Nikoderiko was provided by Knights Peak for review. Thank you!
Are you ready for some classic platformer action? Well, Nikoderiko: The Magical World is following textbook examples of successful platformers from years past, but that isn't always a recipe for success. However, that's not the case here.
As soon as you start Nikoderiko, you can see what I mean when I said they follow examples of previous platformers. The inspiration from Donkey Kong Country is unmissable. It might even go beyond inspiration. You start in a jungle-themed area on an island, the antagonists are somewhat reptilian, and the game's music composer is David Wise, who worked on the soundtrack for the Donkey Kong Country series. You even collect the letters N-I-K-O as you progress through each level.
The storyline is also pretty generic. You're treasure hunters trying to retrieve a treasure taken by an evil baron and his army. It's not too dissimilar to DK having his bananas stolen.
So, Nikoderiko doesn't exactly win points for originality. That being said, it's a solid platformer. The controls aren't necessarily tight; they're a bit floaty, but that seems to be by design, as the Donkey Kong Country trilogy also had some momentum when it came to physics in the air. Once you get used to it, though, Nikoderiko feels like a classic platformer from the 1990s, and that's not a bad thing in my book.
Enemies are also fairly typical platformer affairs. Some have defenses on the top, some on the side, some have none at all, and others take multiple hits to defeat. The variety and imagination behind these designs don't quite hit the heady heights of Mario games. Still, they do the job, considering that Nikoderiko is on the shorter side, with the game taking less than 10 hours to complete.
Surprisingly, the game does have difficulty options. I played through on the "Normal" option and found that the game provides a decent challenge. Most of the levels will be simple enough, but the odd one might trip you up, and the boss battles at the end of each world do require concentration and memorization of patterns to beat. I wouldn't say it's as difficult as the Donkey Kong Country (Returns) games, but it's not as easy as a Mario platformer.
Nikoderiko does tap into that sense of excitement you got from finding secrets in ye olde platformers, too. They are everywhere, and the newly released Director's Cut upgrade added even more to the game. Usually accompanied by a serotonin-boosting sound effect, coupled with pretty collectibles adorning your screen, it's a great feeling when you find a hidden passage or bounce off an enemy's head to reach an otherwise inaccessible area. The game beautifully captures the feeling my younger self got from these discoveries.
However, I feel like Nikoderiko lets you down in a couple of areas. There is a lack of clarity in some situations, particularly in levels where you are walking towards or away from the camera, like in old Crash Bandicoot games.
Depth perception is also a big issue. The game puts a blue circle below you while you are in the air, but from this camera angle, I still struggled to work out how close I was to enemies. Also, several times, you are in cannons (equivalent of Donkey Kong Country Barrel Cannons) and have to shoot through a circle of rotating items. The problem is that the game does not indicate whether you will hit the top or bottom item in the ring.
I wouldn't have minded if these game sections had been removed entirely. I get that the developers wanted to try something a bit different, but switching between a side view and a third-person view and adjusting to the controls mid-level doesn't feel the best, and the camera is even more work to get used to, just for a short 1-minute section of a level.
Unfortunately, many boss battles take place in this third-person-like camera angle, which can be pretty frustrating when they are the hardest parts of the game.
Another issue I had with the game was that sometimes the camera wouldn't follow the player closely, resulting in me walking into or hitting enemies offscreen. This usually happens with vertical movement, but it can happen horizontally too. Also, at a later level, I jumped into an automatic cannon that began a sequence that fired me straight into an enemy before I regained control of my character. It was probably just bad luck that the enemy had patrolled to where the cannon was placed, but it shouldn't be possible for an enemy to patrol there in the first place.
Spinning it back around to the positive, though, and that's the game's presentation. Although new and not relying on nostalgia, the characters have their charm. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy them being voiced in parts of the game, but it works out ok, if you don't mind a bit of cringeworthy dialogue here and there. The world is also lush, vibrant, and nicely stylized, with lighting put to good use in the levels. This is backed up by the music by David Wise, who does an excellent job capturing the feel, as you might expect given his reputation.
If you have an itch for a game that feels like a classic 90s platformer but with the visuals of a modern title, then Nikoderiko is worth your attention. You can also play through the game in a two-player local co-op mode.
Nikoderiko runs flawlessly on the Steam Deck. The only issue I noticed was that the game only runs in 1280x720, not 1280x800, so you will have black bars above and below the game. Controller support, however, is excellent, and it is the ideal way to play.
The graphical settings are combined into one Quality setting, which you can adjust, but it does have some scalability. Because of that, I'm offering two setting presets today, although one is mostly for Steam Deck OLED users.
For most users, this is probably what you'll want to run. Set your in-game quality setting to "Average, " then impose a 60 FPS frame limit in SteamOS.
With these settings, the game can run at about 70 FPS, but locking to 60 saves some battery life and makes the experience stable. Steam Deck LCD users get no benefit from anything above 60 FPS anyway.
