Dear Reader 5.0.0 adds in a Catalogue section to purchase all books from the game with rotating shelves and more. A new Puzzler difficulty setting is also now available in-game to play without worrying about time. Solitaire Stories version 5.0 adds in the Soulmatez story, the Jupiter event., and the Tiki Luau event today. With the updates done, head over to our forum threads for Japanese Rural Life Adventure here, Simon’s Cat – Story Time here, BEAST here, Tamagotchi Adventure Kingdom here, Dear Reader here, Solitaire Stories here, and Warped Kart Racers here. For all other Apple Arcade related things, check out our dedicated Apple Arcade forum for discussion on the service and every game included here. What do you think of Apple’s newly released games and updates recently?

If you’d like to try the Japanese release next week, you can pre-order Pand Land on the App Store for iOS here and pre-register for it on Google Play for Android here. Pand Land launches on June 24th for mobile in Japan. An international release date is yet to be announced. I’m curious to see how this one does, and whether it hits Switch as a free to play game in the future as well. It is going to be interesting to see what Game Freak has in the works other than Pand Land and its project with Private Division. What do you think of Pand Land and will you be trying it through the Japanese release next week?

OXENFREE II: Lost Signals, Free Oxenfree II: Lost Signals on mobile through Netflix is my favorite way to play it. Night School exceeded my expectations from the original game and delivered a more mature story despite the supernatural and thriller elements. In a lot of ways, Oxenfree II feels like a reflection of the studio making it with its scope and polish. This is a game I recommend to everyone with a Netflix subscription, and I hope it gets a physical release on console in the future so I can add it to my collection with the first game.

Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon, Free Despite launching on other platforms before, Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon arrived on Netflix with new content included. It has some aspects that don’t work as well as others, but Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon is an amazing puzzler bringing in challenging gameplay, tons of polish, and gorgeous visuals to mobile. It is immediately one of the best puzzlers on mobile through its Netflix release.

The Case of the Golden Idol, Free The most recent of the games included here, The Case of the Golden Idol from Color Gray Games and Playstack is phenomenal, but it might not be for everyone. With that out of the way, it is one of my favorite detective games ever, and the Netflix mobile version includes the base game with all DLC making it an insanely good addition to the service. This one is special, and I urge you to just download it and not read much about it.

Hades - NETFLIX, Free Hades on iOS is just incredible. While it has some minor issues, I have no hesitation in recommending it for anyone with a Netflix subscription. The wait for Hades on mobile was very long, but Supergiant Games delivered an excellent version of one of the best games in years with no compromises on iOS here. Just note that while the other games in this feature are also on Android, Hades is just on iOS right now.

TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, Free TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge is a Streets of Rage 4 level release, and if you don’t know what I mean by that, play both games immediately. Jokes aside, I adore TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge and I was super happy to see it come to mobile in a fantastic conversion through Playdigious and Netflix. It is a modern take on a classic Konami style beat ’em up that delivers in spades with its gameplay, visuals, music, and fanservice for TMNT fans.

Kentucky Route Zero, Free Kentucky Route Zero was one of the most fascinating games I played. It took so long for all the acts to release, that I ended up not even having my older saves through the years as I switched computers. The adventure blends surrealism, gorgeous visuals, amazing music, and memorable characters to deliver something that you will either love or drop after an act or two. The Netflix release brings the complete experience with all updates and improvements over the launch version. It also happens to have one of my favorite musical moments in any game. If all of that sounds good to you, give it a shot on iOS or Android through Netflix.

IMMORTALITY, Free Immortality from Her Story developer Sam Barlow is Sam’s best work yet according to most, and while I prefer Her Story, Immortality is a superlative experience for those who enjoy the FMV interactive film genre. The only issue with the mobile version is that you have to download a lot of data in-game. Keep that in mind and you’re good. It is another one of those “Perfect for Netflix" gaming experiences, and I’m glad it did make its way to mobile after its initial launch on console and PC platforms.

Katana ZERO NETFLIX, Free Katana Zero is one of the best games on the service, and a fantastic, and near-perfect, conversion of a magnificent indie. If you have a Netflix subscription, and you likely do if you are reading this, drop everything else and play Katana Zero right now. It is that good. If you don’t want to play it, listen to the soundtrack, but still, go play it now. It is action-platformer perfection.

Into the Breach, Free I’ve been wanting Into the Breach on iPad for years ever since I played FTL from the developer. It seemed like the ship had sailed, but Netflix revealed that Into the Breach is not only coming to iPad, but also iPhone and Android in a new version that would see added content patched into existing versions. Into the Breach on any platform is an essential, but having it on an iPad with such a great port is everything I wanted. This is pure turn-based strategy greatness.

Poinpy, Free Poinpy from the creator of Downwell is one of the best games on mobile right now regardless of paid games, subscriptions, or free games. Instead of going down like the developer’s prior release, you sling yourself up and this release feels perfect to play in short bursts or long sessions. The gameplay is everything you’d want, and there’s a lot of depth included. Poinpy was one of the first “essential" games in Netflix, and even with so many more games added to the service, it is in our top games feature. Hopefully more people check it out.

And there you have it. Some changes and additions to the service warranted a new list, and I hope you find something new to play with your Netflix subscription here. If you’ve enjoyed a game on Netflix that you think I should’ve featured, let me know in the comments so more people will discover great games on the service. If you’d like to see us feature more games in subscription services or anything else, let us know. Thanks for reading.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is set in Baghdad, and you play as Basim Ibn Ishaq on his journey. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is set before Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and it was originally planned to be an expansion to that before being changed into a full game in the series. It initially felt weird going back to the classic parkour, stealth, and well assassination focus compared to the full action RPG the recent games have, but I have no real complaints with Assassin’s Creed Mirage when it comes to the story and gameplay. It feels great to have a modern game with a classic series focus, and I hope we see more like this in the future in between the larger RPG entries in the series.

Having waited nearly two weeks since launch to see if any update releases to fix any teething or launch issues in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, I’m going to assume this is what players should expect for the near future when it comes to features and port quality. On launching the game, you need to download about 7.5GB in-game. I didn’t test playing with Ubisoft Connect as my aim was to play Assassin’s Creed Mirage across my PS5 and iPhone 15 Pro. I did try playing offline a few times and the game let me load my save. I can’t check if this works throughout though.

The Resident Evil ports and Death Stranding play great with a controller, but are quite a mess with touch controls. Assassin’s Creed Mirage on the other hand has seen the developers actually add a bespoke touch control option for playing on iPhone 15 Pro and iPad that makes it feel like a big and modern mobile game rather than a console game ported over with a ton of on-screen buttons. This is something I hope more developers do when bringing over console games to mobile. Just slapping a virtual button for every single input on a controller isn’t feasible anymore unless your game has only a few action buttons. Assassin’s Creed Mirage feels tailor made for iPhone 15 Pro when it comes to its controls at least, aside from a few tiny touch targets.

Customizing controls in Assassin’s Creed Mirage lets you move virtual buttons around across different control sets (swimming, base, etc), and also lets you increase or decrease button sizes. I like how the game has a red zone to indicate overlap issues as well when you are trying to tweak the layout to your liking. The issues I have with the UI in Assassin’s Creed Mirage have to do with a lot of the non gameplay sections. The touch targets in some menus are often too small. While the game is capped at 30fps as of this writing, there’s no need for the menus to feel sluggish as well. I hope this aspect can be improved over time.

I waited a few more days before publishing this review because I wanted to try it on my new Backbone One PlayStation Edition USB-C controller, and I’m glad I did. This feels like one of the first few games I’ve played where it not only properly detects the controller with PlayStation button prompts, but it also has Backbone One button prompts for the menu and other non gameplay buttons. The game plays perfectly with a Backbone as well.

Visually, I was mostly impressed with Assassin’s Creed Mirage, but the performance is where things fall apart. Playing with the high graphics preset results in a good image, but performance is unacceptable. I ended up tolerating the game’s performance in the medium settings, but combat really struggles. In addition to the unstable frame rate in these parts, frame pacing is also an issue with the 30fps cap not being perfect. Even if you play on the low graphics preset, there are drops from 30fps, albeit not as bad as in the medium or high presets. This is quite disappointing, and I hope patches can improve this at least on the low and medium presets. High will likely be best for newer iPads.

MrMacRight on YouTube has an excellent video covering how the game is across different iPads. I don’t currently have an iPad that can run Assassin’s Creed Mirage though. I do have the game on PS5, and I was curious to see how I’d feel playing it on that and iPhone with my save syncing across. The PS5 version runs and looks a lot better with 60fps gameplay and a much crisper image. I did enjoy Assassin’s Creed Mirage on my iPhone as a way to continue playing bits of the game though when I was away from home.

While I like the gameplay and story, I want to highlight the music. Assassin’s Creed games usually excel on this front, but I think the audio design in Assassin’s Creed Mirage is just superb. This is one to play with headphones for sure. The voice acting is a bit inconsistent in English, and I also wanted to check out some of the other dubs. You need to download more data in-game for this so keep that in mind especially if you want to play with Arabic voices.

This is more than a solid base for Ubisoft, and it is a few patches away from being superb. Having cross progression through Ubisoft Connect makes it even better though. While this isn’t a game I see myself coming back to later on unless it gets some notable DLC, I hope to see Ubisoft continue bringing cross progression support. I enjoyed using it in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Riders Republic, and Immortals Fenyx Rising on console already, but seeing it on mobile is a good sign for future Ubisoft ports.

