Airborne Empire was provided by Stray Fawn Publishing for review. Thank you!
When it comes to the city-builder genre, I'm amazed by how one of the oldest video game genres is still finding new ways to present unique challenges and gameplay mechanics. Airborne Empire is one such example, putting players in charge of an airship that is entirely customizable as they embark on a journey to explore the world from above.
While there are survival elements to Airborne Empire, I wouldn't necessarily bunch this one in with your traditional games in that genre, such as Banished or Frostpunk. Yes, you do have to gather food, water, and fuel for your airship to survive, but the focus is on expanding and improving its capabilities, not just on providing the essentials.
The purpose of the game is to explore new areas and eliminate the pirate threat in that area to prevent the sky pirates from attacking both your airship and the defenseless kingdoms on the ground. While you do this, you'll have to provide for your citizens, research new structures, and complete the odd sidequest for some juicy loot, such as blueprints for new structures.
Airborne Empire's structure puts it at odds with your traditional city-builders. While you can build whatever you want on your airship, the game feels less like an open-ended sandbox and more akin to what the developers sell it as, an RPG. You will largely be doing quests for the kingdoms below, which often involve traveling to somewhere nearby and expending some of your resources to aid them, and there's little reason to do anything but the quests in the game.
The game is fully open world and quite large, but it does feel as though certain parts of the map serve little purpose. There are only a few resource types in the game, which are fairly abundant pretty much everywhere from the start, and the focus will be on visiting a city, completing its quests, and moving on to the next city. Admittedly, there are some optional side quests that encourage you to explore further, but even then, some parts of the map feel a little superfluous.
Then we move on to the combat in Airborne Empire, which is fairly laid back. Your main defense against the sky pirates will be your Defense Towers and, later on, your own planes. The Defense Towers are pretty place-and-forget structures; assign workers to them, and they will automatically fire at any enemy within range. Then you have manual weapons, like cannons for ground structures and combat planes for other aircraft, which are as simple as selecting them, clicking the enemy you wish to attack, and letting your workers handle it from there. There is little "action" to the combat, but that suits a city-builder like this.
Fulfilling the basic needs of your citizens is a non-issue, and "progress" is made in the form of expanding your arsenal of weapons in order to take down the sky pirate threat pretty early on. As you expand, your citizens will demand more of you, but by that point, I either already had the resources or acquiring them was easy, so I could immediately fulfill their needs.
Airborne Empire is an enjoyable time. It's an odd mix of a role-playing adventure mixed with a city-builder, although neither side has too much depth to it. There are quests, but they follow a similar "go here and spend resources, then return" pattern. While I'm sure you could make a pretty airship, my build was rather utilitarian, and there are limited benefits to designing a well-organized and structured base, as area-of-effect buildings aren't really a thing in Airborne Empire. A clinic on one side of your airship will serve the other side, no problem, for example.
As is often the case with strategy games, controls are an issue for Airborne Empire on the Steam Deck. You'll need to use a custom controller layout as the game has no built-in controller support. Fortunately, there are already custom layouts available made by the community, so head into the Steam Input community layouts for the game and pick one that suits your preferred scheme.
Airborne Empire supports 1280x800 as a resolution, but the graphics don't scale well. I would recommend choosing the "Custom" graphics option and setting everything to "Very Low". The "Very Low" preset itself doesn't actually set everything to Very Low, for some reason.
The game exhibits strange behavior, and in certain areas, performance tanks to 20 FPS for seemingly no reason. My only suggestion to mitigate this is to set the GPU clock manually to 1600 MHz, as the Steam Deck doesn't seem to ramp up the GPU to handle this sudden performance hit. With the manual GPU clock, you can mostly hold 30 FPS.
Using the Very Low settings, you can generally expect to play at 30 FPS, but occasionally you will experience drops into the 20s. There is also occasional stutter, usually when rotating the camera to look at new pieces of the world, or when visual effects play for the first time in a while, likely due to loading new assets. As well as the 20 FPS issue described above, but the game is on the cusp of playability, I would say.
If you are very desperate to avoid frame rate drops, you can disable the day/night cycle in the options menu, which does improve performance slightly; you will get drops, but they are less severe, mostly to around 27-28 FPS.
Power draw was around 18W-20W due to the manual GPU clock; without the manual clock, usage is more around 16-18W. Temperatures were around 65-70 °C. Expect battery life to be around 2.5 hours on a Steam Deck OLED and around 1.5 hours on a Steam Deck LCD.
Airborne Empire has little in the way of accessibility. All dialogue is text-based, and you can reduce the effect of sudden light flashes. There is no UI scaling, which can be problematic as certain text is small and somewhat hard to read on the Steam Deck, but it is legible.
Airborne Empire tries to merge a role-playing adventure experience with a city-builder, and while neither area excels at what they do, the game is enjoyable for a playthrough of the Adventure Mode. I can't see myself returning for repeats or trying out the non-story modes, though.
Performance on the Steam Deck is rather poor, though, given the game's slow-paced nature, arguably still playable. Do expect to have to fiddle a little with the controls, though. If possible, Airborne Empire is best enjoyed on a more powerful device than the Steam 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.
People of Note was provided by Annapurna Interactive for review. Thank you!
At its core, People of Note is what I would call an RPG musical, and there aren’t too many of these around. The entire game is structured around music of all different genres. Towns are structured after them, mechanics are interlaced with terminology, and even the attacks are all utilizing rhythm-based inputs to make them more powerful. In a way, the game itself feels like a love letter to how powerful and meaningful music is, and it’s just great to experience.
Every town in this game is based on entirely different genres. Chordia is all about pop, Durandis is all rock and roll, Lumina is futuristic EDM, and even some of the dungeons, like Lilting Green, reek of instrumental folk music. On top of that, each place has different districts that are modeled after sub genres, like Chrordia having a KPop section and Durandis having a Punk area. It’s so interesting. Seeing how each of these cities is modeled after different types of music, it all feels like they represent the genres and sub-genres well.
And then there’s the music, which is easily the best part of this game. Every single soundtrack and beat that place is intoxicating, fitting the genre perfectly. Just traveling around and listening to the music pouring through the speakers was a treat, and the musical numbers were wonderful.
However, I would say my favorite part is how music is in battles. Throughout each battle, music will shift and benefit specific genres over others temporarily. During this time, the battle music will actually change to fit that genre. For example, if we are fighting in the Lilting Greens, we will normally have the folk instrumental. But depending on which genre is highlighted for that turn, it could have a rock or pop swing to it. This happens throughout the game, no matter where we’re fighting, and it’s so hard not to feel pumped up while listening.