The power draw depends on the stage, but it falls in the 13- 15W range for most levels. Some levels, especially at night and with water, can push it up to 20W, though. So expect around 3.5 hours of battery life on an OLED model and around 2-2.5 hours on an LCD. Temperatures were in the 60- 70 °C range.
If you really care about a smooth framerate in your platformers, Steam Deck OLED users can lower their graphics Quality to "Low" in the in-game settings and keep their frame limit at 90 FPS/Hz in SteamOS. The game will run at a stable 90 FPS, and although we lose some nice lighting and shadows, the stylized nature of the game means it still looks decent.
Power draw for these settings is similar, around 13W-15W, with spikes up to 19W on some levels, so your battery life will be about 3.5 hours on the Steam Deck OLED. Temperatures were again in the 60- 70 °C range.
Sometimes, dialogue on the world map causes severe performance issues, which heavily impacts FPS. Fortunately, no gameplay occurs during these scenes, but it can be a bit jarring. Expect sub-30 FPS in these moments.
Nikoderiko is a bit thin on the ground when it comes to accessibility. It just offers the option for subtitles and disabling camera shake.
Nikoderiko doesn't do anything new in the platforming space. But what it does do is combine multiple ideas from other successful platformers and bring them together to make a competent platformer in its own right. Does it match up to those that inspired it? No, it doesn't, but if you are a platforming fan, you'll still have a great time with this one.
As for Steam Deck performance, it's very good; the graphics settings mean we can comfortably run at 60 FPS, even bumping up to 90 FPS on the Steam Deck OLED. The controls work great, and although the battery life isn't the best, the game also isn't very long, either.
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.
Bionic Bay was provided by Kepler Interactive for review. Thank you!
Platformers are some of the best games on the Steam Deck, thanks to their ease of running and compatibility with a controller. There are a few platformers that stand out, though. Celeste, Antonblast, and INSIDE are all a joy to play, but Bionic Bay may be joining the list. Not only is it very competent in its gameplay, but it also feels innovative and exciting, challenging the player to find unique ways to solve its puzzles. After my playthrough, I can confidently say this was one of my favorite platformers I have ever played.
If I had to explain Bionic Bay, I would say it has a similar aesthetic to LIMBO, with most of the game showing black outlines of locations and your player character, and fast-paced platforming like if Celeste and Sonic the Hedgehog had a baby and added in physics-based objects and puzzles. It's chaotic in all the right ways, finding a nice balance between being too difficult and distracting and too easy and straightforward, most of the time.
Like most 2D platformers, you will go from one end of the level to the other, and while this usually means horizontal or vertical movement, Bionic Bay utilizes every direction. You will jump sideways to dodge lasers, climb chains to escape balls of fire, and more. It's quite clear where to go next and is more on the linear side of progression, but it feels so exciting thanks to the powers you get to manipulate the physics-based world and its puzzles.
As you continue, you will unlock different crazy powers to help you manipulate the world. These include abilities like swapping places with objects you tag or pushing objects around with enormous force. The powers are all quite intriguing and help serve an actual purpose, which can be used to manipulate the world. To get through lasers, you may need to jump over the laser and swap places with a sheet of metal, or to destroy a bomb in front of you, you may have to push a crate into it. These become essential to solving puzzles, and there will be some quick thinking involved, such as where you need to figure out on the fly whether you need to swap and when.
I loved these moments. It felt engaging and packed with action, thanks to how fast-paced the game is. The developers, Psychoflow Studio and Mureena Oy, wanted to keep speedrunning a clear focal point, and they did a great job. The chaos never sacrifices precision platforming either, and with the dodging, rolling, and grabbing for platforms while in the air, it invokes Super Mario Odyssey with the speed and precision involved.
I also found myself obsessing over Bionic Bay's online mode. There are new daily levels to challenge others to get the fastest score, and every single one felt unique. They had different visuals, mechanics, and powers, and it feels well crafted. The last level I couldn't stop playing was Fling Part, a green-hued level where I had to precisely let myself drop in between bombs and hang on to the side to not die from fall damage, then precisely and quickly swap with certain items to move past them before I die from other hazards. I played this one about 40 times, and I am so glad "Replay" is bound to the Y button on my gamepad. It was addicting, and I found the character customizer to be a nice touch.
The sci-fi environment lends itself nicely to the game, and packed with simplistic visuals and gorgeous effects, it became one of the best games to look at. Each level feels wholly different, from pipes that bend as you walk on them to jumping off of lasers and falling onto brain-like structures. A lot of the world becomes caked in this silhouette light from time to time, making your model and the structures appear black as if only seeing a shadow, but the colorful lighting from behind and effects just make it so surreal to look at.
The story is interesting, too. A terrible workplace accident occurs and seems to land us in some rotting, abandoned industrial complex. After somehow turning your body elastic, you have to get back home. It's a simple concept, but thanks to it, we have some of the most creative levels I can think of, and it's just a blast to go through all of them.