One aspect I want to cover is the price point. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a free to try game with a $49.99 unlock for the full game, just like on other platforms. In addition to this, there are optional DLC packs like the Deluxe upgrade, weapons, and more. The reason I bring this up is to make sure everyone knows that these are the same DLC packs sold on consoles and not new ones for mobile despite the way things appear on the App Store page. I don’t like having this stuff in a full price premium game, but sadly that ship has sailed with Ubisoft’s releases. Just keep in mind that you only need the Assassin’s Creed Mirage full game unlock and nothing more to get the proper game experience.

I’m in two minds about Assassin’s Creed Mirage on iPhone 15 Pro right now. It is a great game and Ubisoft put in a lot of work into making it feel good to play with touch controls, but the performance issues hold it back right now. Since Assassin’s Creed Mirage is available as a free to try game, I recommend giving it a shot, but make sure you play until you get to experience some combat so you can properly judge how it will run on your own device. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a great entry in the series, and it is worth your time even if you are a newer fan to experience a modern take on classic Assassin’s Creed. I can’t wait to eventually see how Assassin’s Creed Shadows feels on iPad after playing it on PS5.

You can read what Jared thinks about the game in our Game of the Week feature here and head over to our forum thread for more discussion around the game here. Check out the official website here. You can buy Afterplace on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. You can wishlist Afterplace on Steam here. Apple also did a feature on the design of Afterplace in an interview with Evan. Read it here. Have you played Afterplace yet on iOS or Android and what do you think about today’s update?

If you’d like to buy one of the limited controllers, you can sign up on the official website to get notified of when it goes live here. Check out the official Backbone website here. While this will be only on the official website, other Backbone One controllers are available on Amazon and more retailers. While this one looks excellent, I’m going to hold out for a translucent purple controller if we get one. What do you think of the new Backbone One – Post Malone Limited Edition controller, and will you try and order one next week?

FANTASIAN, Fantasian isn’t going to be for everyone, but it is certainly a powerful monument to what possibilities Apple Arcade held. A full-on proper RPG from the creator of Final Fantasy, packed with gorgeous sights and challenging battles, Fantasian was so big it had to be delivered in two parts. Composer Nobuo Uematsu did his magic with a very unusual but cool soundtrack, and the presence of a number of Final Fantasy veterans could be felt all throughout the gameplay systems. Handily the best RPG on Apple Arcade, and one of the finest original mobile games in the genre. -Shaun Musgrave

Hello Kitty Island Adventure, While Apple Arcade now feels like it brings in more “+" games rather than bespoke exclusives, we still get those once in a while. Hello Kitty Island Advenutre from Sunblink is easily one of the best newer releases on the service. While originally expected to be just a take on Animal Crossing, Hello Kitty Island Adventure is so much more, and it keeps getting regular updates to make things fresh for players. Hello Kitty Island Adventure is one of the best reasons to stay subscribed to Apple Arcade right now.

Ridiculous Fishing EX, Sure, Ridiculous Fishing EX just came out, but I’m more than comfortable putting it on this list. The original Ridiculous Fishing was already one of the best mobile games ever, and this remade and juiced up release just piles more goodies on top. It’s always nice to see games that understand the strengths of a platform and the ways its users like to play on it, and Ridiculous Fishing EX completely gets it as far as mobile is concerned. You’ll probably burn through the main story quickly, but this EX game has plenty more for you to enjoy after that. -Shaun Musgrave

Sneaky Sasquatch, Sneaky Sasquatch was a somewhat thin game when it launched, but this is a fine example of just how much a game can grow over time. The developer must be bonkers here, because there has been a constant stream of cool new stuff hitting this game. At its core, this is a game about the titular sasquatch and his daily life. At first he was just sneaking around swiping food, but now he does everything from taxi driving to politics. If you like open-ended life sim style games, give this one a shot. Its scope is positively admirable. -Shaun Musgrave

Mini Motorways, As a big fan of Mini Metro, I was extremely excited to see a follow-up arrive in the form of Mini Motorways. Would it be able to maintain the same appeal despite the shift in theme? Could it be different enough to justify its existence? Would it hook me the way its predecessor did? The answer to all of those questions is an emphatic yes. A terrific fast-paced puzzle game that sees you trying to run roads all over the map until everything gets way out of hand, Mini Motorways is tense and fun in all the right ways. It looks and sounds great, too. -Shaun Musgrave

Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!, The people at Game Freak aren’t just about Pokemon, and if you need proof of that then look no further than Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!, a unique hybrid of solitaire and horse racing. It isn’t something that should work at all, but it’s somehow completely sublime. Pick your horse, train them up, and then play solitaire during the races to push them to victory. Use some special skills at the right moment and you can turn the tides of any race. Cute, clever, and hard to put down, Pocket Card Jockey is a great way to spend a lazy afternoon or wait in a line-up alike. -Shaun Musgrave

WHAT THE GOLF?, I kept flip flopping on whether I wanted to include What The Golf? or What The Car? here. I decided to go with the former as I’ve played that a lot more. Both games are excellent additions to the service, but What The Golf? is the better overall package. If you do get Apple Arcade, play them both so consider this list entry as me cheating with two games instead of one. What The Golf? has humor, great levels, fun gameplay, and tons of quality content. It is worth your time even if you have no interest in golf.

Sayonara Wild Hearts, Some of the best mobile games are the ones that offer up fairly simple mechanics with a strong narrative, and dress it all up in some of the most stylish sights and sounds a screen can deliver. Sayonara Wild Hearts is one of those games. It’s a rhythm game, but between its dazzling visuals, amazing soundtrack, and confident story-telling, it’s quite unlike any game in that genre you’ve likely played. Developer Simogo and publisher Annapurna Interactive individually have an amazing track record on mobile, and this collaboration easily lives up to the reputations of both. -Shaun Musgrave

Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat, If you want a more standard rhythm game experience, you can’t go wrong with Bandai Namco’s Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat. Tap your fingers to the beat of a list of songs that includes everything from the Indiana Jones Theme to the Sesame Street song. It’s always getting new tracks added across a variety of genres, and while there are bound to be a lot of songs you don’t know here, they’re all worth playing. A great version of a genre classic, this has been one of my quiet favorites of the Apple Arcade line-up since the minute it was added. -Shaun Musgrave

Grindstone, If there’s a poster child for Apple Arcade originals, Grindstone just might be the best choice. This is a terrific puzzler packed with things to do, the sort that normally cajoles you to buy IAP or watch ads on mobile. Yet here, the game is blissfully free of such things, allowing you to enjoy the pleasures of the matching puzzler genre in a very pure form. It’s enjoyable to play and has charm to burn, making it a perfect fit for those little pockets of time you need to fill. -Shaun Musgrave

There you have it. I know Apple Arcade right now feels very different to how things were in the first two or three years, but there are still many excellent games on the service. Hopefully you find something you like if you do end up subscribing to the service in the near future. If you think I should’ve included something that you like a lot, please let me know in the comments below. As usual, thanks for reading.

You can pre-install Honkai Star Rail 2.3 from the title screen after logging in on both mobile and PC platforms. The Honkai Star Rail 2.3 download size is around 12.7GB on iOS and 21.3GB on PC. If you’ve not gotten it yet, you can download Honkai Star Rail on the App Store for iOS here, on Google Play for Android here, and here on the Epic Games Store in addition to its regular PC version. Check it out here on PS5. Have you been playing Honkai Star Rail recently and what do you think of 2.3 so far?

Steam Deck Game Reviews & Impressions

Monster Hunter Stories Steam Deck Review

Last month, I did a preview on Monster Hunter Stories’ remaster covering early parts of the Switch, Steam Deck, and PS4 versions. Since then, I’ve been able to experience the game more on all three platforms, but I decided to focus on the PC version for my review, because it is by far my favorite version, when played on Steam Deck.

Following its debut on 3DS, Monster Hunter Stories saw mobile versions that were dramatically better when it comes to visuals and performance.You can still play Monster Hunter Stories on iOS and Android, and it is even in Apple Arcade, but those versions aren’t worth your time as of today. After the success of Monster Hunter Stories 2 on Switch and Steam, Capcom wants to expand the audience of this series, and what better way to do that then bringing the original to more platforms? Well, Capcom surprised me by not only bringing Monster Hunter Stories to Switch, PS4, and PC, but also bringing the West content we never got, a new gallery, voice acting, and more. Capcom also finally brought Monster Hunter Stories 2 to PlayStation today.

If you’ve not played Monster Hunter Stories at all through its prior releases, it doesn’t really play like a traditional Monster Hunter game. It is more of an RPG set in the world of Monster Hunter that features monsters, hunters, and basically was a fantastic game on 3DS that I enjoyed more than every Pokemon game with its turn-based combat, gorgeous visuals even back then, and memorable characters. For the remaster, I expected Capcom to just bring the mobile version of Monster Hunter Stories to current platforms. Instead, we have visual improvements, performance improvements, the addition of content never released outside Japan, voice acting, a new gallery, and more.