As for the story, we follow Cadence, who wants to enter the Noteworthy contest and be recognized for her music. Unfortunately, it seems like the odds are stacked against her, so she has to leave town and create a new, unique sound to wow the audience. She decides to leave her Homestead and explore outside, finding artists from other genres to create a unique blend that is outside the norm. Ultimately, she will find others, but she will also be thrust into working with her team to save Note.
Well, I did enjoy the story, and how music is integrated into it, but none of it felt new. People of Note is a perfect example of an entertaining story that doesn’t really shock. It’s fun, and I love the implications when it comes to music, but most times, I just feel indifferent about the twists or revelations.
Compared to other RPGs, combat and progression are on the simpler side, but it wasn’t bad. We will end up with four teammates, each having their own basic attack and abilities we can equip. On top of that, we have mash-ups, which are essentially ultimate attacks with other members. Each attack and ability, except for mash-ups, has a rhythm input mechanic to deal extra damage, and we can rest to recuperate our BP, which is used for abilities.
Generally, this is pretty basic and easy to understand. Most fights will be about attacking and using abilities until our health goes down low, and then we heal. There are some fights that require some thinking to maximize our damage or deal with multiple enemies, but I never felt overwhelmed by any combat situation. It was interesting to plan out my attack to coincide with the highlighted music genre of the turn so I could deal extra damage, but I was never worried that I would lose the fight.
Despite some battles requiring a little more thought, I felt it was too easy. I never felt challenged in combat, and I include some of the bigger bosses I would fight. Even if there are multiple enemies, which did take a little more time, I wasn’t necessarily worried I would lose. It was still fun, which is a plus, but I wish I had been pushed out of my comfort zone more.
Progression generally feels as simple as combat, though I do like some of the mechanics they implemented. We equip new abilities from songstones, which can be customized and upgraded using AP. AP can be used for upgrading, but we can always downgrade and get our AP back without consequence. It was nice not to feel that pressure to choose a permanent upgrade and experiment with what abilities it should have. There is a good chunk of different types of songstones, ranging from attack abilities to healing or buffing abilities, and they can all be upgraded to some degree.
And as for equipment, we have three slots each: one for clothing, one for an instrument, and the other for an accessory. These will directly affect our stats, and we will find newer and better equipment as we continue playing.
Still, despite the simplistic combat mechanics, I love People of Note's dungeons. There will be some enemies roaming around as we’re walking, but they are few and far between. However, we can still grind as much as we want. Instead of random encounters, we can trigger fights with the press of a button. Making it completely optional is fantastic, as it gives us the ability to choose how many fights we actually want to take on. Most RPGs like this would have bunches of random encounters throughout each dungeon, which can be quite annoying, so I’m glad this gives us a way to fight as much as we want on our own terms.
On top of that, each dungeon has its own special currency that we get when completing fights. We can find a shopkeeper in the dungeon who will sell us special equipment and songstones using that currency. We do still have the normal currency that we can use at shops in towns to buy items, but this is a neat way to get some extras while we are grinding. It’s a nice extra war that encourages grinding, but doesn’t make it feel like we have to. People of Note handles this side of dungeon crawling perfectly, and it made me want to keep grinding, despite not feeling forced to.
However, the dungeons generally all felt like they had the same structure. We run around, solve some environmental puzzles, and then fight one big boss before the chapter ends. The puzzles themselves are different, but it felt predictable as to what would happen. The sentiment is the same as the story itself.
As for People of Note’s performance on the Steam Deck, it’s solid for the most part. The game defaults to the Ultra preset with a 100% resolution scale, which I could consider playable. The game, like this, doesn’t need a super high frame rate, so as long as you’re fine setting it to 30 FPS, it will be playable in almost every area. However, there are some changes we can make to get a better experience across the board.
When playing, I prefer to find a balance between visual quality and framerate. I don’t think 60 FPS is necessary for a game like this, and even the rhythm sections were not impacted by lower framerates. So, by turning down shadows to medium, bringing the resolution scale to 90%, and setting the framerate to 40, the game felt smooth, stable, looked great, and had solid battery life. Turning down the shadows will have the most impactful change to the visual quality, but I wouldn’t say it changed how the world looks too much.
There are still gonna be some areas where there are drops, like when going into the club in Lumina or in some conversations, but it will largely stick to 40. I feel the balance is near perfect, so I have no problem playing this way. It still feels very smooth, and with every setting other than shadows on Ultra, the world still looks stylized and beautiful.
Some later fights may also be a little tough, but it should hold strong for the most part. Because of this, I would keep the TDP limit unlocked. Some fights may drain a little more than others, but running around and general gameplay will not be draining as much.
As I mentioned before, the game defaults to the Ultra preset with 100% resolution scale, so if you want the best quality, stick to this and a 30 FPS cap. I would expect a few areas to drop below, like the club in Lumina, but it should largely stick to 30 without much issue.
We can play through most of the game at 60 FPS, with some slight drops here and there in super crowded areas and battles, but it will cost some extra settings. By bringing the resolution scale to 80%, while bringing down most settings to medium with some on high, we can get a decent-looking game playable at 60 FPS.
The battery drain will remain on the high side, and some of the lighting or effects may feel a little off, but the trade-offs weren’t that bad compared to the smoothness that I was feeling. I would’ve definitely preferred playing like this if the balance of visuals and frame rate in my recommended settings weren’t so good.
There is a dedicated accessibility tab that allows us to turn off the rhythm timing, enlarge the UI, add musical subtitles, and toggle a subtitle background. We can also change the language, toggle vibration, autoplay cutscenes, change text speed, change keybindings, and increase or decrease the volume.
The game doesn't support 16:10 resolutions, but it does have cloud saves and great controller support. There are no HDR settings.
People of Note is a solid RPG with a fantastic concept that sounds incredible. The variety of locations and the obvious musical influence across the entirety of the game are amazing, and it includes the music and how it switches throughout the mechanics. The actual RPG mechanics are basic, and I found it to be a little easy, but I was still a lot of fun to play through, and especially a lot of fun to listen to.
It also runs quite well on the Steam Deck, being able to strike a balance between good-looking visuals and smooth framerate. It’s a great game to play on the go, and one I recommend adding to your portable 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.
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.
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The game was provided by Capcom for review. Thank you!