I also want to take a moment to praise the physics in-game. I adore physics-based objects in video games, and Bionic Bay is filled with them. Whether it be the way your elastic body ragdolls as you fall into pipe after pipe, or how a crate causes a tower of boxes to fall down and trigger explosives, it just all fits so well and feels so great to watch and experience.
Bionic Bay is a joy to play on the Steam Deck for a multitude of reasons, and there's little reason not to love it. It can run exceptionally well with low battery drain, look gorgeous (especially on the OLED screen), and feel great with a controller. Even though it runs perfectly fine, I did want to make one change for a better overall experience.
There are a couple of scenes that drop the framerate from 90 FPS to around 67-70 FPS, so with that in mind, I recommend setting the framerate to 60 FPS. This will only affect those playing on a Steam Deck OLED, but it's still worth mentioning. This brings down battery drain a bit as well, sticking around the 9W area, and gives over 5 hours of battery life.
There were a couple of spots where I found lower drops, but these were far and few. I would also keep the TDP limit unlocked to account for them, but you will rarely ever see the drain go above 11W:
There aren't a ton of options to change here. We can change language, vibration, audio sliders, and change control bindings.
The game supports 16:10 resolutions, as well as cloud saves and controllers. There are no HDR settings.
Bionic Bay is one of the best platformers I have played in a long time, and quite possibly one of the best I have ever played. The combination of precision and chaos, mixed with a gorgeous sci-fi aesthetic and vibrant atmosphere, makes this one of the best experiences. The powers you can use to manipulate the physics-based world to solve puzzles are exciting, while the speedrunning focus and online mode give more of a reason to come back and try to get through the levels as fast as possible and find shortcuts. It's an addictive, enjoyable time all the way through, with no complaints I could think of.
It also runs brilliantly on the Steam Deck, and while there are some minor drops here and there, that doesn't change just how perfect it fits for portable play. This is an essential to add to your Steam Deck library.
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.
Mainframes was provided by Assoupi for review. Thank you!
Amongst my many flaws, I am not the best at platformers. My experience with platformer games usually consists of me drinking copious amounts of tea while swearing in a passive-aggressive manner, falling to my death for the 50th consecutive time. Asking me to play platformer games is like asking me to be a kind and honorable knight in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 or run a kind prison camp in Rimworld where captives do not have to fight each other for food. Yet, here I am, reviewing MainFrames, and I had a blast.
The narrative is relatively light in MainFrames, revolving around our protagonists quest to learn how his computer world functions. Despite this, there is an impressive amount of world-building and lore, and it's much better than I expected. Floppy, our Floppy Disk protagonist, is as creative a name of a floppy disk as it gets. Still, I enjoy all the cute animations in this digital world. There are talkative daemons who maintain the balance, although I found the finer details a little nonsensical. I love the aesthetic, with its bootup screen reminding me of an old 90s computer, and even the setting screens look cool.
MainFrames is not particularly long, and moderately skilled players can expect to complete it in a few hours. However, it does pack a lot into its small package, with optional secrets everywhere. The difficulty borrows some mechanics from that incredibly popular indie darling Celeste, with instant death upon failure and an instant respawn.
This does wonders for pacing. I have always preferred this method because you can jump back into the gameplay without wasting time after a slip-up. With how many times I mistimed a jump and died with my poor floppy disk avatar disintegrating, I was grateful I could respawn instantly! Some of these platform jumps get pretty challenging, but that might be a skill issue for me.
The mechanics and controls in MainFrames are fluid and tight, and you can jump around most of the map with some precision. The main gimmick is dragging folder boxes around with the cursor around the small maps, allowing you to move around platforms more easily. Moving around in the game was a delight, and I enjoyed myself even when I failed.
Levels get gradually more complex with additional enemies, platform quirks, and death traps, which helps expand the game's scope. Despite the tiny rooms, a lot is going on with them. I was initially concerned that the trim level sizes would be a downside, but the result is the opposite. From a design aspect, it is impressive how well developer Assoupi created these levels.
There is also a lot of open exploration in a metroid-vania style. However, I wish MainFrames had provided an accessible map, so I knew where I was going. I had a couple of issues working out where I was supposed to go, and it was easy to get lost. Some pretty damn hard mechanics left me stumped, like the rooms that require you to expand a rapidly narrowing block to grab a key. If you mess up a single jump for a fraction of a second, you’ll die and have to start the room over.
While it lacks any graphical settings apart from adjusting screen resolution, MainFrames is a delightful experience on the Steam Deck. Right out of the box, the game works excellently with standard settings on the OLED Steam Deck (I mean 1280x800 resolution, unlocked TDP, and 90hz refresh rate).
Even at an unlocked TDP, MainFrames do not require that much juice, pulling an average of 9 watts of power draw. This translates to 5 and a half hours of battery life on the OLED Steam Deck, which is solid enough. However, we can do better.