If you already played Monster Hunter Stories, the new content and upgrade to visuals and performance makes it worth the asking price for sure, but don’t bother unless you want to replay the full game. It would’ve been an easier game to recommend on consoles at least if there was a physical release on PS4 and Switch (without a code for Monster Hunter Stories 2). On PC though, the first Monster Hunter Stories makes its debut through this release, and it is a fantastic port that shines on Steam Deck.

Since playing the game for preview, I wanted to see if anything would change, but that build is basically the final game everyone can play today. The PC version of Monster Hunter Stories lets you adjust window mode (windowed, fullscreen, and borderless), resolution (864×486 to 4K), frame rate target (30fps to 144fps), toggle v-sync, toggle anti-aliasing, and adjust shadow quality (low, medium, high). You can also adjust brightness.

Monster Hunter Stories held 90fps very well with everything set to high aside from shadow quality which I turned down from the start on my Steam Deck OLED. Load times are near-instant as well. It only supports 16:9 gameplay, but does have Steam Cloud support.

While I’ve praised a lot of Monster Hunter Stories so far, it still feels dated in its visuals in ways. I didn’t expect this to be addressed since this is a remaster and not a remake, but it is worth keeping in mind that this release will not change your mind if you bounced off the game on 3DS. It is still an excellent RPG, but its roots are very much felt here despite how good it can look on modern screens.

This new remaster of Monster Hunter Stories is easily the best way to experience an actual 3DS classic from Capcom. I always said Monster Hunter Stories was the best looking 3DS game, and it now shines on modern screens thanks to a remaster that did a lot more than I expected. While it isn’t as good as Monster Hunter Stories 2, Monster Hunter Stories is still worth playing for not only fans of the Monster Hunter games, but also fans of RPGs in general. It is obviously aimed at a younger audience so keep that in mind, but there’s no denying Monster Hunter Stories is excellent in just about every way.

Monster Hunter Stories Steam Deck Review Score: 4.5/5

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami Steam Deck Review

When I got an email about Duck Detective: The Secret Salami, I immediately knew I wanted to play it based on its premise. Having now played it, I’m glad I did because it is fantastic. My only real complaint is that I wish there was more of it, but this mystery adventure game has been a lovely and charming surprise. Given the short length, I decided to play Duck Detective: The Secret Salami on both Switch and Steam Deck to see how it feels on both portable systems.

The mystery and adventure genres are full of some great games, but I love it when a developer tries to do something different. Duck Detective: The Secret Salami isn’t mechanically amazing or anything, but it excels in its setting, charm, voice acting, and music. As I made my way through the story filling in the blanks, I ended up hoping Duck Detective: The Secret Salami would go on longer. I already knew it was a short game when I got my review code, and while the price is justified given the quality here, I hope we see many more games from the developers in this series.

On Steam Deck, Duck Detective: The Secret Salami runs at 16:10, supports Steam Cloud, and runs at a locked 90fps on Steam Deck. I have no complaints with how it plays here, and you can even use touch controls. On Switch, Duck Detective: The Secret Salami also plays great, but the lack of touch support is my only complaint. If you were hoping to have a good portable experience with Duck Detective: The Secret Salami, you can’t go wrong with both Switch and Steam Deck.

If my only complaint with a game is that it gets over too soon and I want more of it, I take that as a good sign. Duck Detective: The Secret Salami is a lovely and charming surprise that I enjoyed playing for about three hours. On paper, the voice acting and music with this aesthetic shouldn’t work, but the developers managed to pull through and deliver something special. You can also press a button to quack.

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami Steam Deck Review Score: 4.5/5

Isles of Sea and Sky Steam Deck Review

When I first saw Isles of Sea and Sky gameplay, I knew I had to play it. I was hoping it would be fine on Steam Deck as well. Not only does it play great on Valve’s handheld, but I ended up thinking about it constantly even while playing other games. It has that draw where I want to just quickly boot it up to try and make some progress.

Isles of Sea and Sky is an open world puzzle game that starts off with you just pushing blocks. Even in its opening moments, you start seeing how much freedom you have in-game, and things start to get complex quite fast with mechanics and changes. One thing I love about the puzzle games that opt for a more open structure, is being able to come back to puzzles later on and still make progress by taking another path. Isles of Sea and Sky excels at this, and it feels like a gorgeous puzzle box full of blocks to stimulate your brain with, and one that has crisp and colorful visuals.

Even if you’re new to puzzle games, I recommend Isles of Sea and Sky because of how approachable it makes everything despite the depth. It feels like an old school puzzle game in the modern era, but one with quite a few modern features.

On Steam Deck, Isles of Sea and Sky hasn’t been tested by Valve yet, but it works perfectly. You can change window mode only when it comes to graphics. There’s also a streamer mode option that adds a space in the interface for an avatar or video for those streaming the game. I had no issues running the game. It plays at 16:9 and is capped at 60fps, but it does support Steam Cloud. I imagine it will be Steam Deck Verified soon.

Isles of Sea and Sky is a superb puzzle game that is absolutely worth your time. It also feels right at home on Steam Deck, and manages to stand out with its gorgeous art, puzzles, open world, and blend of ideas. If you enjoy puzzle games, stop what you’re doing and get this now.

Isles of Sea and Sky Steam Deck Review Score: 5/5

Broken Roads Steam Deck Review

It sucks when you’re excited to play a game and it ends up falling short, but that’s exactly what happened with Broken Roads at launch. The Australia setting, voice acting, and music were good, but it was too buggy and linear. It has been just over two months since I started playing Broken Roads on Steam Deck, and it is in a much better place with the newest update. I wanted to do a quick review covering how the current game feels on Steam Deck after recent updates.

Broken Roads is a modern take on traditional party-based RPGs with elements of Disco Elysium and Wasteland, but one that doesn’t live up to its inspirations by the end of it. The Australian setting, voice acting, music, and visuals are highlights for sure. The narrative will be hit or miss for a lot of people. The one constant throughout my different save files and attempts and seeing how varied things can be in Broken Roads, has been the combat not feeling fully realized, and also some of the quests. The moral compass in-game feels tacked on in parts because I sometimes felt like I had no real freedom to do or say what I wanted even early on. As a concept, I like what it could be, but it needs some more work here.

Broken Roads on Steam Deck is a bit of a mixed bag in some ways, but plays well. You can’t change any settings barring forcing windowed mode and the resolution with a few refresh rate options. Broken Roads supports 16:10 800p and 90hz natively, but it can’t hit that 90fps beyond the opening portions. I’d recommend capping it from the quick access menu. Aside from that, it plays well out of the box with full controller support and even has a large font option to make it better in handheld mode. I didn’t try Broken Roads docked on my monitor so I cannot comment on how it feels there. I ended up capping it to 45fps at 90hz when playing.

Broken Roads has improved quite a bit since I played it in early April, but still needs a bit more work to be an easy recommendation. In its current state, I can recommend it, but it is a few updates away from being something special. It definitely needs a demo because I can’t imagine many people will give it a shot at its current asking price given the launch reception.

Broken Roads Steam Deck Review Score: 3.5/5

Umbraclaw Steam Deck Impressions

Shaun already covered Umbraclaw on Switch in his review, but I wanted to cover how it felt on Steam Deck. As with many of Inti Creates’ PC ports, on launching the game, you’re prompted with a button configuration option for whatever controller you’re using. This lets you map buttons as you please before jumping into the game.

Once that’s done, Umbraclaw basically runs at a locked 60fps. On Steam Deck and the Steam Deck OLED, I found no way of running it higher than 60fps. Some prior Inti Creates PC ports have supported 120fps, but I don’t see an option for that here when playing on the Deck itself. Umbraclaw plays at 16:9 or is stretched. It looks great out of the box, but I recommend manually changing it to 720p or 1080p. The frame rate stays the same but you might find the increased clarity better.

Umbraclaw has DualSense button prompt support on Steam Deck when using a DualSense, but I found no way of changing button prompts when playing using the Deck’s own controls. You can rebind keyboard and controller buttons, toggle v-sync, adjust resolution (seemingly capped at 1080p), and frame rate. Note that on Steam Deck the frame rate option doesn’t seem to work, and it is capped at 60fps as I mentioned above.

If you aren’t sure if Umbraclaw is for you, I recommend trying the free demo on Steam. I ended up liking it more than I expected going into it. The stained glass meets painterly aesthetic shines on the Steam Deck OLED display for sure.

News and Trailers

Not a lot of news this week following the Summer Game Fest 2024 bonanza, but there are a few bits of note. The highlights are below. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is now available on all consoles and Steam. Alongside the launch trailer, Atlus also has a very weird and hilarious Slipknot interview as a part of the collaboration. I never thought I’d see Slipknot’s Clown being interviewed on the Atlus YouTube channel, but here we are. Watch both videos below:

Fallen Aces Episode One is out now on Steam Early Access from New Blood Interactive. Yes, it is finally here and only $9.99 (how?). Watch the launch trailer for it below:

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO had a new gameplay features trailer go up confirming an offline multiplayer mode and a lot more including Custom Battle, Episode Battle, and showcasing new gameplay of course. Watch it below:

Digital Extremes released a new TennoCon 2024 hype trailer ahead of the event set for next month. If you missed my interview with Creative Director Rebb Ford, read it here. Watch the video below:

Caves of Qud got its Spring Molting Update, the last major update before 1.0, this recent week on Steam bringing a change to the UI to be friendly for mouse and gamepads in addition to more new features. Watch the trailer for it below:

Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope DX is in the works for Steam as an enhanced version of the original game with 20 characters with unique playstyles, online multiplayer, Challenge Stages, Custom Knight, and more. Watch the announcement trailer below:

New Steam Deck Verified & Playable games for the week

Catching up with basically two weeks of new Steam Deck Verified and Playable games has resulted in a bigger list than usual, which means more surprises.

