomenal. Neon signs reflect off wet streets, shadows stretch across alleyways, and every district carries its own visual identity. The city feels crowded, noisy, and constantly in motion. NPCs aren’t just placed there to fill space; they make the world feel active, unpredictable, and lived-in. When all of this comes together, the futuristic design, the density, the atmosphere, it creates something special. Something that goes beyond just “good graphics.” This is a six-year-old game, yet visually it still competes with major releases in 2026.
The atmosphere is so immersive and mesmerizing that it genuinely changes how you play the game. I’m usually someone who fast-travels everywhere without thinking twice. But in Cyberpunk 2077, I found myself doing the exact opposite. I would drive manually, letting the city unfold before me, or taking the long way on purpose just to experience it. Watching the gorgeously crafted environments and listening to the distant noise of the city turn simple travel into part of the experience.
Despite all the improvements over the years, some visual bugs still pop up from time to time. They’re not game-breaking, but they can momentarily pull you out of the immersion with certain areas that feel a bit repetitive. The overall aesthetic of Night City is strong, but it sometimes leans too heavily on the same visual theme. After dozens of hours, you start noticing familiar layouts and similar environmental patterns.
And then there’s the sound design in public spaces with constant commercials and looping advertisements that can become grating. Hearing the same voices every few minutes starts to wear thin. A bit more variety would have gone a long way in making the city feel even more alive and organic.
Sound design and music are often praised in Cyberpunk 2077. And while I understand the appeal, I personally found parts of it surprisingly generic. The heavy EBM and techno tracks that dominate combat and high-intensity moments are definitely hype-inducing. They fit the on-screen chaos and amplify the action, but beyond that initial energy, they never felt particularly memorable. There wasn’t a single theme that truly stuck in my head after I stopped playing.
I’m not saying the music is bad. It works, especially during combat, and it supports the immersion, but the repetitiveness and the lack of standout identity make it feel somewhat uninspired.
Sound effects also feel a bit inconsistent. Gunshots have weight, but melee combat in particular can sound underwhelming, which makes close-range fights feel less impactful than they should.
On the other hand, the performances and voice acting are exceptional. The delivery of the lines captures the characters' emotional tone perfectly. Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand is arguably one of the strongest casting choices in modern gaming, going a step further to define his character's presence.
Despite everything the game does right, there are areas where it struggles. One of the biggest issues, especially in the early hours, is how overwhelming it can feel. From the start, you’re introduced to life paths, attributes, perk trees, cyberware, weapon stats, crafting systems, quickhacks, and street cred. It throws a lot at you all at once.
At first, it almost feels unnecessarily complex. As if the game expects you to understand a dozen interconnected systems before you’ve even had time to settle into the world. But as you keep playing, you slowly realize it’s not as complicated as it first appears. The systems start making sense. The upgrades become intuitive, and the game opens up instead of suffocating you.
And then there’s the stealth issue. While missions technically allow multiple approaches, the narrative tone often nudges you toward staying quiet. Characters repeatedly suggest avoiding attention, not causing chaos, and keeping things clean. Even though going in loud is always an option mechanically, it sometimes feels like the story subtly discourages it.
From a pure gameplay standpoint, you’re free, but from a roleplay perspective, it can feel like you’re being steered in a certain direction, and that can slightly hurt immersion, especially if your version of V isn’t the sneaky type.
Side quests are also a mixed bag. Some of them are genuinely excellent. They can be funny, unexpectedly emotional, or surprisingly creative. At times, they allow you to get to know certain characters on a deeper level, strengthening your relationship with them in ways the main story alone wouldn’t. These quests feel fluid, well-written, and thoughtfully designed. In many cases, they don’t feel like side content at all, but like essential pieces of the overall narrative.
But when it comes to gigs, my experience was different. At first, they feel exciting with new locations, new objectives, and new contracts to complete. But after a while, the formula becomes noticeable. Go to point A, neutralize or retrieve something, leave the area, and repeat. Individually, they’re fine, but collectively, they start to become extremely repetitive and bloat our map due to the sheer number of them.
After dozens of hours, I found myself doing gigs less because I was curious about the story, and more because I wanted the XP, money, and materials. They slowly shifted from feeling like captivating mercenary contracts in a living city to feeling like a checklist of chores. They’re not poorly designed. They just lack enough variation to stay consistently engaging in the long run.
This isn’t just another expansion thrown on top of an already massive game. Phantom Liberty stands as one of the most fully fledged and complete DLC experiences I’ve ever played. It doesn’t feel like side content; it feels essential to the base game's narrative.
One of the smartest decisions CD Projekt RED made was not placing this expansion after the main game's ending. Instead, Phantom Liberty triggers at a middle point within the main story. It blends naturally into the narrative, without feeling forced or detached. Whether you’re deep into your playthrough or just recently started, the transition feels natural. It doesn’t interrupt the flow; it enhances it.
Dogtown, the new region introduced in the expansion, brings a completely different atmosphere to the table. While Night City is chaotic and flashy, Dogtown feels tense, controlled, and political. The environment is tighter, more oppressive, more focused. It carries a different energy, giving the expansion a flavor that sets it apart from the base game.
But the real gem is the story. Phantom Liberty focuses heavily on political themes, moral ambiguity, and character motivations. The narrative feels more cinematic, linear, and far more intense. The writing is spectacular. The dialogue carries more weight. The choices feel heavier.
In many ways, the storytelling here surpasses even the base game. The characters are more complex, the conflicts feel more grounded, and the emotional stakes hit harder. You’re not just completing missions. You’re navigating loyalties, betrayals, ideologies, and consequences.
I don’t want to go into too much detail about the story here because it deserves to be experienced firsthand. In short, Phantom Liberty is not just a great DLC expansion, but a worthwhile, strong, and plentiful addition to the overall RPG genre.
Even though Cyberpunk is a very demanding game with gorgeous visuals, it runs surprisingly smoothly on the Steam Deck. There is a default “Steam Deck” preset, but I highly recommend not using it. It’s locked at 30 FPS, and it feels way too clunky. It occasionally drops to the low 20s, especially in open-world areas and the Phantom Liberty expansion. Also, the visuals don’t really justify losing frame rate. My recommended preset looks just as gorgeous as the default Deck preset, but manages to lock the game at a solid 40 FPS.
The first thing I tried was giving up on FSR 2.1 scaling and setting it to XeSS. On most games, it works wonders, but here it felt a bit cheap and rough around the edges. Even though it helped with the blurry image, it caused the game to lose immersion and left a bad taste in my mouth. By default, the game uses the Balanced preset for FSR 2.1. Setting it to Quality mode gives perfect sharpness, allowing you to lower the detail settings without much sacrifice.