I have only owned an OLED Steam Deck for a week, so all my experiences are with the 60hz refresh rate of the LCD model. To my surprise, MainFrames does not need much power for solid performance. Our only in-game tools for managing performance are limiting the frame rate and screen resolution. With a 60 FPS/Hz lock and a TDP limit of 4, I found the best spot between performance and battery life while maintaining the advantages of the OLED screen. With these settings, I averaged a power draw of less than 7 watts, giving us over 7 hours of battery life.
MainFrames is playable in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Ukrainian, Portuguese Brazil, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese. With no voice acting required, all the critical information should be in these translations, including achievements.
Accessibility options in MainFrames is a mixed bag. You can adjust the screen resolution and change the screen (borderless window, exclusive fullscreen, or windowed) and the volume, but that’s all you can do in the settings.
There are no colorblind options font size options, or any X and Y axes inverting. The difficulty settings I highlighted offer some nice options, and you can change keybinds. All text is eligible on the Steam Deck, though I wish they chose a different font in the menus. I would have liked some interface scaling.
Players can also toggle cool things like invincibility, infinite jump, and infinite twists if necessary. However, it is recommended to play things as vanilla as possible
With its retro graphics, excellent movement, and great level design, MainFrames is a delightful platformer even for newcomers to the genre. Playing great on the Steam Deck is the icing on the cake. It isn't perfect of course. The lack of direction on where to go next makes it a hard game to navigate, and it made the story hard for me to understand.
Overall, MainFrames is a tight little package that accomplishes all it sets out to do.
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.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD was provided by Nintendo for review. Thank you!
When I think about platformers, Nintendo is usually the first company that comes to mind. While there are some awesome games out there, Nintendo has been the champion of engaging and creative 2D and 3D platformers. While the Super Mario series is usually the go-to for these, Nintendo has made some other amazing games in this genre, and Donkey Kong Country Returns is one of them. With the HD remaster, we get to experience this incredible game in all its glory on the Switch, and it’s a fantastic experience through and through.
For some context, Donkey Kong Country Returns was originally released on the Wii in 2010. This new version is a full HD upgrade over the original, with new textures, models, and effects, and includes the extra content that was added in with the 3DS port that was released in 2013. This includes a new game mode with extra items to make it easier to get through levels and a new world. However, we still retain some of the features from the Wii version like optional motion controls.
As someone who never played the original, this was a brand new experience for me that I had a blast with. On the surface, the 2D platforming gameplay of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is quite simple. You run through levels, jump over obstacles, grab onto objects, smash the ground, and roll to speed yourself up. Although, it’s the way you can interact with each of these, and how tight the controls are, that keep it from feeling dull.
From swinging on vines and throwing barrels to stomping on enemies and rolling through levels to gain momentum, it felt like I was always being challenged to get through each world without feeling overwhelmed or annoyed with whatever was thrown my way. It felt satisfying to get DK through the obstacles in front of me utilizing his moveset.
It also helps that you can find Diddy Kong in barrels to roll for longer periods of time and get a little jet-pack boost to keep you in the air longer, which saved me on a couple of occasions. But by combining the roll with jumping and the jet pack, I was able to keep the momentum and jump further. Getting that longer jump at the right moment was so satisfying and ended up being something I tried to do on every level. And with how easy it was to control, I very rarely missed my mark. There were a couple of spots here and there on some levels that frustrated or confused me, but it was never enough to stop me from playing.
There is a multiplayer mode as well where you can play as Donkey and Diddy Kong, which is a nice option if you have someone to play with. I played solo, but I can see co-op being a good time too.
Part of the reason I felt the controls were so enjoyable is the variety in how they can be used, and a lot of that comes from the uniqueness of every single level in the game. Each level feels different from the other with a theme fitting for the world they exist in. For example, one level would have me jumping from crumbling ruin to crumbling ruin, the next I was shooting myself from barrel to barrel with precision, and after that timing my jumps on spinning platforms and dodging sharks. And thanks to the levels not being too long and overstaying their welcome, I was engaged and excited the entire time. It all felt extremely creative and distinctive, which made the experience that much better.
While the levels had different mechanics dictating what you’d do throughout, they all had their own aesthetic as well that kept it feeling unique. They still kept the same theme as the world they belonged to, but each had their flair to it. My favorites were the levels where it would be illuminated in silhouette-like outlines of characters and the surroundings. The levels all looked great, and thanks to how different they all were, I was always so excited to see what the next level would offer.
There are also different collectibles you can find on each level, which can unlock extras like movies, images, and dioramas to view at your leisure. There is also a time attack mode for each level to try speedrunning yourself,
Apart from some very minor rough edges and sharp outlines, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD looks phenomenal. The use of vibrant colors and semi-detailed models works extremely well with the OLED screen of my Switch and highlights the cartoonish vibe that was prioritized. I have always liked minimal graphics, never really caring much about super high-fidelity, and I feel this is a great example of the kind of visuals I prefer.