• AMANATSU Perfect Edition – Unsupported
• Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure – Verified
• Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles – Verified
• Chivalry 2 – Playable
• Command & Conquer: Generals – Playable
• Cryptmaster – Playable
• Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board! – Playable (via TouchArcade reader Mor)
• DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT Steam – Verified (via TouchArcade reader Mor)
• Duck Detective: The Secret Salami – Verified
• Dungeons of Hinterberg – Playable
• F1 24 – Unsupported
• INDIKA – Verified
• Machinika Museum – Playable
• Mashiroiro Symphony HD Sana Edition – Unsupported
• Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite – Playable
• Nine Sols – Verified (via TouchArcade reader Mor)
• Out of the Park Baseball 25 – Playable
• Outcast – A New Beginning – Playable (via TouchArcade reader Mor)

• Quest Master – Verified
• Rabbit and Steel – Playable
• Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER – Verified
• Reus 2 – Playable (via TouchArcade reader Mor)
• Rolling Hills: Make Sushi, Make Friends – Verified
• Rotwood – Playable
• SAND LAND – Playable
• Scars Above – Playable
• Selaco – Playable (via TouchArcade reader Mor)
• Still Wakes the Deep – Playable
• Tchia – Verified (via TouchArcade reader Mor)
• Thank Goodness You’re Here! – Verified
• The Lullaby of Life – Verified
• The Red Lantern – Verified
• The Rogue Prince of Persia – Unsupported
• The Shell Part II: Purgatorio – Unsupported
• Truxton 2 – Playable
• Vigor – Playable (via TouchArcade reader Mor)
• Void Crew – Playable

Steam Deck Game Sales, Discounts, and Specials

Instead of sales, I’m going to use this space to recommend checking out the newest Steam Next Fest with many demos for upcoming games. I’m going to be playing quite a few demos tonight. The ones I recommend are Fumes, Hookah Haze, Blade Chimera, Metal Slug Tactics (no controller support yet), Blue Prince, Maid Cafe on Electric Street, LOK Digital, Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus, #BLUD, and Wizard of Legend 2.

That’s all for this edition of the Steam Deck Weekly. As usual, you can read all our past and future Steam Deck coverage here. If you have any feedback for this feature or what else you’d like to see us do around the Steam Deck, let us know in the comments below. I hope you all have a great day, and thanks for reading.

The Shovel Knight Dig Wicked Wishes DLC begins in the Hoofman’s Guild Hall where you climb the ranks after clearing challenges to collect relics and buffs while facing off against new bosses and enemies.

Watch the Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon Paradox Pack DLC trailer below:

This DLC pack adds new characters, challenging stages, relics, items, cheats, and more. If you have an active Netflix subscription, you can grab Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Make sure to read my interview with Yacht Club Games discussing Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon, the developer’s other releases, working with Netflix, and more here. We featured it as our Game of the Week when it launched. If you have Apple Arcade, you can grab Shovel Knight Dig on the App Store here. Both games are also on PC and consoles as a paid release. If you watched the showcase, what do you think of the announcements and will you try the DLC for the two games on mobile?

TouchArcade (TA): Since Warframe hit mobile back in February, it has gotten quite a few updates bringing it up to speed with all the other platforms, and to improve the mobile version in general. How has it been for the team to not only ship updates on all platforms simultaneously, but also deliver feature updates to mobile?

Rebecca Ford (RF): So yesterday was June 11th, and we kind of hit a point where we thought about what we are doing with the playability on the iOS platform. We have all these optimizations and improvements that just haven’t shipped yet like auto aim, performance improvements, and we’re trying to decide to make the best next swing for the mobile client. Is it about content parity or is it about all these optimizations? We’re making a plan right now to make sure that even with something like Jade Shadows and with all the stuff that’s for TennoCon, that we’re not ignoring some of the core playability problems. We still have a team cracking away at it. We’re working with partners and we’re working with getting everything going so it’s just a bit more approachable.

TA: How has it been for the team looking at the response from players on iPhone and iPad specifically after launch?

RF: It’s kind of been all over the place. You have a 10 year old game that suddenly launches on a new platform, and I think I have a bit of a veteran problem where I know what I use it for which is, login and grab my systemic things, but then you have this opportunity of an entirely new market that have an entirely new experience with the game, and it’s kind of exposed some problems in Warframe’s early game. We always get exposed to that, but it’s done once again, and it’s kind of put me in a position just as an individual where now I actually am playing more mobile games just to understand them better.

I can’t look at Warframe as anything other than Warframe. For instance, I’ve gotten really into Honkai Star Rail just to understand. I’m not looking at it for anything other than the mobile client. It’s not like we’re gonna add gacha to our game or anything. It’s kind of radical and eye-opening in terms of the usability differences in a game like Honkai Star Rail where you just tap and it’s so well optimized and beautiful, and then you have Warframe where you really asked to touch a lot all the time to play the game. We had someone on our team do a spy mission and it was a radical paradigm shift mentally still I think.

TA: Have you had a chance to try out some of the recent big iPhone 15 Pro ports like Death Stranding and Resident Evil 4 Remake?

RF: No, but god’s willing I will as soon as possible, because Resident Evil 4, especially the remake, is one of my all timers right now. Playing that as soon as possible, would be incredible, but no I haven’t touched it. Have you?

TA: The reason I bring it up is Capcom is going to launch Resident Evil 7 biohazard in a few weeks on iPhone and iPad, and they seem to have done an actual new interface for the mobile version. Resident Evil 4 and Village just had a ton of buttons on the screen which was a mess for touch controls. I think they probably just had to ship those for folks who don’t use a controller. This is the first time they seem to be doing something bespoke for the platform. I was just wondering if you tried them. You know the Backbone controller, right? Everyone uses that on their iPhone. When they shipped a special Death Stranding Edition controller, I thought it would be a really nice experience on the phone in general, but it is a mess for touch controls. Thankfully, Warframe is good with touch controls.

TA: Speaking of the Backbone controller. Are there any plans to do a Warframe themed Backbone controller?

RF: I don’t know (laughs). I wish I knew.

TA: Before we get to Jade Shadows and TennoCon, the big question everyone is asking about mobile is what about Android? Back in February, the plan was to have it go into testing on Android this year. Can we expect a date for that at TennoCon?

RF: We are pretty aggressively reviewing the mobile version as it is on what’s already out there. As a team, as a business, we have to decide what state we want mobile to be in before we add more. We’re very bullish usually about getting everyone in and getting going. I think by TennoCon we will have decided which is usually a good sign that TennoCon forces us to make decisions in a good way. So we will know by then. I don’t have anything to announce right now, though.

TA: Next week’s Warframe Jade Shadows update is a huge one for the game. How has it been for the team through the last week and leading into launch next week?

RF: It’s gonna be a very cathartic update for us because this is one of the longest concept to execution updates we’ve ever done. We were talking about Jade shadows as far back as late 2022 and early 2023. We actually intended to ship this last year, and then with some delays and with the scope of Whispers in the Walls, we had to move it. We did intend to ship it last year. So for me, I’ve been waiting over a year for players to experience this in some way. The feeling for the team is, “it’s finally here!". We’re actually excited to time it, at least I am, to TennoCon because having an update before that, while difficult to achieve in terms of development, it’s great for the community because it gives you such a touch point to talk about something that just happened, and then look to the future. Everyone is very excited, nervous, and a little bit terrified because of some of the places that this quest goes narratively, so fingers crossed.

TA: I’m glad you brought up the narrative. I’m not up to speed with the latest Warframe story and updates. When I talked to friends about the game, and brought up Jade Shadows when it was dated, they all told me to stop reading about it and just go play the game to get caught up for spoiler reasons. Even the Jade Shadows website has a spoiler warning. How do you deal with updates like this and for folks who are either still early into the game or new to Warframe in general and was there any consideration for making this quest approachable for newer players as well?

RF: Yes, and no. We were deciding whether or not we would put it right after The Second Dream or right after The New War, and then we made the decision to put it after The New War because we wanted to go a little more heavy, I think, with themes that might be a little off-putting early on in the game especially with just some conceptual themes that we were exploring. So for us it was important to put this a bit later, but we do trust our community to follow our lead and not spoil it. We hope that works out usual. There will be some cases where things get spoiled, but ultimately we made the decision. It has to be later in the game. It’s a shorter quest, but it pays off a lot more if you’ve built up a relationship with Stalker to that point. So that was one of the more important things.

TA: Jade obviously has an amazing design, and you said you were waiting for a year for players to experience this quest. I wanted to know how Jade compares to your favorite Warframes in the game right now.

RF: I will be fully honest. The reason this took such an endeavor to release was because of Jade’s visual design. Our character artist, Michael Skyers, came up with this Warframe. We saw what we were working with, and we just went okay now is the time to do a Stalker quest because there’s such opposites. Stalker is this vampiric edgelord and then Jade is this Angelic presence with all of her nuances. For me, the fact that she can fly around puts her top rank right now in terms of actual play design, but once you play the story it’s gonna be pretty hard to dethrone her for me for a long time. She’s my tentative current number one Warframe for lore reasons, as well as her kit. So in this regard, it’s gonna be hard to dethrone her.