There were a ton of games I played when I was younger on portable consoles, but the one that stands out most to me is the Mega Man Battle Network games. I played all of them religiously, falling in love with Mega Man Battle Network 5 in particular (DS version). I enjoyed it so much that I was overjoyed when Capcom brought back the games in the Legacy Collection last year. However, even when I was younger, I never had a chance to play through the sequel series, Mega Man Star Force. It was a little off-putting at the time. I had grown attached to the world of Battle Network, and its cast (like LAN), and the new viewpoint for battles seemed a little off to me. Still, I always wanted to try it, and thanks to the new collection from Capcom, I finally had the chance.
In the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection, we have 7 games to play through across three generations, with three alternative versions for Gen 1, two for Gen 2, and two for Gen 3. It follows a similar structure to the Battle Network games, with each version having different transformations. But the collection also has some great extras. We have a Gallery filled with Artwork, design documents, music, and an in-game award system (similar to achievements). We also have online play, where you can build a deck of cards and battle against others online. It’s enjoyable when you can find a match, and I like the extras included, so it’s a nice bonus to go with the actual games. There are also some nice quality of life features for the games, like auto-saves and an easy way to immediately get back into the game you were playing.
I also like how Capcom managed the dual-screen aspect of the games. All of the games in these collections were made for the Nintendo DS, and because of that, they utilize two different screens. There are a good chunk of options to change how we want it to be showing, but we can easily see the information on the other screen, just by pressing a button. And if the action changes to the other screen, it will automatically change along with it. This is an aspect of DS emulation that has always felt off-putting. Trying to balance both screens on a single screen is tough, which is why I love my AYN Thor so much. But the balancing act that Capcom has gone with does the job, and I do enjoy it.
As for the games themselves, they are enjoyable, but it does feel like a downgrade from the Battle Network series, despite feeling so similar in most areas. The story across all of the games has its ups and downs, but I didn’t mind it as much as I thought I would. We follow the adventures of Geo Stellar, who merges with the alien Omega-Xis to become Mega Man. Together, they will work together, utilizing the Wave World, and fight enemies while trying to make their respective worlds a better place to live.
Well, it never captivated me the same way the Battle Network series did. I grew to enjoy the characters. Geo’s development across the first game and the relationship to his father were intriguing. The plot does get a little all over the place with the second and third games, but each of the characters felt distinct and enjoyable to watch.
Combat is relatively the same as the Battle Network series, with a big change in perspective. Instead of looking down at a grid and moving in a 3x3 square grid, Star Force has us move left and right to dodge enemy attacks and attack them back. We will still use the same card system, building a deck of different cards to use as attacks. Each of the cards has different effects, whether it be a cannon that shoots straight ahead, a sword that strikes right in front of you, or even transforming into completely different characters for a unique attack. They all have different damage values, can recover your own health, or even create a barrier to negate damage. And throughout the battle, we will choose from six cards at a time to strike at enemies, combining turn-based mechanics with action-oriented gameplay.
In some ways, I like the new system. It still feels challenging, maybe even a little more so due to the big restriction in how much we can move, and the card system is still very fun to play around with. Winning battles, earning money, and editing my deck is still one of the high points of the series, and the fresh 3D look compared to the original 2D sprites makes it more enjoyable.
However, I very much dislike the new viewpoint. It feels too restrictive, and I miss having more space to move around. It can make the battles feel a little too difficult at times. This was really the only notable downgrade from Battle Network in terms of combat, so if you like the series’ style, you’ll still find ways to love this one.
Outside of that, general gameplay is about the same. You’ll run around, follow along the story, and buy more cards to make yourself more and more powerful during battles. We’ve also been able to freely utilize the Wave World, check out the info of people around, and link up with “Brothers” to make ourselves more powerful.
In a way, the series feels like it was made for fans of the Battle Network series. It sticks extremely close to the formula, often times feeling so familiar that it could be classified as a direct sequel. Other than the perspective change in combat and the new story with new characters, it feels remarkably similar. As a fan of the Battle Network games, I enjoyed myself. It still has a lot of the elements that make Battle Network an enjoyable game even today for me. However, it may be hard to find the enjoyment in it without that previous joy. These are simple RPGs; the story can be a hit or miss, so newcomers may not get nearly as much satisfaction playing these.
However, Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection is an absolute joy to play on the Steam Deck. Throughout the game, it will stick to around 7W-8W battery drain at 60 FPS. Of course, with these kinds of games, I wouldn’t expect anything more than that, so it performs as expected. Still, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I have seen some games that should not be so demanding still take up way more resources than they should. This is not one of those games, and it feels perfect for the portable platform.
While I understand why, I do wish the team had found a way to make battles play at 60 FPS. While the rest of the game will stay at 60, battles drop down to 30 FPS. It doesn’t feel jarring, but with the advancements in tech and power, I do wish there was a little bit of modification to make the experience stick to a full 60 the entire time.
In the settings, you can change the screen layout with the second screen, which includes size ratio, how fast the screen resizes when switching, and its position. We can also toggle some assist controls, increase the movement speed and encounter rate, change specific aspects of the difficulty, modify the controls, and change the wallpaper. We can also change the language, filter of the game, and audio settings.
Capcom’s Legacy collections have been one of the few groups of retro releases that I’ve been looking forward to. Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection is one of them. It feels very similar to the Battle Network games, both for better or worse, and all seven games that were released in the series have been wrapped up in a nice package with extras, quality of life improvements, and online multiplayer. It doesn’t change the quality of the games themselves as much, so there are still some big reasons why they may not be enjoyable, but as a fan of the Battle Network games, this was great.
On top of that, it’s phenomenal to play on the Steam Deck. It has an extremely low battery drain, runs at a full 60 FPS, and it feels like a perfect fit for portable play.
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.
Crimson Desert was provided by Pearl Abyss for review. Thank you!
Ever since its announcement, I have been getting more and more excited for Crimson Desert. It looked like a gigantic game, brimming with so much content on a huge map that looked so visually pleasing. It was clearly ambitious, with developer Pearl Abyss making a larger-than-life single-player action RPG. Honestly, I was even a little worried the hype would not be worth it. Yet here I am, with over 70 hours in the game, and I fell in love with the world of Pywel, despite some execution mishaps. Crimson Desert lives up to its expectations in more ways than one, even if what makes it incredible also harms the experience.
Visually, Crimson Desert is stunning. Through the forestry landscapes, snow-covered mountains, red-hued deserts, and futuristic islands, the world consistently looks incredible. I was blown away by how many times I had to stand still and just take in the sights, watching as the purple and white flowers blew back and forth with the wind on a mountain with a gorgeous backdrop of the town beneath me. I couldn’t count how many moments I was riding my horse and just had to take pictures to remember the beauty of the setting, and I can count the number of games on one hand where I had this compulsion. This is a world worth exploring, even if it’s only to see what the other side of the continent looks like.