The soundtrack is also quite pumping. Running through the jungle to the sound of drums and the iconic Donkey Kong songs to the sound of Trumpets blaring while trying to dodge spiky boulders on a cliff, the music and beats captivated me and served as a great motivator to continue playing.
The story itself doesn't go over and above to stand out, but it gets the job done. All of Donkey Kong's bananas are stolen by an evil tiki mask and his minions, who use songs to control the animals on the island. So, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong set out to recover their bananas and find the culprit behind this atrocity. It's a serviceable story that sets the stage for why DK is running around across the island, but it won't be anything thought-provoking.
For the most part, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD performs admirably on the Switch in handheld mode. It runs at a solid 60 FPS throughout most of the levels, and I don't have much to complain about. There were a few spots that could drop a little and feel slightly stuttery, but these rarely happened. Cutscenes were the main culprit, but there were one or two levels with one spot that quickly dropped the frame rate. It wasn't super noticeable, but as someone who is constantly looking at performance stats and checking the framerate constantly on the Steam Deck, it has become noticeable for me.
When playing docked, I didn't notice as many framerate drops, and the visuals are clearly improved. This makes sense considering docked mode plays at 1080p and handheld is at 720p. Still, I am pleased with the performance in both handheld and docked mode. Usually, I prefer handheld for portability but docked felt just as good.
For full transparency, I do not have any programs set up to watch and record framerate, though it is something I am working on. This evaluation of performance is based on pure eyesight, which is sensitive to framerate changes. Almost every level felt completely smooth, except for those few spots mentioned above and cutscenes where the framerate jolted enough for me to notice.
None of the drops break the immersion or momentum throughout the level, but they are still worth mentioning.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a fantastic platformer that shines on the Switch. The gameplay is tight with fantastic, memorable levels that challenge me in different ways each time. The creativity of each level, the visuals, and the soundtrack kept me engaged even further as I powered through forests, caves, and even a volcano. The story is really just there to justify Donkey Kong's journey, and the performance does have some minor drops, but none of it takes away from how great this game is.
It may be hard to justify spending $60 if you have already played and beaten the game before on the Wii or 3DS, but if you are new to the experience like I was, this is going to be a blast and definitely worth the investment.
Our review is based on the Nintendo Switch 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.
As bleak and blase a statement as this may be, I can admit that to be a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog is to know disappointment. Don't get me wrong, particular moments throughout his 33-odd years certainly buck the ever-depressing trend of 'eh, it's fine' reactions to both game and video-based mediums. Unfortunately, we know what to expect with every release, yet hope never entirely dies in our chili dog-loving hearts. Occasionally, we are rewarded with an absolute beaut of a product. The most notable, to me, of this is 2011's Sonic Generations, a game that not only celebrated the franchise's history but also set a new standard for Sonic games.
It was and continues to be a celebration of Sonic as a whole, unabashedly showing off the highest highs of everything that had come before, featuring various re-imagined tracks from 1991's original Sonic the Hedgehog up to 2010's then-Wii exclusive Sonic Colors. This is a big reason why Sonic X Shadow Generations, a re-bundling of the original with some updates and new content, so exciting.
Each level is split into two distinct parts, with one being geared around Classic Sonic's 2.5D side-scroller gameplay, with some needed modernized modifications, such as a thankfully more accessible Spin Dash mechanic, and the other being for Modern Sonic, which focuses more on an extremely fast-paced and streamlined 3D design found in both Sonic Unleashed and the aforementioned Sonic Colors. 2.5D side-scroller sections can still be found in the latter's sections, though it never forgoes the above mechanics, ensuring the design language between the two Sonics remains distinct and separate.
As you can expect from a Sonic game, the story is largely non-existent and is purely there to push you from nostalgia-induced to nostalgia-induced level. Sonic and Co. are celebrating the titular character's birthday (this game was released to honor the 20th birthday) until the Time Eater, Generations' primary antagonist, creates numerous time holes that suck his many companions through. A brief failed attempt of an attack later, Sonic finds himself unconscious and, upon coming to, finds himself in "The White Space", an area that contains copious uncolored remains of regions from other Sonic titles that act as entry points to the respective levels.
It's serviceable, if not entirely bland, but it gets the job done. Again, considering this is a Sonic game, we aren't here for the story. We're here for a bloody good time. And what a time we had all those years ago.
The most well-received game since 2011's Sonic Generations is 2017's Sonic Mania (and by extension, 2018's Sonic Mania Plus), becoming the highest-rated game in the series for 15 years, and are seen in themselves as a celebration of the classics that had come before it, too. How can the celebratory magic of Generation and Mania be recaptured whilst offering the fans something new? Sega's answer is as simple as re-releasing Generations but giving it 100% more angst, 100% more Maria, and roughly 100% more content. Don't do the math on that, please.