TA: Another question I asked you last time was about more Warframe merchandise. Jade’s design is perfect for a nice statue like the OverWatch collectors edition one. Is that something we can expect at TennoCon because I saw some merchandise teases on the website?

RF: For merch for Jade there’s some surprises. There is a Stalker statue and there’s a Stalker ball cap. I will say the one thing we did do, (at this point Rebecca showcased some art via screen share on the call), and have coming in Jade Shadows, is we worked with an artist whose art I have in my house. We have this artist that we reached out to, Eileen Kai Hing Kwan (shown below), and she does this beautiful artwork and we worked with her to do three custom art pieces for this quest that we will also be selling in limited editions at Tennocon. They’re gonna be beautiful prints of art pieces from the quest. She is a fantastic artist, and they will also be available for free in game. We’re giving these posters in-game for free, and then we’re doing a limited edition series of prints for them at TennoCon. Her work is just incredible, and I’m so excited that we get to put her work in the game and my house is decorated with this as well as you can imagine.

TA: You mentioned you’ve been waiting a year for this update to ship, and it’s a big one. I wanted to know if you could share some interesting anecdotes from development leading into launch next week.

RF: Both of these anecdotes will make sense after the quest. The first anecdote, so in 2023, Steve said something publicly that was a direct reference to this update, and players have no idea. It’s haunted me ever since. I have been haunted by Steve saying something about this and that is horrifying to me. For a year I’ve lived with this nightmare.

The second anecdote is that Megan sent me a video of her watching the quest playthrough, and it was just 90 seconds of her crying. I’m not laughing at that, I’m laughing because hopefully players see what we were going for, and fall in love with the story as much as we did making it. Steve has haunted me for a year and Megan’s reaction to the quest was a 90 second video of her watching it and just crying, and that’s a true story and I have the video as proof.

TA: What are your thoughts on Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail so far without spoilers?

RF: It’s gonna be a pick-me-up update it looks like. It doesn’t seem to be super high stakes, which I actually really like. So it’s very much the beginning of a new adventure. I love the world, the tone, and the theme. The Pictomancer looks super cute, the Viper looks super badass. I looked at some gear sets and they look pretty cool. I haven’t read any of the previews from the level 100 job changes. I haven’t looked at any of that. I’m a Black Mage main and it seems like it’s pretty intensely being discussed right now. So we’ll see how I feel. What about you?

TA: I’ve been avoiding the story stuff because I’ve been slowly making progress into Heavensward’s patches and I finally reached and put in about 15 hours into the main story of Stormblood on Steam Deck which is really cool. I’m very interested in the new visual upgrade, and to see how it runs on Steam Deck and consoles, also for new music from Soken of course.

RF: I’m actually going to Japan to see The Primals. I’m so excited for Tokyo Game Show. That’s gonna be fun, or I’m hoping to go I should say. The graphic stuff is really interesting, because in a work capacity, we have a really similar problem to them where we have a 10 year old game. We have PlayStation 4, but they are clearly much more complex with their MMO, you have to load so many player avatars, where we have a maximum of 50 in our relays. Looking at their graphics update stuff has been fascinating. I sent it to Steve Sinclair who was a graphics programmer, he’s now our CEO. I was kind of asking him about the graphics overhaul, you can see what they’ve done with character models and lighting, and everything. We were looking at it, because we’re coming to a point now where we need to be looking at some of our graphics like our operators for instance. Those are now 10 years old so the texture work, and the rendering and everything we used for those, I would love to revisit in the same way. We already did an engine overhaul. We enhanced our renderer and we support GI lighting as recently as last year. So we’re always updating our graphics engine and programming, and all those things, but there are pieces where it’s gonna matter a lot to the players when it comes to their characters. It’s a shared struggle across long-running games.

TA: Have you been playing anything else aside from Final Fantasy XIV and Warframe lately?

RF: Honkai Star Rail. I’ve literally been playing it because I am just fascinated by it. My dearest colleague, AKA my work wife Pablo, is a die-hard Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail player and plays them so much. So finally, I decided to play Honkai Star Rail because whatever, and I’ve been playing every day. Just to see and learn. Balatro, I play until I fall asleep. I play Balatro so much. It is the best. Balatro is probably my most played game of the year, which is saying something. I’m obsessed, it’s so good.

TA: When I was watching one of the recent Devstreams, you mentioned Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. I’ve had loads of people tell me to watch it. Why do you like it so much and why should I watch it?

RF: You should watch Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End because it is a beautiful reflection on what time passing means to your identity, and what it means to the life you can live. It is pure art, and I love it so much, and I tried to tell someone in the office to watch it, and I couldn’t stop crying as I was talking to them. It’s got it all, Frieren is the best, and she’s so cool. It’s not what you expect because it’s so much more than just an anime. I love it so much. It’s just so beautiful.

TA: Okay, I’ll try watching one episode this week.

RF: Watch the first two episodes. You have to do it back to back. That’s it.

TA: As usual, for my last question, what coffee Are you drinking today?

RF: I had an iced vanilla latte with oat milk. It’s hot here. I’m sure it’s hotter where you are, but it’s hot here. I had my ice vanilla latte with oat milk. I made it over in our little cafeteria.

I’d like to thank Rebecca Ford and Tatum from Digital Extremes for their time here.

You can keep up with all our interviews here including our recent ones with M2 discussing shmups and more here, Digital Extremes for Warframe mobile, Team NINJA, Sonic Dream Team, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, and more. As usual, thanks for reading.

Note that this review will focus on how the KINGDOM HEARTS PC ports (all three bundles) play on Steam Deck. I will not be covering every individual game included here as there is no new content, and they have all been ported multiple times since their debut on PS4 to Xbox One, PC, and even through cloud versions on Nintendo Switch if you count that. I have tested all the games here on my Steam Deck OLED, and a few on the LCD model as well. All the games below were tested using Proton Experimental.

Before getting into the individual games and bundles here, you might be curious what makes the PC version worth considering. Currently, the KINGDOM HEARTS games on consoles are PS4 and Xbox One games running via backward compatibility on PS5 and Xbox Series X. There is no native current generation version. While this might not be a big deal for the likes of KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX which was already 4K 60, it would’ve helped in the newer releases. It is also worth noting that the KINGDOM HEARTS games on PC support frame rates above 60fps including in KINGDOM HEARTS III if your hardware can handle it at those high frame rates. All games here also support up to 4K and run out of the box on Steam Deck. I’ve not finished playing all of them considering I just got review codes before the weekend, but if you were hoping to experience or replay all the KINGDOM HEARTS games on Steam Deck, your wait has been worth it.

KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX Steam Deck Review

KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX is easily the best value proposition of the KINGDOM HEARTS games releasing on Steam this week. It originally released on PS3 as two separate bundles of older titles, but was brought to PS4 as a combined release. On Steam, KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX includes KINGDOM HEARTS FINAL MIX, KINGDOM HEARTS Re:Chain of Memories, KINGDOM HEARTS II FINAL MIX, KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days (HD cutscene compilation), KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep FINAL MIX, and KINGDOM HEARTS Re:coded (HD cutscene compilation). That is a lot of game for its asking price, but note that these are all older titles, so they have some quirks even though they look good when played on modern screens.

If you’re new to KINGDOM HEARTS, KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX itself is an easy recommendation. Having played it on PS3, PS4, and Xbox platforms over the years, KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX is perfect on Steam Deck, and playing it in portable on Valve’s handheld is my favorite version of this release. There are some things to keep in mind though when it comes to the performance across both Steam Deck LCD and OLED models.

Before playing it on Steam Deck, I redownloaded the release on Xbox to replay bits on my Xbox Series X just to get back into the groove. I forgot how clean most of the games in this package look on modern displays with this excellent remaster as well. Moving from Xbox Series X to my Steam Deck OLED was interesting because I found a few issues relating to frame rates above 60fps on not only the Steam Deck OLED screen, but also when played docked on my 144hz monitor.

KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX doesn’t have too many graphics or display options. From the config menu, you can adjust screen mode (fullscreen, borderless, and windowed), resolution (800×600 to 4K), frame rate (30, 60, 120, and uncapped), toggle v-sync (called refresh rate in-game), display brightness, and colorblind settings. There are no graphics options that I could find in games like KINGDOM HEARTS 2 HD. You can set the game to display Xbox, PlayStation, Generic, or auto-detect button prompts, and it also has keyboard input support.

As of now, it seems like there’s a bug relating to refresh rates higher than 60 and camera movement. I ended up having a better experience on my Steam Deck LCD than OLED out of the box. I fixed this by setting the OLED screen’s refresh rate to 60hz, enabling v-sync, and cap the game to 60fps in-game. I hope a 90hz fix is found or patched in. Leaving it at 90hz or 144hz on my main monitor even at a lower resolution to just see how the frame rate held up resulted in camera movement issues and even the game sometimes slowing down. I recommend sticking to the 60fps and 60hz refresh rate right now. If I discover a better solution, I’ll make sure to mention it here as an update.