And boy is Pywel massive. I spent the first 30 hours or so going around the giant town and its surrounding areas, completing side quests, and moving along the story across 5 chapters. It is a significantly large area covered, and I was sure it would primarily take place in this area. However, I could not have been more wrong. In those first 30 hours, I had only explored around 25% of the map, with gigantic regions that I still haven’t gone to. I was actually blown away when I was looking at the map and seeing how much area I had covered, which was only compounded when I saw the landscape from above in the abyss. That sense of wonder never disappeared, and I was so motivated to keep on exploring.
However, traversing the world, especially in the early game, was not enjoyable. Having to figure out how to find fast travel points and the scarcity of them early on meant running around or riding my horse. With so many places to go back and forth, and fast travel points not feeling close enough to where I needed to go, it started to feel like a chore to do side quests all in the same area. I didn’t mind exploring new areas, but I very much disliked backtracking in areas I already knew. This gets significantly better later on as we unlock more points and get new ways to go around the world, like the dragon, but early on, it wasn’t great.
Now the world is littered with secrets to find, and I would find myself hunting them whenever I could. They can be somewhat well hidden, though if we use the lantern, we can see a glimmering light where those secrets are. In these secrets could be entrances to puzzles, Sealed Abyss Artifacts, or those aforementioned fast travel points. Completing puzzles also turns into fast travel points, which does make it a little bit better, but it’s not something that will help a lot early on. Still, the rewards outweigh the issues heavily.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the story. It wasn’t anything new, but it was still entertaining with so much lore packed in through side quests. We follow Kliff, who, with his fellow Greymanes, is attacked by another group, the Black Bears. They are slaughtered and kicked out of their country, Pailune. However, we survive, and decide to start rebuilding the Greymanes in Hernand. But that’s not all. We are also selected by the Abyss to help balance the world, giving us interesting magical powers.
This is essentially what set us off on our journey. We face riddling defeat, get magical powers, and decide to rebuild and come back stronger to save Pailune. However, there are some twists and turns that I didn’t expect, and the game became significantly longer and larger than I had previously thought.
There’s also a wealth of side quests and extra content to give us much more insight into the characters and lore of the world, including multiple playable characters who all have their own story elements. Even at the 70-hour mark, there was still so much to unlock, so much to do, and it felt like I always had something to learn about. As far as the story goes, I was pleasantly surprised the longer I played.
Now let’s talk about the gameplay, which is arguably going to be the biggest part of this review. Crimson Desert has an overwhelming amount of content that exudes across all facets of the game. In the opening hours, it can feel pretty overwhelming, but once things settle in and open up a little bit more, more mechanics start to come to light and are understood, and it all just clicks. This is one of the big reasons it succeeds; it never gets to the point of significant overload and can still be very manageable.
One of the biggest draws to the game for me was the combat. Seeing it in action, just looked insane, with unique abilities, flashy effects, and ridiculous attacks like clotheslining and dropkicks. All of these attacks are indeed in the game and quite easy to use with practice. For the most part, combat is exhilarating. When everything works, fighting groups of 20 enemies with the diverse moveset we have, which includes our ranged attack in magical strikes, it’s the best. And it’s a system that gets significantly better further in the game once Abyss Cores (Abyss Gears) come into play.
However, it will take some time to get used to it, and while there are a lot of options for us to use, I would ultimately not use some of them or completely forget how to activate others. Most of the attacks we have are linked to one of many combinations of six different buttons, and it was sometimes very hard to remember exactly which does which. Even though it was one of the initial moves, I learned that I almost never found myself using Blinding Light, and I consistently forgot about shield bashing, grappling, the flying kick, and spinning slash. I love having options, and when I remember which attack to use, it’s awesome. But there are so many different combinations that do so many different things that I found myself getting lost and sticking to the basic attacks I memorized.
The controls and targeting can also feel really wonky. Even if I automatically lock onto an enemy, my attack will sometimes go in the wrong direction, or the game will automatically lock onto an enemy I’m not actively attacking. I also had trouble trying to aim my meteor kick, which is a giant kick that comes from above and can hurt a bunch of enemies around. Without any modifications, this kick needs to land a direct hit on the enemy, and I cannot count the number of times I have locked an enemy in the targeting ring and still completely missed.
Yet, despite all of this, I looked forward to every battle. There’s just something so enticing about the scale, the effects, and the abilities we have that just keep combat so entertaining. Remembering older attacks and finally utilizing them was exciting, but I would say the big reason to keep coming back to it is those Abyss Cores (Abyss Gears). Bosses could be a hit or miss, with some feeling a little too difficult, but with some grit and strategy, they were able to be destroyed.
Different parts of your gear have different sockets, and in the sockets, you can put in Abyss Cores (Gears). These can completely augment your abilities and stats, which can range from better attack, movement, speed, or even making it so orbs of lightning come out of your sword. The effects of these can range wildly, and make some of your attacks insane. On top of that, you can synthesize and craft more powerful cores, so you can keep getting stronger and stronger. This, on top of getting resources to refine weapons and armor, to make them more powerful, will be the crux of how we progressively become stronger. It’s an extremely compelling system, and I cannot overstate enough just how great playing around and combining Abyss Cores (Gears) is. It’s tough to get into it until later on in the game, but the wait is worth it, especially once we start playing with elemental powers.
It’s a genius system, complemented by Crimson Desert’s great skill tree. I was a little worried when I heard that this giant action RPG wouldn’t have leveling or any exp system, but my worries were unwarranted. Instead of the usual leveling, we have a skill tree reliant on Abyss Artifacts. The skill tree itself can give us a boost to three of our stats and unlock a wide range of new attacks. The tree, containing mostly new ways to beat down enemies, made it feel more rewarding to actually complete it. I would tend to get a little fatigued if the skills I want are locked and I have to go through multiple nodes that I don’t care about. However, that’s not the case here, and it’s great.
There are multiple ways to get these artifacts we will need, but the majority of them will come from random drops from killing enemies, side quest rewards, and completing different puzzles or challenges. All of the puzzles felt appropriately difficult, and they require some out-of-the-box thinking and logic. As for the challenges, which are found from Sealed Abyss Artifacts, they vary between different activities in the world, side quests, and special challenges with the weapons. With hundreds of these to do, it feels like a never-ending way to get the artifacts necessary to make us more powerful.