Sonic X Shadow Generations is the answer, featuring the original game in all its glory and essentially unchanged, bar a few lines in cutscenes to keep more in line with the Japanese translations and a much-needed uptick in both resolutions and framerate, but now with an entire game dedicated to everyone's favorite edgy spiny mammal, Shadow. Shadow's section of the game features the same formula as ye olde regular Sonic Generations but improves on almost all aspects of the original in meaningful ways.
Put simply, the level design is some of the best work across all Sonic titles, with visual spectacle after visual spectacle callously forcing an unrelenting barrage of joyous pixels into our retinas. The potential complexity of each level is carefully concealed despite each one remaining approachable for newcomers, and regardless of whichever track you choose, the flow remains impeccable.
Shadow's entire arsenal of skills is naturally present, too, including some new ones that are unlocked throughout the 5-hour campaign and utilized in new and exciting ways. Moreover, unlike the original Sonic sections, where skills are separate from the original and "new" counterparts, Shadow retains his use of Chaos Control, homing attacks, and the like, regardless of whether it's in the 2.5D or 3D section.
The general hub world is significantly different from Sonic's approach. Instead of the side-scrolling level selection, Sonic Team opted for a fully explorable 3D environment with secrets and collectibles to discover. Various collectibles from the Main Acts and the Challenge Acts can also unlock their respective Collection Box in this world, containing artwork, music, and fragments of Shadow's History. However, I'm not sure which type of hub world I appreciate more based on how each game approaches its specific hub world.
It's not to say that Shadow's Hub World is an unsightly stain upon such a tremendous title; I would just prefer a more streamlined approach to get me into the main levels faster. Moreover, the wholly unnecessary Challange Acts do little to excite, merely feel like a bloat on an otherwise streamlined experience, and only further add to the time between the monumental adventures to be had elsewhere. It's the kind of audible sigh-inducing additive which, in fact, subtracts - the worst kind.
The technical experience between the two halves of Sonic X Shadow Generations is wildly different, too, considering that Sonic's section is a polished-up re-release and Shadows is entirely new and updated.
The Sonic portion is much simpler, with the game outputting an impressive and stable 60 FPS, regardless of how much was happening on screen. The low wattage was equally remarkable, often falling between the 11W-13W range, resulting in around 6 hours of estimated battery life.
Display settings-wise, there's little to alter, although nothing needs to change to achieve the stable 60 FPS here. Shadow Quality (high or low), Framerate Limit (60 or 30), Anti-aliasing (FXAA or off), and Bloom (on or off) round out the binary settings available. Still, they're all best left well alone. Sonic's portion will run beautifully from the get-go, with no configuration required, and look fantastic on the small screen.
Shadow Generations is a different beast entirely. With no changes, you'll find the experience bouncing between 40 FPS and 60 FPS from moment to moment, leaving it feeling wildly unstable, with an immense 20W+ draw on the battery. Thankfully, more options to dial in your graphic-facing settings now exist. With a higher framerate ceiling of 120 FPS available and the option to enable or disable both ambient occlusion and local reflections and set not only bloom but volumetric lighting, too, you can hone your settings to how you see fit. Despite the vast array of settings available, there are two avenues to take should a stable framerate be your goal, each with clear advantages.
The first is more straightforward, merely turning the shadow quality from high to low. This, in turn, grants a near-stable 60 FPS immediately, with minor fluctuations of but a few fps occurring for the odd second here and there. Ideally, a Sonic game, or Shadow, in this case, wants to have as high a framerate as possible to capture the feeling of unbridled speed, but this method still foregoes that sweet, sweet battery life. The 22W draw on the battery is still very much present, equating to a sub-2.5-hour battery life expectancy. It's not ideal, but it's a trade-off for the smoothest experience.
The latter relies on setting the frame limit to 40 FPS within the performance settings on the Steam Deck. Keeping the settings as they were above but making this one simple change reduces the wattage to between 13W and 15W, increasing battery life expectancy to between 3.5 and 4 hours. The smooth feeling that is ever-so-crucial in such a title is sacrificed, and one that I'm not sure is worth it, but it ultimately depends on how able and/or willing you are to sit near an available charger. There's very little outside of amending the frame limit that can drastically reduce wattage, too, with the more extensive suite of in-game display settings doing little to alleviate when appropriately fiddled with.
Whichever of the two recommended routes you take has advantages and disadvantages, and I believe they are entirely situational. If you're out on the go, do whatever you can to afford yourself some more battery life, letting you experience such a stupendous title for as long as possible. If you're at home, set the shadow to low, remove the frame limit, and marvel at its fast-moving beauty.
There are but a few settings to tweak regarding accessibility within Sonic X Shadow Generations, and it's very much the standard affair found in the vast majority of games nowadays. A standard assortment of camera controls and the like allow you to tweak to your heart's content, and subtitles can be toggled on or off. Disappointing, to be sure, but not surprising.