Revisiting KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX on a portable natively has been amazing. The package is incredible value even today and it shines on Steam Deck. If you’ve never played a KINGDOM HEARTS game before, get KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX on Steam Deck immediately. I do recommend grabbing the full KINGDOM HEARTS INTEGRUM MASTERPIECE on discount for the best value overall though.

KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX Steam Deck Review Score: 4.5/5

KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue Steam Deck Review

KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue was actually the first KINGDOM HEARTS release I bought on PS4 back in the day. While most were excited for KINGDOM HEARTS 0.2 Birth by Sleep to get a taste of KINGDOM HEARTS III, I wanted to play KINGDOM HEARTS Dream Drop Distance HD (a remaster of the 3DS entry). This release also includes KINGDOM HEARTS χ Back Cover, the movie. After its release on PS4, KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue was brought to Xbox One and eventually the Epic Games Store for PC. A few years later, KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is now on Steam, and it works fine out of the box on Steam Deck.

On Steam Deck, KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue doesn’t have as many graphics options as you’d expect. You can adjust resolution (800×600 to 4K0, frame rate (30, 60, 120, and uncapped), refresh rate (v-sync), brightness, and colorblind options. These options seem common with the KINGDOM HEARTS games including the button prompt and keyboard options.

When it comes to performance, 60fps in KINGDOM HEARTS Dream Drop Distance HD is easy. Running it above 60fps caused some camera issues in the time I put into it. I ended up capping it to 60fps. Back Cover plays fine and doesn’t require any Proton changes like some speculated pre-release. KINGDOM HEARTS HD 0.2 Birth by Sleep cannot run at a locked 60fps on Steam Deck at 720 or 800p. It drops to the high 40s even early on. It can go way higher than 60 as well, but I would recommend playing this at 45fps at 90hz using the Steam Deck’s quick access menu if you have an OLED. If you want a locked 60fps, it seems like you will need to play at a lower resolution. I turned it down to 800×600 just to see, and 90fps seemed doable.

KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is not the best of the three KINGDOM HEARTS games releasing on Steam this week in terms of pure value, but it is still great for fans and worth playing if you’re going through the games one by one. It plays great out of the box on Steam Deck thankfully, but I don’t recommend buying this one on its own. I would recommend getting it through the combined bundle with all KINGDOM HEARTS releases right now.

KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue Steam Deck Review Score: 3.5/5

KINGDOM HEARTS III + Re Mind DLC Steam Deck Review

KINGDOM HEARTS III + Re Mind DLC (henceforth KINGDOM HEARTS III) is the newest release of this set that originally debuted in 2019 on PS4 and Xbox One. I played it on both PS4 Pro and Xbox One X at launch, and hadn’t really revisited it aside from the Re Mind DLC’s launch. Fast forward to today, I’ve been playing it on Steam Deck, and it runs out of the box without any trouble, but getting a locked 60fps requires some effort.

KINGDOM HEARTS III + Re Mind DLC includes the base game, a Steam exclusive keyblade, and the Re Mind DLC. Note that the concert video available on the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the DLC bundle is seemingly not included here. KINGDOM HEARTS III itself with the DLC is priced a lot lower than the same bundle on consoles. If you already played it on consoles, the reason to get it on PC specifically is to have much better performance, though that doesn’t really apply to Steam Deck out of the box.

On Steam Deck and PC, KINGDOM HEARTS III lets you adjust screen mode (fullscreen, windowed, borderless), resolution (800×600 to 4K), resolution scale (50 to 200), frame rate cap (30, 60, 120, and uncapped), toggle v-sync, display brightness, HDR (I could not get this to work at all on Steam Deck OLED even docked), HRD brightness, and colorblind options. The KINGDOM HEARTS III PC graphics options let you adjust presets (low, medium, high, max, or custom), texture quality (medium, high, max), shadow quality (low, medium, high, max), level of detail distance, character level of detail (low, medium, high, max), foliage level of detail (same options), anti-aliasing (off, FXAA, TXAA, or both), toggle motion blur, ambient occlusion (off, low, medium, high), capsule shadows (off, medium, high), screen space reflections (off, low, medium, high, max), volumetric clouds (medium, high), volumetric fog (low, medium, high), bloom (low, medium, high, max), toggle lens flare, and depth of field (off, medium, high, max).

Back when KINGDOM HEARTS III launched on PS4 and Xbox One, it also had PS4 Pro and Xbox One X support. I remember playing it all the way on PS4 Pro running at 1080p to get the best frame rate. I’ve since replayed it on Xbox Series X via backward compatibility, but the game did not hit close to a locked 60fps even at 900p on base PS4. This had me wondering how things would be on Steam Deck OLED. Playing at the low preset and native resolution (100 scale) results in 60fps nearly locked in the opening hours with some drops, but I ended up setting it to 75% render scale for a more consistent experience. Medium with a 60fps target sees drops to the high 50s often, and you can stick to playing at 45fps at 90hz on Steam Deck OLED here. The high preset runs in the low 50s often if not dropping to the 40s in parts so I would not recommend it unless you want to play at 40hz with some drops or even cap to 30fps. Based on what I’ve played, I’d stick to the medium preset with some tweaks or play at low if you want the closest to a locked 60fps experience.

I decided to see if 90fps was possible at all next. Turning it to low, running at 720p (800p renders at 16:9), and using a 50% render scale still sees drops to the 80s often if not lower even early on, and seeing some drops to even the high 50s. Don’t bother attempting to get 90fps here. Running at the max preset and native resolution results in drops to the mid 30s often. I’d only use this if you want to play with a 30fps cap.

KINGDOM HEARTS III lets you use Japanese or English voiceover options from the language options under game settings. It also has multiple subtitle options including full EFIGS and more. When it comes to controls, KINGDOM HEARTS III has keyboard support, but I didn’t test it. On the controller side, it lets you select from three button prompt options including PlayStation, Xbox, and a generic controller. You can set this to automatically detect button prompts as well.

While I wish a locked 60fps was possible with better visuals, KINGDOM HEARTS III runs a lot better on Steam Deck than I expected given how it was on base PS4. I hope the load times can be improved though because they seem long even when running off the Steam Deck OLED’s internal SSD.

One thing to note is that while PS4 and Xbox One had an option to buy a more expensive version of ReMind with a concert recording, the PC version doesn’t have that included or an option to upgrade to it. I hope this can be added at some point, but don’t expect it given how long it took to see this package hit Steam.

KINGDOM HEARTS III is a lot more demanding compared to the other releases here, and it understandably struggles to hit a locked 60fps out of the box on Steam Deck. With a bit of tweaking, that is possible though, and having native KINGDOM HEARTS III on a handheld with rock solid performance, is excellent. If you held off on the games on PS4 or Xbox One before, KINGDOM HEARTS III is a solid PC release that has no issues running on Steam Deck including its cut-scenes. I enjoyed my time revisiting it on the go.

KINGDOM HEARTS III + Re Mind DLC Steam Deck Review Score: 4/5

If you, like me, held off on getting the Kingdom Hearts games on the Epic Games Store on PC, your wait has been absolutely worth it. Every KINGDOM HEARTS game in these bundles runs without issue on Steam Deck out of the box. There is some tweaking needed for specific games if you want to play at higher frame rates though so keep that in mind. I hope this does well enough to get KINGDOM HEARTS: Melody of Memory on Steam in the near future.

Update: This review has been updated on June 20th, 2024 with the final review score for each game included here after testing more on the Steam Deck OLED and LCD models.

If you’ve not played the game in a while, check out the 2024 roadmap for what is due this year and more. You can get Diablo Immortal for free on the App Store for iOS here, Google Play for Android here, and PC here. Even though it has been a while since launch, I’m still curious to see if we get Diablo Immortal on Steam after Diablo 4 hit Valve’s storefront. What do you think of Diablo Immortal if you play it regularly and will you be trying out today’s update?

You can check out the Genshin Impact Cloud Open Beta version of the app on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for ANdroid here. Check out the official cloud client website here for the PC link. This release has arrived before the upcoming major version 5.0 update that has upgraded visuals. Read about that here. If you’d like to play Genshin Impact (natively) and don’t own it yet, you can download it for free on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. The PC version is available on the official website here and the Epic Games Store. If you play on iOS, with iOS 14.5 or iPadOS 14.5 and later, you can use PS5 and Xbox Series X|S controllers to play Genshin Impact. We featured Genshin Impact as our Game of the Week when it released and awarded it our 2020 Game of the Year. I also featured it as one of the best iOS games to play with a controller. What do you think of Genshin Impact Cloud and will you be trying it if you’re in a supported location?

If you’d like to play Sonic Dream Team, you can grab it here on the App Store for Apple Arcade. Head over to our forum thread for the game here for more discussion. With three major content updates done, I’m curious to see what comes next for the game, and whether Apple and SEGA bring more to it leading into the release of Sonic X Shadow Generations. What do you think of Sonic Dream Team so far if you’ve played it, and what do you want to see in potential future updates?

Watch the Avatar Legends: Realms Collide new gameplay trailer below:

If you’d like to play it at launch, you can pre-order Avatar Legends: Realms Collide on the App Store for iOS here and pre-register for it on Google Play for Android here. Check out the official website here. The Avatar Legends: Realms Collide background story has been written by Tim Hedrick (Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra). Avatar Legends: Realms Collide is free to play and the App Store has an estimated release date of August 28th listed. An official release date is yet to be announced. The in app purchases right now look like placeholders for different VIP and Supreme bundles. What do you think of Avatar Legends: Realms Collide and will you be playing it launch?