Setting motion blur to low or off is usually a matter of preference, but with a game running in the low-40s FPS range, I personally think disabling it gives a much better experience. If you like the effect, you can set it to low, like I did, since the previous FSR 2.1 Quality setting already made the game crisp enough. Other settings mostly involved turning some lower-priority options from high to medium, or medium to low. I targeted a perfect 40 FPS even in the most demanding parts of the game, and I mostly achieved it.
In the base game, most of the time it’s going to be a smooth 40 FPS. The only exceptions are when driving cars in vast open-world areas. But those drops are rare enough that they’re hardly noticeable.
The major performance issues lie in Phantom Liberty itself. Even though it’s a DLC, it’s a huge one. It contains the full foundation of the 2.0 update, and the new Dogtown map is a very demanding place to be. In open areas of Dogtown, expecting a solid 40 FPS is unrealistic. It consistently drops into the low 30s and can even dip to 28.
The good news is that during main story quests and indoor sections, it maintains the smooth 40 FPS experience. Especially after playing the game for hours at higher FPS, locking it below 30 would hurt immersion.
It’s still highly playable and looks as gorgeous as ever. The only Deck-specific issue I found was the small HUD and hard-to-read text, but luckily, you can fully adjust it in the Accessibility tab, and I highly recommend doing so.
There is a dedicated accessibility settings tab in the game, and it’s an incredibly detailed and well-thought-out option set. There are a couple of color blind modes, adjustable HUD sizes, and even a center-of-screen dot overlay.
You can also customize subtitles in various ways, including different sizes and colors. There is aim assist for both ranged and melee combat, and it’s highly customizable as well. It’s clear that CD Projekt RED put real effort into making the game accessible for as many players as possible across all platforms and styles.
What once launched as a huge disappointment has now become one of the strongest comeback stories. Cyberpunk 2077 is now an immersive RPG that combines multiple types of gameplay in very solid ways. Its freedom, both in gameplay and in its open world design, is top-tier. No matter the platform you play it on, including the Steam Deck, it remains one of the most gorgeous-looking games available.
The early hours can feel overwhelming, some gigs become repetitive over time, and certain gameplay systems don’t fully shine compared to games that specialize in them. But despite all of that, the incredible atmosphere, engaging storylines, and well-written characters are what make Cyberpunk 2077 such an awesome experience.
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 of game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got your back.
John Carpenter's Toxic Commando was provided by Saber Interactive for review. Thank you!
Ever since I played Left 4 Dead, I have consistently been looking for a new co-op game that gives me the same feeling. I was hoping Back 4 Blood would do it, since it came from the original studio behind Left 4 Dead, but there was just something missing. Then comes John Carpenter's Toxic Commando. I first played it at Gamescom last year, and I was blown away. The 1 hour I had with it stunned me, and it felt like a refined Left 4 Dead with intriguing progression, customization, and an appealing semi-open world. Playing it all the way through not only convinced me it's a competent co-op zombie shooter, but it's better than Left 4 Dead.
While there is a story, I wouldn't say it should be a defining reason to get the game. The bulk of it is that zombies are here, and we need to work together and complete missions to destroy them and a gigantic Sludge God that looks like it could destroy an entire town by swinging one of its tentacles. It's okay and does the job, but the main reason anyone should be considering Toxic Commando is going to be for its gameplay, which is just fantastic.
If I had to explain Toxic Commando’s gameplay in a few words, I would say imagine Left 4 Dead as a semi-open map experience, and I love it. The gunplay feels tight, making it so enjoyable to just shoot at zombies. Most of the regular zombies are grunts and can go down in a few shots, and are one-hit kills from headshots. It’s hard to quantify just how satisfying it was to kill them and watch their heads explode; it was just fantastic.
There are special zombies as well, which was another reminder of Left 4 Dead. We have extra powerful zombies that will grab you, zombies with tentacles that can grab from further away, "Skunks" that can make zombies stronger, and even ones with bombs for heads that will try to kamikaze. However, there are some more stationary tendrils that can come up from the ground to whack you or shoot fire lasers at you. This made it extra important to watch the surroundings and make sure nothing was happening around you that you weren’t aware of.
I felt like I was on my toes at all times as I was exploring the map, trying to get stocked up on ammo, extra guns, and currency to prepare myself for the rest of the mission. The semi-open map is decently sized, big enough to drive a car through, but not overwhelmingly big in a way that spreads out activities. Everything is relatively close to each other, making the travel time between points of interest short. This was a great decision, as it keeps the action flowing with minimal downtime for travel. The balance of map size and the locations of points of interest really pulls its weight, making each run feel like back-to-back action, which larger open-world games struggle with.
Still, despite the contained map, I felt like I had a lot of options when tackling my main objective. I could go to these optional points to get super-strong, temporary weapons, stock up on spare parts to activate traps and repair mountable turrets that will help exponentially later on, and even choose from different vehicles on the map that all have different abilities. Some cars can let out huge blasts that blow away zombies, some have mountable turrets, while others can regenerate HP for all teammates around them. I consistently found myself going around the map strategically to make sure I got all the spare parts I would need later and stocking up on ammo and gear to make it through the consistent onslaught of thousands of zombies.
And playing Toxic Commando with a full team of 3 other friends makes the experience even better. Coordinating with friends to tackle the main and optional objectives, as well as managing each of the unique abilities of the four classes, elevates what was already a blast alone. I’ll admit, I enjoyed playing through some missions alone to grind currency to upgrade my weapons, but being able to have a full team with friends just further improves a winning formula.
If I had to pick out one aspect that could have been improved, it would be mission structure. Most missions followed a similar path for their main objectives: gather something, then go to a spot, and hold out for a final, huge wave of enemies. However, even the objectives leading up to the final wave were varied. One map had us finding an ID card and fighting a mutated scientist, while another had us trapping a special infected to take and analyze its DNA. Even though they all generally ended the same way, it still felt varied enough not to feel repetitive. And while the maps themselves don't change, the locations of points of interest do, so there is some minor variety when replaying levels.