Given my surprise and cynicism when Sonic X Shadow Generations was first announced, what we have in our hands is truly one of 2024's best games. It's as simple as that. Expertly and meticulously crafted levels boastfully display Sonic Team's growth and learnings over the years, and a proper understanding of the fanbase and what they require and deserve from a story-telling perspective is exemplary. The latter may seem a given, but with the many well-documented shortcomings that have come before, the expectation for Shadow's portion may not have always been there.
It's still a game of two halves, with Sonic's 2011 re-release still relying on the nostalgic draw that Shadow's sections may not have to draw from, but the difference in quality between the two outside of that is night and day. And with the earlier two titles already being one of Sonic's best, it speaks for itself with how good the overall package is.
Our review is based on the PC version of this game.
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Fall of Porcupine was provided by Assemble Entertainment for review. Thank you!
Fall of Porcupine is a 2D story-driven adventure taking place in the rural town of Porcupine. As Finley, you are a junior doctor on your way to join the team of the St. Ursula's Hospital, but soon, you will realize that nothing is as it seems. Get to know the citizens of this small town and discover the stories behind each person, treat them, and uncover the secrets they are hiding. Choose your answers to influence your relationships and participate in mini-games to treat patients, all while discovering the social injustice afoot.
Seeing this game on Steam, I immediately thought of Night in the Woods. While the art styles and devs are a bit different, there are some distinct similarities visually and the way stories are told, and honestly, I loved it. The characters are fantastic and the story sucked me in, which is fantastic. I also enjoyed that this revolved around the healthcare system and showcased some of the hardships workers in this field have to go through. Pair it with the music and this is definitely a great story to experience...until the ending.
Up until the last act, Fall of Porcupine's story is fantastic and completely sucked me in. But, as the ending was nearing, the story started to feel really rushed. I won't go into it as I don't want to spoil for those who decide to play, but I wanted a bit more answers. This could have been the intention of the ending to be so abrupt, but I personally didn't like it. I did encounter a couple bugs here and there, including a spot where I was floating in the air randomly, but nothing that broke my experience.
Regardless of all of this, I am happy to say that playing this on the Steam Deck will be extremely easy to do with almost no changes needed to play!
Fall of Porcupine needs no in-game changes to run and run extremely well, but to get it to run well, you will need to force a specific version of Proton. For this game, you will need to get and force Proton GE, a community-based fork of Proton that contains some fixes that Valve hasn't or can't implement.
We won't go much more into detail about it, but we do have a full guide that goes over what Proton GE is, how to get it, and how to update it. Whichever the newest version is should work with Fall of Porcupine, and at the time of writing Wthis, it is 8-6. Once this is forced, the game will run flawlessly, draining only 7W - 9W for a 5 hour battery life and keeping a stable 60 FPS.
Fall of Porcupine doesn't have cloud saves, but it does support 16:10 resolutions (so no black bars) and has full controller support. Both of these help make sure the game is a great experience on the Deck!
Fall of Porcupine is an excellent story game that has a strong start and middle, but speeds up a little too much towards the end, culminating in an ending that felt like it was missing something. Regardless, the tale was a worthwhile one, shining a spotlight on the healthcare system and its troubles. Thanks to Proton GE, it runs smooth as butter on the Steam Deck and you will have no problems playing, as long as the right Proton layer is installed.
Our review is based on the PC version of this game.
If you enjoyed this review, be sure to check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ! We have a wide variety game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for 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
This game was provided to us by Inti Creates and PressEngine to review. Thank you!
When a demon turns your school into a massive demonic castle, the demon hunter Kamizono siblings must work together to save the day! Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is a 2D Castlevania-esque game set in a twisted demonic world. Swapping between the two sisters, you will slash and shoot your way through the castle and the monster that inhabit it. Save your classmates and destroy gigantic bosses to unlock new sub-weapons to reach new places in the castle.
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is a game that wows on multiple different fronts. The artstyle is beautiful, the mechanics are interesting, but my favorite part by far...the animations. The developers meshed the visuals with very fluid animations that I love to see on my screen. Slicing up enemies with Maya feels awesome watching her slash them in half so cleanly with 1-2 strokes (some enemies do take more hits). Regardless, I love everything about the aesthetic and animations with this game.
I also do enjoy the gameplay, but I have some reservations about some elements. I like that Maya, the melee sister, has less health, but does more damage, while Shinobu, the ranged sister, has more health but does less damage. My biggest issue was the switching mechanic and Shinobu's movement. While I do like the idea, the switching can only be done when standing still instead of anywhere and I would have loved to be able to switch mid-jump. It also feels a bit weird that you can't move around when you are shooting your gun. These could have been done for balance reasons and it didn't stop me from enjoying the game, but I definitely tried to continually do both of these often enough.
Luckily, enjoying this game on the Steam Deck is easy and optimal right out of the box! This will be a game you can play through fully with a minimal amount of drain and low temps, all at 60 FPS. I did feel a couple of times where it slowed slightly, but it seemed to be frame pacing issues and they didn't happen often enough to be really noticeable.