Which will be needed, because all of the characters we can play as have individual skill trees to go with their unique movesets and weapons. They do share the three stat upgrades, but there are going to be individual skills to unlock independently. With how many artifacts we can get, as well as random drops from time to time, it never felt daunting to complete them. If anything, I was more motivated to grind, knowing I was going for artifacts versus experience points.
Crimson Desert sometimes feels like a life-simulator RPG outside of combat with how much they throw at you. There is so much to do outside of combat, and they all feel beneficial. Not including side quests, there’s a full camp management system where we can send our crew to complete missions to get camp resources to take on bigger missions to give us more resources for personal use and even unlock new mounts. We will also be able to partake in tons of different little activities, like mini games for arm wrestling, fishing, mining, and logging for resources to upgrade our weapons. And of course, we have the puzzles, which can be scattered throughout the world and above.
On some level, the game gave me the impression that it was trying to do so much, but not mastering any of it. However, I never felt like I needed to do any of these. All of this stuff is optional, as we can find a lot of these resources off the bodies of bandits we kill, we can trade in unwanted weapons to get resources for our camp, and traveling gets much easier later on. Nothing felt forced, but everything felt worthwhile. And it helps that we unlock new abilities later on that can make some of this much easier. I also think it’s one of the coolest things that we can learn new recipes and information by scanning and reading books. It’s small, but I enjoyed picking up recipes and making sure I scanned them so I could cook them later on.
In the beginning, it was very overwhelming. It felt like there was so much I could do, and every part of me wanted to grind and explore. However, with how the game is structured, it’s best to follow along the main story for a while. There is an update for the game that fast-tracked some of this, including getting Abyss Cores (Gears) and a tutorial earlier, but there is so much that opens up the more you play that spending extra time early on to unlock more of the world will be more rewarding later on.
There will also be a Day 1 patch that drops as soon as the game launches, which does smooth out progression and fixes some key bugs. It doesn't change my thoughts on the game, but it is a welcome update.
There’s been a lot of speculation as to how Crimson Desert would run on the Steam Deck, but unfortunately, it’s an experience I can’t recommend. The reason this was posted so late is that the game did not work on the deck until a day before the embargo was lifted. Because of that, there was not enough time to test all the areas and fights that I wanted to, as well as the different settings we could try. Now, I’ve had that time, and there’s no way I can recommend playing this on the Steam Deck.
Before lunch, there were a couple of ways we could get the game running on the deck, but now it seems Valve pushed a fix to the Proton Hotfix branch, which is now the default. And it does work, so that is what I used primarily for testing.
For whatever reason, the game will boot up at the highest quality setting, possibly in an extremely high resolution. For me, the game was set to cinematic quality at 4K resolution. You will need a little bit of patience to get through the settings, as it sometimes takes a little too long to apply the new settings. I even had to restart the game once just so I could get to the settings, since it was taking so long just to apply the brightness filters.
After all is said and done, it doesn’t even matter how low the settings go; it will not hold a stable 30 FPS. Running across open fields, solving independent puzzles around the world and in the Abyss, and fighting small groups of enemies should hold strong at 30 FPS on the lowest possible settings with FSR 3 upscaling at Performance. There may be some minor drops here and there, but they’re relatively unnoticeable. We can also bring down the upscaling to Ultra Performance to keep it at a smooth 30, but the game becomes a washed-out, pixelated mess. Because of this, I do not recommend going lower than Performance.
Now, as soon as we get to larger cities, bigger fights with 20 or more people, and going around the world in a faster way than running, the framerate will drop. In these moments, I could see it get to as low as 17 FPS, which is horrible for combat, but just not enjoyable as a whole. Bosses and mini-bosses could bring it down even further because of all the visual effects that they have, making fighting them relatively impossible.
And for those who want to try frame generation or lossless scaling, please don’t. In most scenarios, the game will feel smoother with lossless scaling. However, it will not keep a solid framerate, stutters will appear in the areas where the framerate drops, and the input lag is atrocious. Even at just 2X for lossless, I was getting major lag to the point where I couldn’t dodge at the right time or execute attacks that I wanted to. This kind of lag is a death sentence for any major fights against harder enemies or bosses, and will immediately ruin the experience. It is not worth it.
So, when all is said and done, Crimson Desert is not a game I would play on the Steam Deck. There are too many compromises that make it nearly impossible to enjoy fully. Is it decent for exploration, puzzle solving, and secret finding to complement a more powerful rig that the game is mainly being played from? Yes, it is. I actually did this a few times, where I just focused on exploring the world on the Deck when I took a break from sitting down at my desktop. However, there’s no way I could see playing this through completely on the Deck. If you have a more powerful PC or a console like the PS5, it will be a better experience there. The game is also available on GeForce NOW to stream, so that is also an option.
After reading my review, you might be wondering why Crimson Desert has such a high rating despite a good amount of grievances. There is one big reason, and it’s that despite these grievances, I found myself craving more. I would go in to play for one hour, and I would come out four hours later, satisfied. It didn’t matter how frustrated I would get; the joy of playing through the game overtook it immediately. The sheer amount of content is overwhelming, but it never overloaded me. There was always something to do, and even if it was a little difficult at times, it was always fun. Pearl Abyss found a way to weave everything together in one glorious, large, monstrous package that is a joy to experience.
I didn’t think it was possible for a game of this scale to exist yet, and I don’t recall the last time I ever played a game that wasn’t designed to be replayable that hooked me for such a long time. But here we are. The game lived up to its hype, and even though it isn’t perfect, Crimson Desert is one of the best RPGs I have ever played.
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.
Access to Arknights: Endfield was provided by GRYPHLINE for review. Thank you!
Arknights: Endfield doesn’t just step out of the shadow of its predecessor; it actively burns the bridge behind it. This is not tower defence with a new coat of paint, nor is it interested in gently onboarding you from the original Arknights. Instead, developer Hypergryph swings for something far bolder: a moody, deliberate action-RPG that trusts its audience to keep up, even when it’s being dense, bleak, or unapologetically slow.
From the moment you set foot on Talos-II, the game makes its intentions clear. This is a world that doesn’t care if you’re comfortable. Vast industrial complexes loom over scorched landscapes, technology feels barely under control, and every location carries the weight of something having gone catastrophically wrong. Endfield thrives on atmosphere, and it’s at its best when it lets environments do the talking rather than spelling everything out through exposition. Even standing still can feel oppressive, in the best possible way.