Then, we have the progression system, which I found more than motivating to keep going back for more. Throughout each level, we’ll find multiple different currencies that we can use to upgrade our weapons with attachments or buy new skins for them. These, along with everything else in the vicinity, will be easily marked on the map, so it isn’t too difficult to find. A type of that, there are three different leveling systems in the game. We will level up our profile to customize our social banner, level up our class to get skill points to make our abilities more powerful, and we can individually level up each weapon. Leveling up weapons unlocks new attachments that we can buy and use, and will give us the ability to rank up and prestige our weapons. Upgrading our weapons will be the main way. We get more powerful, with some passive abilities that can come from the skill tree, like faster reloading, carrying more grenades, or increasing the amount of ammo we can carry for our primary weapon.
Initially, I actually felt there was something missing from Toic Commando's progression. However, the more I played, the more I realized just how great the system is. I found myself subconsciously going back into maps to just get more currency, so I could tune my weapon. There are a good number of attachment options to tune our guns, and bringing in ranking up, which increases the gun’s stats even further, and prestige just kept me motivated. I even found myself starting to move away from the weapon I used initially, just to start tuning it to make it a worthwhile replacement.
On top of that, the customization system for guns was better than I expected. There are good amount of skin to choose from for each gun, but you aren’t forced to just use one skin on each gun. You can actually choose different skins for different parts of your gun, making attachments like the barrel or magazine have a completely different skin from the base of your weapon. This can make your weapon look extremely unique, and I haven’t seen many games do this. It’s awesome. It makes up for the fact that the skins for your characters are pretty basic.
Now, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is playable on the Steam Deck, and I actually enjoyed it this way. However, there are some big compromises to playing this on the go. As I mentioned in my preview coverage for the game, I was shocked that it was even able to run on the Deck. This is a solid-looking game with a semi-open world and tons of zombies and action on the screen at any given time. So, the fact that it can hold 30 FPS most of the time is phenomenal.
The only time I ever saw the game drop below 30 is in those final wave moments. Throughout most of the levels, you’ll be facing groups of 50 to 100 zombies at any given time, but in the final wave, this is multiplied significantly. This can bring down the frame rate to around 24-25 FPS, but this is the only time it has gone down. Otherwise, the frame rate held strong at 30, which is pretty great.
I know this is a first-person shooter, which means it is much better when it’s running at 60 FPS, but to play this on the Deck at all is pretty amazing.
Even though the game is on the lowest visual quality with FSR upscaling, it still looks pretty good. There were some model pop-ins that were noticeable, but the quality was good enough that I could see zombies further away. I was even able to snipe some of them with my pistol from a distance because I could tell where the head was. The game could definitely look better, there’s no doubt about that, but the fact that it holds up so strongly, despite the sacrifices needed to make it run well on the Deck, should be praised.
However, I do want to mention that if you plan to play this on multiple devices using cloud saves through Steam, it will save your graphics settings. I tried using my cloud save on my PC with a 4K monitor, but it defaulted my game to the lowest settings and 1280 x 800 resolution.
While there aren't specific accessibility settings, there are still a good chunk of settings to change. This includes subtitle size, a profanity filter, language, audio settings, controller sensitivity and vibration, swapping shoulder and trigger buttons, toggling camera shake, and changing aim assist strength.
The game does support 16:10 resolutions and has both cloud saves and controller support. There are no HDR settings.
John Carpenter's Toxic Commando surprised me. I expected it to be an enjoyable co-op shooter based on my previous experiences with it, but it ended up becoming my go-to game to play with friends. The gunplay is tight and extremely satisfying, and the decision to use contained maps with easy-to-find points of interest means there's action around almost every corner. There's also so much to upgrade, with gun customization being a very high point, and skill trees for the four character classes improving our abilities further. Even though there could be a little more variety, especially with character skins, John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is one of the best co-op experiences I have had the pleasure of enjoying.
On top of that, it surprisingly runs quite well on the Steam Deck. Even though we need low settings, especially for the final waves of each level, it competently sticks to 30 FPS for the most part, and looks quite good as well. This is a great way to grind and get some currency to upgrade your weapons, but I could see playing through the entire game this way as well.
Our review is based on the PC version of this game.
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Scott Pilgrim EX was provided by Tribute Games Inc. for review. Thank you!
There aren’t many franchises that I feel like I can keep coming back to, no matter how many times I see or read the story, but Scott Pilgrim is one of them. The franchise started as a comic and expanded to a fantastic movie, which I can rewatch over and over, and a full-fledged video game. I played the hell out of this game when it was originally released in 2010, and I have longed for a return to its hilarious, video game-inspired world. Now, after over 15 years, Scott Pilgrim has returned in Scott Pilgrim EX, and it’s almost as glorious as I could’ve hoped.
One of my favorite things about the world of Scott Pilgrim is its commitment to being a somewhat parody of popular video games. And this continues in the new game. The gorgeous pixel world of the game is filled to the brim with references to tons of other franchises. From the save points that look like the poles from the classic Sonic the Hedgehog games, to random characters and enemies that look very similar to others like Scorpion from Mortal Kombat or the popular dog from Undertale, there are just so many references packed into almost every aspect of the game that it feels like a love letter. In a way, the entire franchise is a love letter to video games, and I was overjoyed to see just how much of that love was brought into this game.
Scott Pilgrim EX also features a nice new story to tell, and while it isn’t the most compelling, it does the job and is still entertaining. After all our bandmates and their instruments were stolen by Robo Scott, we have to work together with other characters from the franchise to find and save them. This leads us to hop through dimensions, travel through Scott’s hometown in Canada, and fight scores of weird enemies to bring them all home.
With a relatively short play time, the story isn’t meant to be extremely detailed or in-depth. However, for a game like this, it works very well. I felt the wave of nostalgia going back in and meeting familiar faces, while seeing a lot of them in a new light due to the other dimensions we have to go through. It ultimately leads us to do a lot of back-and-forth, running across the map, which felt a little tiring at times, but it wasn’t as egregious or frustrating. There are indicators of where to go next, so even though it has a metroidvania-esque map, I never really got lost. Thankfully, there are some side quests here and there and challenging boss fights, but it can still feel like a chore every so often.
The new game also brings back the beat 'em up gameplay I loved from the previous game, and I actually like a lot of the changes that were made for this. Each of the playable characters has their own unique move set, which is fully unlocked from the start. This means that we can get into the action immediately with all the tools in our arsenal, all ready for us.
The combat itself is dynamic and fast-paced, and exactly what I would hope for from a beat 'em up. It was so enjoyable that I found myself grinding when I didn’t need to, just because I was having a blast, using my weak and strong attacks to make people explode into coins. These, combined with grabs, assists, technical moves, and our ultimate, created a nice balance that didn’t feel stale.