Otherwise, I found no controller/input lag that impacted my playthrough and the game output to a native 1280x720. I did try to force this to 1280x800, but it wouldn't budge. The game has full controller support, which you can customize as the game starts, cloud saves, and local coop that is drop-in (no online though).
Grim Guardians: Demons Purge is a beautiful and well-made game that shines in its presentation and animations. The gameplay loop is pretty wonderful as well, but there are those little nuisances that can feel jarring at times and mess up fluidity of other Castlevania-esque games I have played. Overall, this is still a competent and enjoyable game to play and, thanks to how easy it is to run out of the box, it has become our newest Best on Deck game!
If you enjoyed this review, be sure to check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ! We have a wide variety game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for 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
Celeste is a narrative-driven platformer that still feels unrivaled in what it does. Not only does it tell a beautiful tale of a trans woman facing and surviving her inner demons, but the gameplay and controls are so tight and well-made. It is simple, you run, climb, and air-dash. That is all you can do, but the way each level is structured is so thought out and meticulous that it feels like there's so much more you can do. Add on some challenges, B-side chapters, and an incredible soundtrack, you have a masterpiece of a game. But, can we play this game on Steam Deck?
The answer is a resounding yes! This game is not big, but it plays so beautifully. At its default settings, which need no change, it runs at 6W battery drain for an 8 hour battery with less than 55c temps with a stable 60 FPS. On top of that, Celeste has a native Linux build, so no Proton is needed! The controls feel fantastic on the Deck and just feel right.
The only thing I will add is that the game runs at 1280x720. Because of this, you will see black bars above and below the game, but this doesn't impact gameplay at all, nor ruin this incredible experience.
I would also love to quickly mention that using the Vibrancy plugin on this game is amazing! It is already colorful, but setting it to 120 saturation just makes it pop enough to really shine out! You can find out how to get the plugin from our guide!
This was a short review and I know this, but after playing this incredible game on the Steam Deck, I felt I had to just make note of it. If you are a fan of platformers, wonderful stories, or just enjoy good games, do not wait up on Celeste! This is one of the perfect games on the Deck by far.
Our review is based on the PC version of this game.
If you enjoyed this review, be sure to check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ! We have a wide variety game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for 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!
This game was provided to us by free from the developer/publisher. Thank you!
2D platformers have been one of the staples of video games. Revolutionized by Super Mario, this genre has boomed and expanded into a plethora of different subgenres. By adding in some more advanced combat and downplaying some of the platforming, games like Mega Man came about and took the world by storm. It found a fantastic blend of just enough platforming and addicting action gameplay to keep you coming back for more.
Chenso Club is a new take on the 2D action-platformer, while adding in some unique elements to help it stand out. Aliens have invaded and it's up to a group of heroines to save the world. As one of 5 characters with varied moves and stats, you will traverse across diverse areas while destroying the enemies to replenish your life force and make it through the level. Chenso does incorporate some roguelike features as well, allowing you to not only buy upgrades, but partake in challenges to get them. You can also unlock more upgrades being available to you in-game by gaining followers on the in-game social media site, Chirp. Overall, I think the game itself is really fun and I had a good time playing. For the price, it can be quite worthwhile. But how will it hold up on Deck?
Looking at the game, I am sure you can guess. The game runs fantastic on the Steam Deck. I didn't hit below 60 FPS once during my time playing. The game looks vibrant and gorgeous on the screen and fits perfectly there.
You could set the TDP limit to 4, but it really doesn't matter as the battery will not be eaten up. I did get some weird spikes to 58, but it was a single frame and didn't impact gameplay nor would I have noticed it if I didn't have the graph.
There isn't much more I need to go into performance though, it runs like a charm!
Steam defaults to a KB+M controller layout for the game, which makes no sense as this game actually DOES have controller support. To fix this, you will need to go into your controller settings for Chenso Club and set the layout to "Gamepad With Joystick Trackpad". The game will then automatically swap it over to its controller scheme and there you go. After that, you will be able to play like normal without any issues.
As for bugs, I did encounter 2 that I felt are notable. The first was an issue with dashing. There were a couple times that dashing just didn't want to work. This was especially bad in the bonus levels where you have to keep moving. I had to go upwards and I couldn't dash up. This is the only bug I found that affected my actual gameplay.
The other one was just weird. When I dropped into a new area, my character stopped being able to jump or dash, but was able to walk in the air. I was able to fix this by randomly attacking and it dropped me down, but it still took me a moment to figure out what was going on.
Chenso Club likes letting me walk on air. How kind of them.
Overall, I really did enjoy my time with the game. It doesn't take a lot to run, it is vibrant and beautiful, and the gameplay loop is a good time. The 6.5 hour battery life is always a nice touch and sub 60c temps make me extremely happy, but the bugs can get a little annoying. Regardless of this, you will have no trouble running this game at all 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 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!