I’m going to cover how Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance feels for those who played the original and also for newcomers who likely are going to experience Shin Megami Tensei V for the first time through Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. This review will not have any story spoilers for the base game or the new Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance route. I will also be covering how Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance feels on Nintendo Switch compared to the original, which platform you should buy it on if you’re new to the game, and more.

It feels weird writing about Shin Megami Tensei V as a new release but here we are. After more than four playthroughs of the original, I wanted to keep playing more, but I decided to wait for potential ports or a re-release. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance isn’t just a new enhanced port for current consoles and PC, but a dramatic improvement in just about every way over the original. After having beaten Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance twice and currently halfway through my third full playthrough, I can safely say that this is one of Atlus’ best games for replaying. I just love spending time in the world, so what exactly was changed or fixed in this new version?

Before getting into the story content, if you didn’t enjoy the open zones and general structure of Shin Megami Tensei V, that has not changed here. If you enjoyed everything the original had aside from its overall narrative (or lack thereof with many characters poorly developed or just tacked on), this Vengeance route is a huge improvement, but it also has many changes to the narrative. In a lot of ways, playing the original route in Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance feels like an enhanced new version of a game with quality of life features and all the technical improvements. The new route in Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance feels like a remixed take with new story content, new characters, lots of new voice acting, fantastic new music, new areas, changes to the original story, and its own different endings. Yes, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance’s new route doesn’t have just a single ending.

When you start a new save in Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, you get to choose which route you want to take soon after. Taking the girl’s hand results in you being on the Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance route, while not taking her hand results in you being on the original game’s route, but with the new features and quality of life improvements. If you play Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance on Switch, you get to carry over three demons into the compendium, some items, and additional items based on the endings you had in your save file. I laughed when three of my maxed out level 99 demons were carried over into Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance on Switch.

When it comes to the story, my issues with Shin Megami Tensei V weren’t that it wasn’t in your face throughout, or that I wanted more social elements. My issues were that some characters just showed up randomly during important moments when you don’t even remember they exist. One specific character seems to be super important, but I barely even remembered they existed until the ending of the game. The true ending in the original game also involved doing some missable quests that you wouldn’t even bother looking into unless you were going to complete every quest it had. I’ve done every quest the original game had on Switch with the DLC, and really thought they should have handled many aspects of the characters and story better.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance’s new route fixes most of this. Not only are there more interactions, but you actually see the cast grow with you and the world changing. Everything feels like it is part of a cohesive story that isn’t full of holes anymore. The new character interactions, additional dialogue in older scenes, remixed bosses, changes to cut-scenes, and more all come together to make Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance feel like the actual main game. I even enjoyed having Yoko in older story moments with new voiced dialogue and more context to specific situations. Barring Yoko, the major new story addition is the Qadistu. I won’t reveal too much about them, but they definitely served to improve Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance’s story a lot, and I enjoyed every interaction I had with them.

I can’t comment on every ending Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance has, but the ones I did get I liked. I did like the change to going for different paths here compared to the original. Knowledge from the original does help in a small way, but be prepared to have Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance surprise you both mechanically and narratively.

Before getting into the visual and performance improvements and other technical details, I want to highlight some of the gameplay changes in Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. I can’t say for sure if this was only because of some of the new features, or because I knew every older map in and out, but I found Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance easier overall. Being able to save anywhere and using the sky view made exploration much less stressful here. Beyond that, the combat changes and additional negotiation options make Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance feel more complete. The only thing I dislike is the change to the Estoma ability that uses Magatsuhi gauge here instead of MP. You can’t spam it like you could in the vanilla game, and I got annoyed at the amount of enemy encounters in one specific map here. The challenge mode is also a lovely addition because I enjoy taking on older bosses or enemies again. I didn’t finish it all because it feels like a lot of it is meant for min-maxing.

If you’re new to Shin Megami Tensei V in general, I think the new Vengeance route is basically better than the original in every way. I’m curious how people who play this route first and then play the original will feel about the story across both. If you already played Shin Megami Tensei V, playing the Vengeance route will feel amazing with the story additions, changes to existing aspects of the game, and all the new boss fights and music. Even if this release just included the Vengeance route and was only on Switch, I would’ve been satisfied. Thankfully, Atlus and Sega have brought Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance complete with the original route and prior DLC to all current and last generation platforms.

Visually, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is a huge upgrade over the vanilla game since I focused on playing it on Steam Deck. Aside from the massive image quality and frame rate improvements over Switch, the new areas in the game are gorgeous. You saw some of these in the “New Locations" trailer, but seeing them in game at a high resolution is really something. When it comes to character models and new demons, I think Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is one of Atlus’ strongest releases in years. It has an impeccable aesthetic that oozes the Shin Megami Tensei vibe I love from Atlus. This also carries over into its music.

I’ve never hid the fact that Shin Megami Tensei V has a sublime soundtrack. I listen to it regularly even years after it was originally released. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance’s new music feels like a blend of Ryota Kozuka looking to deliver something that lives up to Shin Megami Tensei V, but also reaching back into his Shin Megami Tensei IV vibe. The new boss themes in particular are amazing. I can’t wait for the full new soundtrack to be released. Outside the music, the new voice acting in Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is very good across the board. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance might be my favorite Atlus re-release yet, and I don’t say that lightly.

I’ve been playing it on Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and PS5. On Steam Deck, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance arrives Steam Deck Verified. This isn’t always a guarantee of something running well, but having done more than two full playthroughs specifically on Steam Deck, I’m very impressed by how Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance looks and runs.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Steam Deck settings, graphics options, and features

If you play on a Steam Deck OLED, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance can hit 90fps (and even higher on both Steam Decks when played docked) in many areas of the game, but it isn’t locked 90fps. At the default preset by turning a few things up and shadows down, I only saw it drop below 60fps in a few specific situations, but it almost always runs well above. The menus are capped at 60fps though. On my Steam Deck OLED specifically in handheld mode, it regularly runs at above 80fps even while exploring. The major area I noticed frame drops below 60 was the Fairy Village. You go there quite early on. Even the new locations hold up really well including the more open areas.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance on PC doesn’t have 16:10 support, but it has Steam Cloud support and full controller support. If you aren’t happy with the image quality at 800p, I recommend forcing 1080p for the internal display and playing at 30 or 45hz with some drops for the most crisp handheld experience. Speaking of handheld experience, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance even on its default PC settings at 800p on Steam Deck is a huge upgrade in visuals and performance over the docked Nintendo Switch version that rarely held a stable 30.

I also played Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance on my 1440p 144hz display to see how it felt there. 1080p 60fps isn’t really possible on Steam Deck. I also tested 1440p and 4K and you can imagine how that went. I stuck to playing at 720p even docked to see how the game held up at frame rates above 90fps. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance can easily hit above 100fps on Steam Deck at 720p even in some open areas. It just isn’t consistent and you’re better off locking it at 60fps or playing with a 90fps target and fluctuations. VRR would’ve helped a lot on the Steam Deck OLED’s 90hz screen in Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. You can play at a lower resolution of course, but I didn’t want to settle for under 720p here.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance’s PC port lets you choose button prompt options including an auto option, adjust keyboard controls, rebind controls for field and menus, and adjust a few graphics options. You can toggle ambient occlusion, motion blur, and anti-aliasing. The display options let you adjust screen mode (fullscreen, borderless, windowed), resolution (640×480 to 4K), toggle v-sync, and use a frame rate limit (30, 60, 90, 120, 144, unlimited). There are no additional options, and I was hoping to see draw distance and other features we see in Unreal Engine PC ports. Hopefully this can be added in a potential update.

Overall, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is an absolute joy to play, and it might be my favorite console to PC conversion that I’ve played on Steam Deck alongside Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth for 2024. The load times are also very fast on Deck.

Shin Megami Tensei V Vs Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance on Nintendo Switch

Having beaten Shin Megami Tensei V on Switch multiple times years ago, I was curious to see how this new upgraded version of the game felt on the same platform. There are now a few more post processing options even on consoles like anti-aliasing which you can toggle on. It just can’t handle the game and drops from 30fps even indoors on Nintendo Switch both docked and handheld. I got used to it and put over 30 hours into the game on Switch OLED. If you played the original and enjoyed it on Switch, you will not have trouble playing this new version.

Comparing Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance to Shin Megami Tensei V has some visual changes. Even the FOV seems a bit different in the wide option the game has compared to the original. Beyond that, the new post-processing option toggles are not present in the original game either. I didn’t have enough time to test every location to compare because I was focusing on the Steam Deck version for this review, but it feels like Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance isn’t going to be much different in terms of performance compared to the original. If you are ok with that and want to play the new route on the same platform, this version is fine.

On the PS5 side, I can’t remember the last time I was this impressed by the glow up a game has seen moving from Switch to PS5/Xbox Series X. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance looks incredibly crisp, runs flawlessly, and loads instantly on PS5. It even has PS5 Activity Card support.