However, there are a few little nitpicky issues that I do have. I found it difficult here and there to line up my attacks, sometimes punching the air while the enemy is below me. I felt this primarily when trying to attack flying gargoyles, and I just kept missing because it was hard to gauge where exactly they were on a vertical plane. And while we can pick up items, most of them can’t be taken to other areas. Some of them can, but I do wish that were the standard for all the items instead of just a few.
As for progression and leveling up, this was actually one I liked more than dislike. Unlike other games with a leveling system, we level up based on when our stats go up. It isn’t based on any exp bar, or when we attack enemies, it all comes from items we pick up or purchase that increase one of our four stats. It’s a welcome change from the more common system with experience bars, and it creates a compelling gameplay loop of fighting enemies, picking up money, and using it to purchase food to get stronger. And with each character having their own progression, there’s enough reason I found to keep coming back.
Other than food and increasing stats, we can purchase equipment and badges that can augment our stats and give us some new abilities. It’s a nice extra to make us more powerful, though it doesn’t have much detail to it either.
Ultimately, Scott Pilgrim EX is a simple game. It doesn’t contain complex elements, but it doesn’t need to. The game still holds up as a great experience that is a ton of fun to play, especially with a friend. The game has drop-in co-op, and this makes the gameplay so much more fun. I would say it's probably the ultimate way to play beat 'em up games in general, and this one is no exception.
Ahead of its launch, I had no reservations about how well Scott Pilgrim EX would perform on the Steam Deck, and I was very correct. The game is flawless, hitting 90 FPS with a 5.5W battery drain, which makes it one of the best experiences on the Steam Deck currently. It's perfect to play right out of the box, and there isn't much more I can say about it otherwise.
In the settings, we can change the language, toggle shaking effects and hands-free running, turn on automatic back attacks, customize keybindings, and change volume settings.
The game doesn't support 16:10 resolutions, though you can change the window type to "Windowed" to stretch the screen to fit the entirety of the Deck screen (not recommended). There are also cloud saves and controller support.
Scott Pilgrim EX is a great beat 'em up that gets almost everything right. The combat is dynamic and exciting, the world is gorgeous and filled with references to other video games, and light RPG systems that made progression more enjoyable than I expected. It can feel a little too simple at times overall, and I had some trouble lining up my attacks, but it never detracts from the gameplay and is still fun, especially when you have another friend to play with.
It's also perfect on the Steam Deck. It runs at 90 FPS with an extremely low 5.5W battery drain, and it's a fantastic game to play on the go.
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 of game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got your back.
High on Life 2 was provided by Squanch Games for review. Thank you!
I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about High on Life 2. The first game was marketed as a wacky first-person shooter from the mind behind Rick and Morty, Justin Roiland. With Justin Roiland's departure from the spotlight and most projects he was previously attached to, I was worried about it missing that signature style Roiland always brought with him. However, it turns out all of those worries were for naught, as High on Life 2 is a fantastic sequel that is worth the time spent running around its crazy world.
One of the big things I loved about the first game was how wonderfully weird, hilarious, and vibrant it was. There weren’t many games with settings that ever ever felt so crafted from creativity. High on Life 2 continues this trend, both through its visuals and gameplay, ultimately creating a wonderfully unique first-person shooter that stands out among the other shooters we can find today. Even the story takes a different turn from the prequel, and I love it.
The opening sequence is possibly one of the best I have seen in recent years. We play as the same bounty hunter from the first game, who has risen to fame after taking down the G3 Cartel. We go through an interactive slideshow showcasing what we have been up to since then, which includes taking down huge monsters, going on talk shows, and acting in advertisements, the usual stuff celebrities do. It's a constant barrage of parody after parody, and it's just perfectly hilarious.
However, the game really starts after that. Our sister, Lizzie, has joined a resistance group meant to help humans and has ended up way over her head, becoming a wanted criminal with a bounty on her head. We rush to the scene to save her, only to end up breaking the bounty hunter code and becoming a fugitive as well. Now, we join Lizzie's mission to take down Rhea Pharmaceuticals, a company trying to turn humans into medicine, and save the human race.
The story itself is quite entertaining, following our journey, taking down target after target to get to the CEO and destroy this entire operation. And while filled to the brim with action, it has a ton of variety to it. From the beginning mission where we discover the human zoo, to the murder mystery on a cruise ship we have to solve, and there's so much more later on in the game that feels extremely unique, it's like one thing after another, and it never stops being entertaining.
However, I would say High on Life 2's humor is more of an acquired taste. If you enjoyed the humor in the prequel and wanted more of the same, crass discussions and one-liners, along with exaggerated tropes in both the video game and TV/movie space, you will love this. I will say there were fewer jokes that landed for me than in the first game, but that could be due to my aging. There were still plenty of hilarious moments, and I loved the references I found throughout.
That variety in the story translates across visuals and gameplay as well. There are so many different places to check out that feel so distinct from each other. The human zoo is where we start before heading to the beach and cruise ship, which then takes us to a floating carport where we have to kill enemies to open up a spot to park. To keep from spoilers, I won't go into more detail, but know that it gets crazy in ways you wouldn't expect.
The bulk of gameplay will be going around and shooting aliens, though this does change a little as we continue playing and encounter new elements like the murder mystery. But the bulk of the game will be running and gunning, which feels pretty good most of the time. The talking guns all feel very different from each other, mimicking the usual weapons we would find in practical first-person shooters, like shotguns (Gus), burst rifles (Sheath), and submachine guns (Sweezy), but all with special abilities that can be used not only to kill enemies, but navigate the world in different ways (and unlock new pathways later on). Some can be zoomed in, while others have secondary modes like Sweezy changing into a single-shot, high-damage dealer.
I actually had a poor first impression of the gunplay. We start off with only Sweezy and Gus, and Knifey, of course. However, I dislike using Sweezy too much, since she doesn't do a lot of damage and makes enemies feel like bullet sponges. I started off thinking that enemies would take a while to kill, but with almost every other gun, that feeling dissipated. The enemies can still take a good chunk of bullets, but it doesn't feel spongy.
To make gunplay feel even more energetic, we have my favorite mechanic in the game: Skateboarding. This replaces sprinting and just complements combat perfectly. With most games that include skateboarding, I usually expect more realistic mechanics or awkward camera angles as they balance actually skateboarding in first-person and what you can do. For High on Life 2, most realism is gone. There's no camera bobbing, you press A to jump or get out of a half pipe, and all it takes to grind is jumping onto a rail. With how easy it is to control the camera and no bobbing at all, shooting while skating is easy and so much fun. We can even knock aliens down with our skateboards by ramming them.