That tone carries directly into the story, which is equal parts fascinating and frustrating. You play as the Endministrator, a figure of authority navigating political tension, environmental collapse, and the consequences of industrial ambition. The writing is smart, but indulgent. Early on, the game absolutely loves the sound of its own terminology, and it’s easy to bounce off the sheer volume of names, concepts, and factions thrown at you. Stick with it, though, and the narrative slowly reveals a confidence and maturity that’s rare in the genre. When Endfield slows down and focuses on people rather than systems, it lands its emotional beats with surprising force.
Combat is where all that brooding energy finally gets to cut loose. Endfield’s real-time, party-based action is slick, weighty, and far more thoughtful than it first appears. This isn’t a button-masher pretending to be clever — success comes from reading enemy patterns, knowing when to swap characters, and committing to your decisions. Each character feels distinct, not just cosmetically but mechanically, and building a rhythm between them mid-fight is deeply satisfying. Yes, some encounters blur together over time, but the moment-to-moment feel of combat is strong enough to carry the experience.
Exploration strikes a smart balance between freedom and focus. Rather than dropping you into an overwhelming open world, Endfield offers tightly connected spaces that encourage poking around without killing momentum. Movement feels good, traversal options keep things snappy, and there’s a pleasing sense of forward motion that stops the game from bogging down between combat and story. It respects your time more than its early pacing might suggest.
Visually, the game is a knockout. Character models are sharp and expressive, cutscenes are framed with confidence, and the use of scale gives Talos-II a genuinely cinematic presence. The soundtrack quietly does a lot of heavy lifting too, underscoring the game’s melancholy without ever screaming for attention. That said, the interface can get noisy during intense moments, occasionally fighting the player for clarity when things kick off.
Being free-to-play inevitably brings baggage, and Endfield doesn’t pretend otherwise. Progression systems sit in the background like a low hum, never quite going away. While the game is generous enough early on and avoids constantly shoving spending prompts in your face, players with little tolerance for gacha conventions will still feel the friction over time. It’s not the defining feature of the experience, but it is a persistent one.
To play Arknights: Endfield on the Steam Deck, you will have to install it from a third-party. This could be from Epic using the Heroic Games Launcher or NonSteamLaunchers, or installing the launcher directly and adding it to Steam.
Arknights: Endfield performs better than might be expected for a visually dense, PC-first release. With sensible settings in place, specifically keeping it at the "Very Low" preset, albeit with an FPS cap of 60, the game is certainly capable of mostly holding that 60fps target, delivering a surprisingly smooth experience during exploration and combat alike. While there can be the occasional dip during busier moments, overall performance feels stable enough to comfortably justify a higher frame-rate cap rather than settling for 30fps, which helps the game feel more responsive on Valve’s handheld.
That performance does come at a cost, however. Power draw typically sits in the 22–24W range, putting sustained pressure on the Steam Deck’s battery. In real-world use, that translates to an expected battery life of around two hours at best, and sometimes less depending on brightness and background processes. It’s very much a “play near a charger” experience, but for shorter sessions, Endfield proves that the Steam Deck can deliver strong performance, even if endurance takes a predictable hit.
No accessibility options are available.
In the end, Arknights: Endfield feels like a game made with quiet confidence. It’s dense, occasionally stubborn, and absolutely uninterested in chasing mass appeal. That won’t work for everyone, and it doesn’t try to. But for players willing to meet it on its own terms, Endfield offers a richly atmospheric, mechanically engaging experience that feels rare in the free-to-play space. It’s flawed, sometimes frustrating, and often brilliant, a game that knows exactly what it wants to be, even if it makes you work a little to appreciate it. As with every GaaS, however, especially the Gacha-based ones, its survival is contingent on future content and on whether the systems implemented, both present and future, feel fair to the burgeoning playerbase.
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.
The Outer Worlds 2 was provided by Xbox Game Studios for review. Thank you!
Having not played the original The Outer Worlds game, I wasn't sure what to expect from The Outer Worlds 2, but I would say I was pleasantly surprised. What I ended up finding was a story-based, structured RPG where almost everything has its purpose, except for maybe the copious amounts of loot!
As far as the storyline of The Outer Worlds 2, there's a mix of personal revenge and an overarching plot affecting far more than yourself, although both are intermingled. It's an intriguing, if slightly odd, plot. Some of it felt somewhat contrived, but it does build up nicely, and there are some good set pieces.
The game also does a decent job of giving players some freedom to decide how the storyline progresses, mostly by letting them choose which characters and factions to side with. Although the immediate results aren't too different, the final ending of the game and its various factions will be affected by the choices you make throughout the game, even choices that don't seem particularly critical.
There are 3 main factions in the game, but only 2 are available to side with (or neither), and all 3 are very cult-like in their operations. A sense of loyalty to the factions is a pretty major theme throughout the storyline, and the majority of people you meet will belong to one of the three factions.
When it comes to the actual gameplay, The Outer Worlds 2 does feel pretty decent. The movement feels fine, although vaulting over objects is a little fiddly and seems restrictive at times; you do feel a little stuck to the ground in the game, and I would have liked to feel a bit freer in my movement. The guns feel good to use, though, and even though the enemies do lean on the side of being a bit bullet-spongey, you do still feel somewhat powerful if you have a decent weapon by your side, especially as you lean into automatic weapons later on.
As for the amount of content in the game, there is plenty to sink your teeth into. You have your main quests, which advance the plot, as well as plenty of side quests and companion quests to carry out, which often have an impact on the main quests, such as making them easier to do, so it's to your advantage to explore the world a little and interact with the NPCs.
It's one of the nicer ways I've seen side quests handled in an RPG, to be honest. You don't feel like you're finishing quests just to get experience points. Finishing these quests usually makes something easier later down the line, or will affect the story in a small way at least.
One of my main criticisms of The Outer Worlds 2 is the enemy AI; it's really disappointing in places. Simple things, such as shutting doors or going into another room, seemed to really confuse pursuing AI. They also seemed unable to see through entirely transparent windows; they are treated the same as solid walls for AI detection. which really pulls you out of the game, especially since the game often offers stealth as an option. The systems in place aren't really up to scratch for the game to work as a "Stealth" game.
Beyond the stealth mechanics, the AI sometimes seemed not to know what to do, and some ignored my presence entirely during a fight.
As for the loot in the game, it suffers from the same bloat that Bethesda games suffer from. Some areas just have an abundance of loot that's there for the taking, mostly food products that heal you for about 4-6% of your health. While it's not strictly necessary to loot them, you are going to lose out if you don't. The saving grace here is that at least lootable items are clearly outlined.