While running around and killing aliens is good and fun, High on Life 2 has a good amount of side content and collectibles to find across the world. And we can't forget the money we can find and earn to buy upgrades for our suit, guns, and new abilities. These will be quite helpful in the long run and are a great way to increase the longevity of the game past the main storyline.
Despite my earlier thoughts, High on Life 2 is actually quite playable on the Steam Deck, but it doesn’t come without major compromise. And while it’s still possible to play this way, the sacrifices needed could ruin the experience if you want to get as much out of the game as you possibly can.
The game defaults to the near-lowest settings, with only Global Illumination set to High, and FSR 3 upscaling on Ultra Performance, and it just barely sticks to 30 FPS during combat. The game looks okay, though the upscaling does make it look more pixelated than I would have liked. This can drop a lot further when skating around Circuit Arcadia or other open areas, staying consistently below 30 FPS.
To try to optimize it further, we can reduce the Global Illumination to Low, which does bring up the framerate to stick above 30 FPS, sometimes hitting 40. It isn't consistent, and some open areas, like the beach in Pinkline Harbor, will still drop below 30 FPS. Setting to Low does change the visual quality as well, and in most cases, it loses a lot of detail, but it does keep the framerate more consistently above 30.
It still isn't perfect, but it's better than nothing. I would still consider it technically playable, but it still isn't the greatest way to experience the game.
The game does have an accessibility tab, which includes speaking indicators, subtitle and UI size bars, changing camera motion, toggling HUD Drift, modifying aim assist, and supporting color blindness options for Deuteranopia, Protanopia, and Tritanopia.
The game does support 16:10 resolutions, though you have to manually change the resolution to 1280x800, and it does have cloud saves and controller support. There are no HDR settings.
Despite my worries, High on Life 2 exceeded my expectations for the sequel to one of the weirdest, most enjoyable first-person shooters I have played. With an entertaining story, engaging fast-paced combat, and a gorgeous world, this becomes a uniquely creative experience worth playing through. There are a few little issues here and there with the flow of combat at the beginning of the game, and the humor is an acquired taste, but the pros heavily outweigh the cons, making this a more than deserving addition to your library.
Surprisingly, the game is quite playable on the Steam Deck, although it does require a lot of compromise on visuals just to hit 30 FPS. Even still, it's definitely playable, and there's something to be said about that.
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 of game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got your back.
Nioh 3 was provided by Koei Tecmo for review. Thank you!
I have a complicated feeling when it comes to Action RPGs/soulslikes. I enjoy them a lot, but I tend not be so good at them, and I take quite a while to complete. Still, I have a lot of fun, and of all the soulslikes out there, Nioh is one of my favorites. The fast pace of the combat and tons of loot we can find in a gorgeous Japan-inspired world have always been ones I enjoyed. So, with Nioh 3, I was so excited to get back into the series. However, what I found was probably one of the best soulslikes I have ever played, and the golden standard I will be comparing future ones to.
Nioh 3's story starts off relatively interesting, and there is some uniqueness throughout that kept me curious, but it isn't what I would consider a strong point. We play as Takechiyo, one of the grandsons of Ieyasu Tokugawa, who is set to inherit his grandfather's shogun position. He has a rivalry with his brother, Kunimatsu, who also wants the position, and ultimately, we are sent back in time to defeat invading Yokai. I liked that we were going back through different periods of history to change destiny, but it never took me in as much as I hoped.
However, the rest of the game completely makes up for it. I don't usually play the Nioh games for their stories, though I will give Nioh 3 the benefit of the doubt and say it was the most interesting to learn about.
Combat is outstanding and refined to a tee, to the point where every single fight, no matter how big or small, was exciting. The constant action of having to continually attack, dodge, and block incoming attacks all feels perfectly in sync with each other, with almost no room for any spots where it could feel stale. Nioh's gameplay has always been a high point for me, and I love soulslikes that go all in with fast-paced action (like Sekiro), but Nioh 3 feels like a step above the rest.
The general combat mechanics haven't changed much from previous iterations of the game, and it's going to feel very familiar at first. The Samurai form is what we have come to know and love with Nioh, where keeping our stamina up to continually attack with slower-ish swings that have a good chunk of power. We still have the Ki Pulse to regain our stamina, Omoyo magic, and guardian spirits to help us in our fights, and they feel as good as ever.
But that doesn't mean we have nothing new here. The Ninja Form feels like the exact opposite of the Samurai Form. Instead of the more traditional soulslike gameplay based on slower, powerful strikes and blocking, the Ninja Form is all about faster, weaker attacks and using a multitude of tools at your disposal. The specific weapons the Ninja has, mixed with all of the tools, ultimately add a completely new way to tackle foes.
Team Ninja did an amazing job at making each form feel so different from the other, but still work together perfectly. We have the slow and steady usual style of gameplay in the Samurai form, and the fast-paced Ninja form, where we move around constantly to get ourselves in a good position to deal as much damage as we can without being struck.
Switching between the two feels like second nature, making utilizing both forms during one fight very common. To complement and encourage this, some foes will have these glowing red attacks that can be parried by swapping forms at the right time. These Burst Counters can help a lot by bringing down the enemy stamina bar to grapple and deal some larger damage more quickly. And ultimately, these additions, along with the refined combat, elevate Nioh 3's combat above any other soulslike I have played yet.
As a soulslike, getting stronger is going to be fairly similar to the usual. We fight enemies, get currency, and use that currency to level up and increase our stats. However, the reason the Nioh series has captivated me as much as it has is due to its loot and equipment system. There's a ton of weapons and equipment that drops from enemies, all of which have randomized stats, substats, and even set bonuses. I am a sucker for this kind of gameplay; constantly grinding for new equipment and stronger weapons is a good time for me.
Nioh 3 takes a bit of a different approach when it comes to its world as well. Instead of the linear levels from previous entries, we get an open world to explore. It's not as big and expansive as, say, Elden Ring, but it's very sizable and filled with a lot of activities. We have mini bosses, finding collectibles like Kodama, Crucibles, enemy bases, and each map has a bunch of mini areas with an exploration level that can go up to give us extra stat buffs.
No matter the time period, each map has similar activities to do, but I had such a good time with each of them that it never felt like it overstayed its welcome. With how great combat is, I loved finding excuses to keep going around and fighting enemies, finding more equipment, and slowly completing all the activities to level up my exploration.
While the demo essentially confirmed this, Nioh 3 will not be a good experience on the Steam Deck. Even at the lowest possible settings with heavy upscaling, the game will regularly fall under 30 FPS, feeling unstable and stuttery just trying to get through it. For a soulslike, this is a death sentence. Trying to fight bosses without a stable framerate can lead to incorrect timing for dodges, blocks, and, in Nioh's case, style switches. It harms the experience too much, and because of it, I would avoid playing on the Deck natively.
This is most likely due to the very obvious high CPU usage. It makes it very hard to optimize for the Deck further, and it kills performance.
On top of that, there are some videos that just won't play, so even just trying to power through the game is going to hurt the overall experience and make it nearly impossible to enjoy.
There is a dedicated accessibility settings tab for the game. In it, we can configure controls, change whether the Style Shift and Burst Break are separated, and how they activate, toggle Grapple and Martial Arts, change guard control and stick settings, swap horizontal controls, change vibration intensity, and toggle whether dismemberment and blood are showing. You can also change language and voice, modify subtitles, and change some audio settings.
The game doesn't support 16:10 resolutions, but it does have cloud saves and controller support. The game does have HDR settings, and it recognizes the Steam Deck OLED screen.
Nioh 3 is my favorite game so far this year, hands down. The combat is exquisite with new mechanics that complement the refinements from the previous two games, while the open-world levels fit right in with the series. The story may not be the most memorable, but the action makes up for it completely. This is now my all-time favorite soulslike, and if you have a computer powerful enough to run it, I can happily recommend it with ease.
However, you will need a decently powerful PC. Playing on the Steam Deck is a no-go, and unless it's streaming, I wouldn't get any hopes up about playing this on the Deck.
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 of game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got your back.
Skate Story was provided by Devolver Digital for review. Thank you!
It's an understatement that I adore games that have very unique visuals. There's something about them that not only stands out, but makes it more appealing to play and see the world that the developers have created. That is what initially drew me to Skate Story. The world that it showcased looked amazing, and I was all for it. However, after playing it, I can say the visuals hold up most of the time, but there are just a few too many smaller problems that keep me from fully recommending it.
When I first saw Skate Story, I was thinking it would be more of an arcade-style skating game where I would go through levels and try to get high scores, but I was most definitely wrong. As the title insinuates, the game does have a story with a chapter-based structure, and it’s a weird one.
You play as a nameless demon in the underworld who has a sudden desire to eat the moon. The Devil sees this and comes up with a contract. If you can eat all the moons, your soul will be free. The Devil gives you a skateboard, turns you into glass, and now you have to venture down through the depths of the underworld to eat the moons and free your soul. It’s a crazy story, and not all of it makes sense in the moment, but it’s definitely interesting.
I appreciate story-driven games; generally, I love them, but I expected a little bit more replayability with a game like this. I would’ve loved to mow where we could go back to older levels and try to get high scores, but this really is just a story. You can enter a dream-like space where you can travel to pass places and ultimately replay levels, but there isn’t a defined way to do it outside of that. And once you beat the game, you are stuck and can’t actually go back. So if you want to play those levels again, you have to start a new game. The actual story itself isn’t that long, but I do wish there were a quicker way to just go back and play.
When I first saw the game, visuals were probably the biggest part and reason why I was excited to check it out for myself. This stands throughout the entire game, with incredible stylized visuals that feel like eye candy at times. Each of the chapters felt pretty distinct from the others, especially when looking at the different cities in each chapter. This translated over to the levels as well, with each one having a different hue to it, with an assortment of landmarks that make each level feel different from the others. It was easy to tell the difference between the levels and their themes, and I loved seeing what else the game had to offer.
This also helped make the stories outlandish, setting, and craziness feel even more prominent. From weird pillow creatures that I have to talk to to do some laundry for the devil, to the tiny cat, who was hell bent on bringing me to court because I was caught sleeping without a permit, the visuals never let up, and it was a joy to play through.
However, it did have some problems. The biggest were any sort of particle effects. In general, the particles were never a huge issue, but if there was too much happening on the screen at any given time, it would make it extremely hard to concentrate or focus on what was actually going on in the game. This led me to death many times, with the earliest example being the second moon we encounter, and it’s just constantly throwing these obstacles on the field with explosions, and it just gets too constant and distracting.
What I had zero issues with is the soundtrack. Skate Story's soundtrack is phenomenal, and I fell in love with it the longer I played. It pumped me up and kept me going, and while the sound of the wheels screeching on the ground was a little too loud, the music just kept me going.
I also have a love-hate relationship with how you control your skater. It feels just like any usual skate game, where you move with the left stick and use the A button to push the ground to accelerate. However, for tricks, everything is linked to the B button and the shoulder buttons. There are some light tricks you can do with the X button, but the bulk of them will be with the B button. There’s a nice variety of tricks to utilize, which can come from either a single or double press of any of the shoulder buttons, or any combination of them. It’s quite easy to learn and utilize these tricks, and there were many moments where I felt really cool landing some awesome-looking tricks with some well-timed slow mode from the game itself.
I also really like how these tricks are implemented in boss fights. There will be multiple fights that we will have to go through in the game, and for these fights, we will have to do tricks and combos to accumulate high scores, and then attack by stomping the ground to end the combo. The score you have is the amount of damage you deal to the boss, and I found this to be an interesting way to handle these kinds of fights.
While Skate Story's gameplay is very enjoyable, there are a couple of issues that stopped me from fully enjoying it. Controlling your skater isn't always easy. The visual chaos does affect it a little bit, but there were many levels where I found it very hard to control turns because when you are pushing your foot down to accelerate, you can’t turn as much. And with it sometimes hard to see what’s in front of us, anticipating how long it will take for our foot to go down so we can turn in time is difficult. We do have power slides to turn faster, but it’s still not enough. The simulation of skating in the game is more accurate in this sense, but the world itself feels like it’s catered to something less realistic.
As for bosses, the visual chaos does make it hard sometimes, but I did really enjoy most of the actual fights. The big issue I have here is how their health is sectioned. With the reliance on gaining more points to deal more damage to their health, it feels like we are supposed to be trying to accumulate the highest score possible to deal the most damage possible. However, their health has sections, and you can only deal with one section of damage at a time. So, it becomes useless to bring your score up higher than around 8,000 or 10,000, as you won’t deal damage past that. I didn’t know the feeling that a slight bit of damage in one section could carry over to the next, but with bosses, having upwards of 6 to 7 sections of health or higher, it just didn’t feel worth it to try to go higher up.