Visually, the game does hold up quite well; it's not spectacular; we've seen games look far better than this, but there's almost a stylized quality to the game that helps it along. It does suffer visually at lower settings, though, which is especially noticeable on the Steam Deck.
I also noticed a couple of bugs when playing, such as a character referencing a conversation I was about to have, but hadn't had yet, which was pretty strange. And I presume some of the AI behavior I experienced could also be called a "bug".
The Outer Worlds 2 makes a good first impression on the Steam Deck, defaulting to the native 1280x800 resolution and offering full controller support in all menus and gameplay. The game also runs you through the accessibility options on the first launch, so you can adjust your UI scaling/font sizes to your preference.
When it comes to the graphical settings, The Outer Worlds 2 already has a Steam Deck preset in place. Defaulting the game to the lowest settings, except keeping Shadows on Medium, I would recommend switching this to Low as well.
FSR is left on the "Quality" setting, so while there is some upscaling, it's minor, and we do still get a pretty clear image.
As for performance, the preset is clearly designed to target 30 FPS, so I would recommend using the in-game settings to lock the frame rate to 30 FPS. The SteamOS frame limiter introduces input lag in this game, so don't use it.
You will, however, still get drops below 30 FPS, even as low as 25 FPS in areas like towns where there are NPCs wandering about. In this case, the Steam Deck's CPU is struggling, so no amount of setting adjustments will help. I'd still call the game playable, but it can be a little unpleasant in these busy areas.
As far as power draw goes, expect it to be around 16W-22W, but mostly leaning on the upper side, meaning you'll be getting around 2.5 hours of battery life on a Steam Deck OLED and around 1.5 hours on a Steam Deck LCD. Temperatures were in the 70 °C - 75 °C range.
The Outer Worlds 2 has some good accessibility options. Of most note to Steam Deck users is the various UI scaling options. You can independently scale UI elements like the HUD and subtitles, and add an opaque background to subtitles to make them easier to read, ensuring text is legible on the device.
There are also other accessibility options, such as disabling camera swaying, enabling motion sickness mitigation, and adjusting aim assist. Plus, there is a "story" difficulty mode to make combat easier.
The Outer Worlds 2 is a solid game, if a little rough around the edges in places. I would classify this as a "Bethesda-lite" game. It has less content and a smaller world than, say, the Fallout games, but if you're after a more structured, story-based game, then The Outer Worlds 2 does a good job of being a first-person shooter RPG.
As for Steam Deck performance, it's a bit disappointing; holding 30 FPS just isn't realistic. On the plus side, most areas where you drop below 30 FPS are not combat ones, so I would still call the game playable.
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.
FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time was provided by LEVEL5 for review. Thank you!
The Life/Farming Sim genre has been pretty active over the past 10 years, likely as a result of Stardew Valley revitalizing the genre, especially for indie developers. But LEVEL5 has brought something a little different to the table with FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time, and it's a welcome change from the usual state of affairs.
Don't get me wrong, I love life sims like Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, and Rune Factory. But FANTASY LIFE i takes a different approach to these games. In a reversal of the status quo, FANTASY LIFE i puts the story at the center of the game, with life-sim elements revolving around it. In fact, if you want to, you can pretty much just focus on the storyline, completing quests, and progressing through the world at quite a pace, but that's not really how the game is designed to be played.
You can easily branch off from the main quest line and take on a wide range of side quests, or just explore the world and level up your various "Lives", which are the professions you can choose from in the game, ranging from a chef to a miner, and various combat roles too. You can change these on the fly once you have obtained the license for each one, which opens up the ability to perform various tasks. Each Life is leveled up separately and has its own skill tree, so progressing along the skill trees and leveling up each Life is really where a lot of your time will be spent.
If that isn't your cup of tea, then the main questline doesn't really require you to do any grinding. In fact, the game is surprisingly short. If you don't go for any side content, like optional quests or decorating your own island (more on that later), you could complete the main storyline in less than 10 hours. There are a couple of "hiccups" where you'll need to find additional friends to live on your island with you, and you'll need at least basic skills in each of the "Lives", but other than that, you can pretty much do quest after quest to progress the story.
While combat isn't really a focus of the game, there is a decent amount of it, and the mechanics in place work well enough, even if they are a bit basic. You have the ability to dodge, light attack, heavy attack, and, if you have a shield, block attacks too. Difficulty is on the easier side, although some bosses do put up a fair fight. Again, grinding usually isn't a requirement unless you're going for 100% completion, just make sure you have the right equipment and some buddies to fight alongside.
As for the story itself, as you might imagine, given the game's full title, it revolves heavily around time-traveling and time manipulation. There's not so much in the way of twists in this story; the antagonists and protagonists are revealed almost as soon as they appear, and while there are some interesting premises, there's nothing that really sets the game apart in terms of its storyline.
Shortly into the story, you'll be introduced to an island, which eventually becomes your "Home Base". A place where you can build houses, decorate your village, and gain villagers by saving them from the dark energy used by the antagonists.
This village represents a fairly significant portion of the "side content" in the game, and you'll be able to do things like accept requests from your villagers for certain items in exchange for rewards, complete guild activities to unlock more decorations, and expand your island further. It's reasonably fleshed out, and the customization, I would say, is similar to that of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, although the personalities of each villager are much less detailed and interesting.
Really, it's all about what you're buying FANTASY LIFE i for. It does have a storyline, and that's a nice rarity in the game like this, but it's not an especially deep one, and if you focus on it, you'll be done in no time. It has a fair amount of side content, but much of it revolves around grinding experience points and doing various tasks like mining, cooking, and fishing.
It lacks the close personal relationships you can build in something like Stardew Valley, as well as the fun daily systems in place in games like Animal Crossing. But you can still have plenty of fun with leveling up your jobs to get new gear and leveling up your island to get more villagers and new decorations, which is what you will spend most of your time doing, so if that does sound appealing, then FANTASY LIFE i is worth your attention.
FANTASY LIFE i is a great game to play on the Steam Deck; it has good controller support for both menus and gameplay, the game actively mentions supporting Remote Play Together for the simple co-op mode, and it has the graphics automatically configured for the Steam Deck.
The graphics preset generally falls around "Medium" settings, and targets 60 FPS, which it reaches almost 100% of the time, with the odd dip into the high 50s here and there, but not enough for me to suggest changing the settings, so leave them as-is.
Power draw does vary according to your location, but it is generally around 14-18W, so it's not too intensive on the battery. You should expect around 3.5 hours on a Steam Deck OLED and around 2-2.5 hours on a Steam Deck LCD. Temperatures were in the 65 °C - 70 °C range.
FANTASY LIFE i has limited accessibility options. All dialogue is subtitled, even voiced lines. You can enable auto-targeting of enemies when you draw a weapon, and controls are rebindable.
FANTASY LIFE i definitely has its good points. It has a decent storyline, albeit a short one, and it has plenty of side content in the form of levelling up your "lives" and enhancing your island, but it caters towards players who enjoy that grind. If that doesn't describe you, then this game might not be for you.
As for Steam Deck support, you can't really fault FANTASY LIFE i. Great controller support and a graphics preset already in place for the device mean that you can't really ask for more in terms of how well it runs on the Steam 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.
Demonschool was provided by Ysbryd Games for review. Thankyou!
Demonschool is a game that completely slipped under my radar. I played the demo during Steam Next Fest a while back and enjoyed myself, but with so many games out, I lost track of it. This incredibly stylish tactical RPG was originally going to launch on September 3, which would have been incredibly unfortunate given that Hollow Knight Silksong came out September 4! Fortunately, the game has been pushed back to November 19, giving myself even more time to play and enjoy it. In general, Demonschool oozes character and has fantastic gameplay to complement it. To add that icing on the cake, it is also nearly perfect on the Steam Deck.
Developed by Necrosoft Games, Demonschool takes on a tasty blend of visual novel and turn-based RPG gameplay, and the premise is fascinating. The game takes place on a university campus teeming with strange things, occult horrors, and a group of bizarre gangsters determined to ruin everyone’s day. Make note of the occult horror part, because an apocalypse is coming, and it is your job to stop it!
Players take on the central role of Faye, a demon-obsessed new student who instantly makes her presence felt on everyone around her. I must commend the developers at Necrosoft Games for the way they have developed the cast. Faye might be one of my favorite characters I’ve played as this year. She is hilarious, without the horrible Marvelization that has plagued the media, always willing to get into a fight, and proactive throughout the story. All this combines nicely, and it has been a refreshing experience.
From the beginning, when on the ship to the university, Faye had me cackling at her attempts to socialize with people who thought she was an oddball, and starting a fight within seconds of arriving. That sounds like a usual first day on campus. She gathers a group of fellow misfits who might find her weird, but her sheer enthusiasm and the growing threat bring them together. The other characters are great too. Destin is as obsessed with fighting as Faye, while Namako and Krute are quieter individuals. As the story progresses, you get to know them all, and the writing is solid all around.
Between missions, you get to explore the hub map that has plenty of locations to rummage around, and while I wish the world had more things to do, it is a great way to showcase Demonschool’s visual design. Everything feels like a stylized Saturday morning cartoon, with the vibrant parts of the campus and people going about their daily lives. The map layout and day/night cycle remind me of the Persona series, although Demonschool handles time management much better.
While the world is static, there are still some fun secrets to find. The entire island has a deeply sinister vibe going on with students going missing, local gangs and police working together, and the constant threat of prison hanging over people’s heads. It is a fantastic atmosphere, made even better by the great music. I did find the exploration lacking in some areas, as the spaces are pretty small, but it doesn’t detract from my overall experience. There are even some nice minigames to get involved with.
The big draw to Demonschool is the combat. The core of the combat system is simple. Do not let your team die, and do not let demons break the barrier guarding the passage into the real world. You’ll usually have to kill a certain number of enemies to seal the boundary that the demons are using to invade. You get a team of four pretty quickly in the game, and their abilities complement each other well. Faye and Dustin are the heavy hitters of the gang, while Namako and Krute offer support with debuffing enemies, healing your team, and powering their attacks. Even though the latter two can’t damage enemies directly, you can combine attacks with other teammates for additional damage.
The turn-based combat reminds me of Tactical Breach Wizards with the free turn rewinds, and you can research a bunch of additional tools that add buffs for the characters. The combat is simple, but the extra toolbox provides enough depth to keep things interesting. The enemies have some nice variety, and the boss battles are also creative.
Although the combat is enjoyable, I did encounter some bugs. This was something I was aware of from my prerelease guide, but it was still a little annoying nonetheless. A couple of times, the game forced me to reload a save without any indication of why. Once the game froze after I finished a battle, I had to perform a hard reboot on my Steam Deck. During long conversations and combat sequences you cannot save, so it got frustrating when I had to reload a save and go through the whole dialogue chain again. The developers are working on a patch for this issue before launch, so hopefully, you will not encounter this problem.
There's a lot to like about Demonschool. The production quality and atmosphere are exceptional, and the turn-based combat offers enough to set the game apart from its competitors. Combine that with excellent writing and fun characters, and we have an awesome little game on our hands!
Demonschool has already been rated Steam Deck Verified by Valve before its launch, and I would consider the badge worthwhile here. While Valve’s track record with verification can be patchy, Steam Deck fans will be happy to know that Demonschool is pretty much perfect on the device.
There aren’t many options for us to tweak apart from some shaders and the screen resolution, but with fully controller support available out of the box and Demonschool’s lightweight footprint, I had no problem playing the game on the Steam Deck. The game looks great with its vibrant backgrounds, and the controls feel snappy and responsive. Some of the text size may be a little small in some instances, but none of this felt like an issue for me. Besides the pre-launch bugs I encountered, the experience on the Steam Deck has been positive.
The game is very light on the Steam Deck as well, and even with a full TDP and 60 FPS, you aren’t going to wreck the battery with this game. I saw a power draw of just 11 watts in the worst-case scenario, translating to nearly 5 hours of battery life on the Steam Deck OLED. The game also scales very well on low TDP, and I found that you can almost double the battery life by locking the game to 30 FPS and setting the TDP to 4 watts. For the smoothest experience, however, I recommend just keeping things on stock settings.
Demonschool is currently available in English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, French, and Spanish (Latin America).
The game offers numerous accessibility options. Players can toggle screenshake, change text speed and autoplay, adjust keyboard and gamepad axis, toggle the camera between dynamic and stationary, toggle portrait shake during combat, and there is an almost invincible gameplay toggle if you're having trouble in combat sections. Overall, this is a fairly comprehensive suite of tools, although I was unable to find a way to change the keybindings.
Demonschool has been a delight to play, and while it launched later than I would have liked, the game has been worth the wait. I wish there were more exploration in the world outside of missions, and the pre-launch bugs I encountered with the review build were a bit frustrating at times. However, the vibrant visual design, combined with solid gameplay, makes Demonschool a stylish turn-based RPG that ticks nearly all my boxes.
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.