Outside of the levels and bosses, you’ll be able to run around different towns, gain souls, and use them to buy new customization options for your skateboard. There are going to be objectives in these towns as well for the story, but we can also find little side quests like moonlight areas, where we can do tricks and gain some extra souls. I never felt like we stayed too much in these towns before getting to the more exciting, faster pace levels, and with all the obstacles in the towns, I did get a good amount of practice for grinding and doing other tricks. In a way, it’s a nice reprieve from the usual levels that we’re going to be playing through to eat the moons.
Ahead of its release, Skate Story was Verified by Valve, and I would say by their definition, it deserves it. The default settings run well, and for the first few hours, it will feel perfect at 60 FPS. However, the cracks start to show later on, with parts of Chapters 3 and 4 and onwards, showing some warning signs and slowdowns. The game will throttle framerate when it gets too heavy, going down to around 45-48 FPS at times.
We can mitigate this a little by turning off Ambient Occlusion, which makes some of these areas stop throttling and stick to 60 FPS, but there are still times when it will drop regardless. It isn't the most jarring, but still noticeable, and I wasn't a big fan. I even tried the settings for the Steam Deck recommended by the team, but it still has those moments of throttling.
So, for the most stable experience, I recommend keeping the settings where they are, but setting the framerate limit to 45. It does make the game feel a little less smooth, but it's still very playable and enjoyable. You can keep it to 60, and it will still be enjoyable 90% of the time, but it does feel odd when skating around as fast as possible, and the framerate jolts down to the mid-40s. I just preferred keeping it at 45 and stable the whole time, which not only brought up the battery life a bit, but also feels fluid.
There is an accessibility tab here, which can change the combo timer and decay, push on forward input, and push being toggled instead of pressed, trick damage, mode, and player health. We can also toggle tutorials, speedometer, slowmo, cutscene UI, vibration, rebind controls, change camera invert and sensitivity, change camera distance and screen shake, modify audio volume, and change the language.
The game does support 16:10 resolutions, cloud saves, and controllers. There are HDR settings and it does recognize the Steam Deck OLED screen.
Skate Story has some very interesting ideas and gorgeous visuals, but some missteps stop it from being a must-have game in my book. I love the aesthetic, the general gameplay mechanics with skating and how easy it is to do tricks, and the wacky story. But the difficulty in controlling our skater, the lack of ways to go back and play through the levels, and the overall feeling of uselessness for the combo system during boss fights keep it from greatness. It’s still a fun game, and I had a good time with it, but there was just too much stopping me from fully immersing myself in it.
It is a good time on the Steam Deck, and if you’re going to be getting the game anyway, it is a lot of fun to play on the go. It isn’t as stable as I would’ve liked, but you can still play it with a solid battery life and a smoother feel than 30 FPS. Ultimately, this is a game. I would recommend playing on the go if you’re going to be getting it anyway.
Our review is based on the PC version of this game.
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MARVEL Cosmic Invasion was provided by Dotemu for review. Thank you!
Marvel Cosmic Invasion is the latest collaboration between Tribute Games, Dotemu, and Marvel, bringing a vibrant, pixel-art beat-’em-up to players who grew up on arcade cabinets, quarter-eaters, and Saturday-morning superhero shows. The premise is straightforward but effective: Annihilus launches a full-scale invasion across reality, forcing Earth’s defenders and cosmic heavyweights alike to team up and push back the swarm. It’s a colourful, high-energy adventure that blends classic brawler design with modern polish, but how well does it all come together? And more importantly, how does it run on the Steam Deck?
From the moment you jump in, it’s clear that Cosmic Invasion is designed as a wonderful love letter to the ’90s. The core loop is exactly what you’d expect from a side-scrolling beat-’em-up, for better or worse: move through a stage, break through waves of enemies, fend off the occasional heavy hitter, and finish with a boss encounter. What sets the game apart, however, is its tag-team character system. You bring two heroes into each mission and can swap between them instantly, which is undoubtedly more than a novelty with characters genuinely complementing each other, and experimenting with combinations becomes one of the game’s most rewarding aspects.
One hero might be better at closing gaps, another at crowd control, and another at dishing out big bursts of damage when needed. Black Panther is where it's at for me, personally, but each of the core missions has tasks corresponding to two particular playable characters, naturally encouraging you to not only try everyone eventually, but to use a character's full repertoire of skills and abilities throughout.
Combat itself is simple enough to pick up within seconds, but satisfying once it clicks. Every hero has their own rhythm and flavour, and they animate beautifully. There’s a distinct difference between swapping from, say, Wolverine’s relentless aggression to Captain Marvel’s flashy mid-range abilities, and the contrasts keep the moment-to-moment action interesting. While enemies can grow repetitive later in the campaign, boss fights consistently step up the pace and inject variety. They’re often the highlight of their stages, with large, screen-filling attacks and clever patterns that push your timing and positioning.
Stages take you across a tour of Marvel locations, from the bustling streets of New York to the interior of a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier to cosmic hotspots like Knowhere and the Negative Zone. They don’t reinvent the wheel, but they’re visually distinct and paced quickly enough that the repetition never becomes sluggish. The game maintains an evident respect for the classic brawler format, never overreaching, but adding just enough flair to feel fresh in 2025.
Despite all its strengths, however, Cosmic Invasion does show cracks in the areas that tend to strain beat-’em-ups. Enemy waves can start to feel predictable, especially in longer sessions, and the overall lack of surprises within stage layouts means the game leans heavily on its combat system and boss fights to maintain momentum. Those bosses deliver often, but the journey between them occasionally becomes straightforward to a fault.
Another limitation is the light progression system. Characters don’t grow in complex ways, and outside of cosmetic unlocks, the game offers little in the way of long-term character building or loadout experimentation. This won’t bother genre purists, but players who expect modern RPG-lite systems may find the experience more shallow than they’d hoped.
Finally, during co-op, especially with four players, the screen can become overwhelmingly busy. Pixel effects, particle bursts, enemy mobs, and overlapping supers can make it tough to track your character during the most explosive moments. It’s fun chaos, but chaos all the same.
Story-wise, there's enough to keep you somewhat engaged, but never above the stakes that you would typically find amongst its genre-based peers. Cosmic Invasion wisely embraces a Saturday-morning cartoon tone, offering lighthearted, high-energy storytelling rather than MCU-style drama. The stakes are enormous, Annihilus is invading all known space, after all, which is about as drastic as it can get without Thanos/Kang/Galactus/Apocalypse, etc., but the writing and performances keep things fun rather than overly serious. It’s precisely the right tone for this style of game.
The presentation is where Tribute Games truly shines, and the real glue between all of the other fantastic design choices. The pixel art is some of their best work: expressive, fluid, and loaded with detail. Heroes animate wonderfully, environments brim with personality, and effects explode off the screen in a way that feels nostalgic without ever looking dated. The soundtrack backs all of this up with energetic riffs and sweeping cosmic cues that elevate the action without distracting from it.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion feels tailor-made for the Steam Deck. On both OLED and LCD models, the game holds a flawless 60 frames per second at the Deck’s native resolution, even during the most chaotic four-player sequences. Power draw remains nigh-on perfect, usually hovering around single-digit wattage (between 5.5 and 6W), giving you between 7.5 to 8 hours of battery life without any tinkering. Temperatures stay as cool as anything, and with no stutters, hitches, or crashes to report, there's quite honestly, no notes whatsoever. Perfect in all regards.
Cosmic Invasion includes a modest but thoughtful range of accessibility features in line with what you could typically expect from a retro-inspired brawler. Toggles for Subtitles and Shaking Effects are available, as are rebindable controls, should anyone find the defaults not up to scratch.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a joyful, confident, and beautifully crafted beat-’em-up that knows precisely what it wants to be. It celebrates the genre’s roots while adding just enough innovation to stand out, and its reverence for Marvel’s cosmic side gives it personality to spare. On Steam Deck, it’s close to perfect — smooth, stable, responsive, and wonderfully suited to handheld play.
While repetition, limited progression, and occasional visual overload keep it from reaching genre-defining heights, the overall package remains highly entertaining, especially for fans of co-op play, classic arcade brawlers, or Marvel’s colourful roster of heroes. It’s easy to pick up, exciting to master, and hard not to enjoy.
Our review is based on the PC version of this game.
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Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment was provided by Nintendo for review. Thank you!
Few franchises weave lore and legacy together quite like The Legend of Zelda. Every new entry feels like a piece of a sprawling timeline puzzle, adding nuance to the mythos fans have debated for decades. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, developed by Koei Tecmo and published by Nintendo, takes another bold swing at that legacy, setting its sights on the legendary Imprisoning War, an era previously shrouded in mystery. The result is a stunning, action-packed experience that blends the familiar Warriors formula with a heavy dose of Zelda grandeur, though not without some of the same old genre fatigue.
Set long before the events of Tears of the Kingdom, Age of Imprisonment thrusts players into an ancient Hyrule caught in the chaos of war against, you guessed it, Ganondorf. This isn't the usual cycle of "Link saves Zelda and the kingdom"; in fact, Zelda herself takes centre stage this time, leading an army alongside King Rauru and the Sages in an effort to prevent Ganondorf's dominion from ever taking hold.
From the opening moments, it's clear this isn't just another spinoff. The tone is darker, the stakes feel heavier, and the narrative leans into the tragedy and grandeur of ancient Hyrule. Cutscenes are beautifully rendered, voice acting is strong across the board, and the musical score, sweeping orchestral takes on classic Zelda motifs, gives each battle a mythic energy.
That said, the story sometimes struggles with pacing. While the cutscenes and lore connections are thrilling for longtime fans, the mission structure occasionally undercuts the drama. Major revelations are often interspersed with repetitive combat sequences that drag down the campaign's rhythm. Still, for those invested in Zelda's broader mythology, this is one of the richest explorations the series has offered outside of a mainline title.
At its core, Age of Imprisonment remains unmistakably a Warriors game; you'll spend most of your time mowing through hundreds of enemies in expansive battlefields, capturing outposts, and unleashing cinematic special attacks. What keeps it fresh this time are the mechanical refinements and Switch 2 performance boost.
Combat feels faster and more fluid than ever before. Each playable character brings a unique combat rhythm, from Zelda's ethereal Light powers to Rauru's devastating energy-based combos. The new Sync Strike system lets you coordinate tag-team assaults between characters, chaining attacks in stylish, screen-filling bursts of power. Zonai technology also makes its debut, allowing you to mix elemental devices into your combos. Building a temporary flame turret or launching a wind burst to juggle enemies adds tactical flair that was sorely missing from Age of Calamity. When combined with quick character swapping, it makes even familiar battles feel dynamic.
However, the underlying structure remains classic Warriors: capture bases, clear objectives, repeat. Even with all the new mechanics, mission variety struggles to keep up. Enemy commanders change, but objectives rarely evolve beyond "defeat this horde" or "escort this ally." The repetition sets in faster than you might hope, especially during the mid-game chapters.
The transition to the Switch 2 does wonders for the Hyrule Warriors formula. Where Age of Calamity buckled under technical strain, Age of Imprisonment feels remarkably stable. The game targets 60 FPS and maintains it in most scenarios, even when the screen floods with enemies. Texture quality, lighting, and environmental density all see significant improvements, from sun-drenched ruins to haunting subterranean arenas. There's still occasional pop-in, especially with distant troops or effects-heavy sequences in co-op mode, but overall it's the smoothest Warriors experience yet on a Nintendo platform. Split-screen play remains viable, and performance dips are mild rather than game-breaking.
Visually, it's gorgeous. The art direction draws heavily on Tears of the Kingdom, with shimmering Zonai architecture and ethereal particle effects that give the battlefields an otherworldly touch. Each battlefield feels distinct, with lush plains, shattered temples, or molten caverns, helping the repetition of objectives feel slightly more palatable.
Age of Imprisonment shines brightest when its presentation fully commits to Zelda's emotional weight. The soundtrack merges sweeping orchestration with subtle motifs from older games, echoes of Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time, and Tears of the Kingdom, creating a rich soundscape that rewards long-term fans.
Expect to spend around 18–20 hours clearing the main campaign, with plenty of optional side missions, challenges, and unlockable characters padding out the total runtime. Each hero comes with upgrade paths, weapon fusions, and ability synergies to experiment with, making the grind rewarding for optimisation enthusiasts.
That said, once the main story wraps, there's limited incentive to revisit missions beyond character completion, should that float your proverbial boat. The game's most significant weakness remains its tendency to reuse map layouts and enemy combinations in slightly altered forms. A more robust post-game or alternate campaign path would have elevated its staying power.
Age of Imprisonment doesn't just expand on the Hyrule Warriors blueprint; it finally perfects it. For the first time, this subseries feels like more than a side project; it's an essential part of Zelda's growing mythology. It's both a thrilling return to form and a promise that, even in war, Hyrule's legend will always endure.
Our review is based on the Nintendo Switch 2 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 of game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got your back.