Having played it on Steam Deck (main platform), Switch, Switch Lite, PS4 on PS5, and the native PS5 version, you might be wondering how the Xbox version is. Well, I didn’t take a code on that platform because I pre-ordered it there already. If there’s a notable difference between Xbox and PS5, I’ll update this review in the future.

Should you get Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance on PS5 or Switch?

At this stage, the only reason I’d recommend anyone play the Switch version is if they have no other platform to play it on and want to exclusively play in handheld mode. The downgrades compared to current platforms are just too big right now. Obviously this wasn’t an issue back at launch, but for those who have multiple platforms, keep in mind that every other version is better right now, and it absolutely shines on both Steam Deck and PS5. Hopefully Atlus can do an upgrade for the Nintendo Switch successor for those who buy Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance on Switch right now.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance isn’t just the definitive version of a game I loved years ago, but one of Atlus’ best RPGs in a long time. I always enjoy revisiting games I love every few years, but Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is just an incredible upgrade and release on its own. It is one of the best games you can play on Steam Deck in general, not just for this year.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Steam Deck Review Score: 5/5

If you’d like to play The Case of the Golden Idol on mobile and have an active Netflix subscription, you can grab it on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. The Case of the Golden Idol on Steam is available for $17.99 with the two DLC packs (that are incredible) are priced at $5.99 each. Check out the complete game and DLC here on Steam. Have you played The Case of the Golden Idol before, or will you be jumping into it for the first time on mobile through Netflix today?

After playing and enjoying M2’s on Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade and G Darius HD, I started buying every M2 ShotTriggers release on the PS Store and eShop in Japan. I knew I had to interview the team about these games, and that’s where today’s feature comes into the picture. I got a chance to chat with M2’s Yukiko Karashima and Naoki Horii about working on G Darius HD, M2 ShotTriggers, more Switch Ports, potential PS5 releases, Steam Deck, whether Mushihimesama Futari is happening, and more.

TouchArcade (TA): For those unaware, tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do at M2.

Yukiko Karashima (YK): I’m a director at M2 Co., Ltd., and was in charge of the G Darius HD port. I managed the overall planning and progress of the project, and handled the slowdown adjustment and other tasks.

Naoki Horii (NH): By building and running a company, I can produce the games I want to play. It’s like having a farm and growing the crops that you like. Apparently, my public title is CEO or something like that.

TA: In the last few years, we’ve seen many major M2 releases come to the West through ININ Games like the Taito releases. These include legendary games like G Darius HD, Darius Gaiden (in Arcade), and the Ray’Z collection. Which has been your favorite project so far?

NH: As a project that we put everything we had into, the Mega Drive/Genesis Gauntlet was my very favorite. We were all students, or living with our parents, so we were able to work on it until we were completely satisfied, without worrying about time or life pressures. There is a Japanese proverb that says, “The soul of the 3-year-old stays the same at 100," and only recently I came to realize that Gauntlet has always been my standard for everything we work on.

YK: I love and have feelings for all of them, but my personal favorite is Darius Gaiden, which is included in the Darius Cozmic Collection. I love shooting games, but I’m a beginner as far as skill goes. Darius Gaiden has a route with a pelican eel as the final boss, which is not too hard for beginners to clear. I would recommend even those who have never played a shooting game to give it a try.

TA: G Darius HD is a very special release because it was already amazing, but M2 did the huge 2.0 update making it basically perfect. What led to the team wanting to go above and beyond with G Darius HD for the 2.0 release?

YK: We started talking within the team about how awesome it would be to include everything up to G Darius Ver.2 even before the initial release. However, the slowdown adjustment work for G Darius was very difficult, and it took so long that we could not make it in time for the first release, so we talked with Taito and decided to do a 2.0 update. The team was very enthusiastic from the early stages of development, and although the porting was difficult, I was happy with all the things we were able to do.

TA: G Darius HD basically felt like an M2 ShotTriggers-lite release with how much it added. I wanted to know how M2 approaches gadgets for shmups?

YK: As with M2 ShotTriggers, we were reissuing a legendary shooting game for the modern era, so the G Darius HD gadgets were carefully considered and selected with the help of test players and staff familiar with the game, to make it accessible for new players and at the same time make it even more enjoyable for existing players. We then enlisted the help of programmers who specialize in analysis to implement everything.

In terms of the gadget design, we placed great importance on making them clearly visible and usable during game play. Because the game is a side-scroller, there is only so much free screen real-estate left for the large number of display elements, and the designers had a hard time fitting them on the screen.

Besides gadgets, M2 also focuses on recreating the play feel of the original game. The arcade version of G Darius uses the hardware to its limits and is very prone to slow down. In addition, because the background music is timed to the action with the amount of slowdown figured in, we took extra care in reproducing the slowdown.

Through Taito, we were able to hear from members involved in the development of the game about what they were doing back then, and with the cooperation of programmers, sound staff, and test players, we spent a long time repeatedly adjusting and testing the game to recreate it as best we could.
　

TA: The Darius series is very important to the industry, and I’m glad to see so much of it preserved perfectly thanks to M2. Is there anything more you’d like to do with Taito on Darius in the future?

NH: So Taito, what’s next? We still have Night Striker to work on before Darius!

YK: I’m interested in the other Darius titles that haven’t been ported yet, such as less well-known titles like Darius Wide that came out on mobile.

TA: I’ve bought every single M2 ShotTriggers release on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch through the Japanese or North American digital releases. Not all games are on all current platforms. Are there any plans to bring Battle Garegga, Ketsui, and Dangun Feveron to Switch?

NH: Yes, if we have the opportunity. Let me rephrase that. We’re always looking for that opportunity.

TA: Now that DoDonPachi DOJ (amazing work) has been brought to the M2 ShotTriggers lineup on PS4 and Switch, can we hope for Mushihimesama Futari?

NH: We’re always looking for the opportunity. There are so many things I want to do compared to what I can actually do, I have to do something about it. (Laughs)

TA: Are there plans to bring M2 releases to PS5 natively or should we expect to play them via backward compatibility only?

NH: It can be both, and we are always looking for opportunities. A 60+ fps environment, or rather a 120 fps environment, is very appealing, so I would definitely like to do something with that.

TA: How has M2 changed over the years in terms of the number of employees and are all the founders and key staff from when it was founded still more or less at the studio?

NH: In the first decade, there were a little over 10 employees, in the next decade it went up to 20 then over 30, and in the following decade it grew to over 50. The number of employees has increased in line with the scale of our games. There’s always a shortage of talent, so I’m glad that people want to join us.

TA: Has there been a project in the shoot em up genre that didn’t work out for M2 that you tried to pursue before?

NH: Perhaps the release of the Aleste Collection, in that it ended up taking until 2020. There were twists and turns, but I’m glad we were able to create something very satisfying.

TA: We spoke to you (Naoki Horii) back in 2021 about Darius Cozmic Revelation. Since then, we’ve seen M2 release more games on Steam through Taito. I wanted to know if there were plans for M2 to expand more titles for the Steam platform in the future including the M2 ShotTriggers lineup? I love them on Switch and PS5, but would also like to play them on my Steam Deck.

NH: Steam Deck sounds good. I have a feeling that by the time this interview is out in the world, I will probably be playing Devil Blade (Reboot). I’m very much looking forward to it.

(Editor’s note: This interview was conducted over a month ago, but it needed to be translated back and forth.)

TA: What are your thoughts on the state of the console industry in Japan and globally?

NH: There’s no longer that much of a difference in what PCs and consoles can do. It seems like the Switch is the only system that’s unique, but nowadays there are many gaming PCs inspired by the Switch’s style.

TA: What are you currently playing, and what did you enjoy the most in 2023?

NH: The most in 2023? It’s hard to narrow it down to just one. The game I’m playing the most right now is Dungeon Sweeper. It’s fun to just switch off and click away.

TA: How do you balance M2’s projects for external partners like Taito and ININ Games compared to M2’s internal projects?

NH: By setting up a production system that enables us to do our best in response to any requests that we think are worth doing. That’s what we aim to do, anyway. It really is difficult, though.

TA: Can you give us an update on what to expect from Aleste Branch?

NH: At the end of summer of 2023, we said “It’s pretty much done!" So we held an event where local shooting game developers could play test it and give us their opinions, and I remember seeing them and thinking we’ve finally (almost) completed the game. Seems like yesterday, but now it’s almost the summer of 2024. Isn’t that kind of crazy? It’s progressing well and is now nearly complete.

TA: Is there anything you’d like to say to your overseas fans of Taito projects and M2 ShotTriggers reading this?

NH: Thank you for always playing our games. I’m always happy to hear about what titles you want to play, what features you want, and so on. We want more and more people to experience the excitement (the “shooting game high," you can say) that you get with shooters. In my case, when I feel I get into that mode, the tip of my nose gets itchy, which is a problem.

TA: Do you like drinking coffee? What is your favorite coffee drink?

NH: Yes, I do. At cafes, I usually order coffee. I love Kilimanjaro coffee. Usually I just drink from cans (canned coffee is popular in Japan). I also love tea and green tea. My body is fueled by caffeine. That being said, if you have any recommendations for equipment, procedures, beans, etc. for making coffee at home, please let me know. I feel that what’s missing in my life is time spent doing those kinds of things.

I’d like to thank Yukiko Karashima and Naoki Horii from M2 and Derek and Dan from PR Hound for their time and help here.

You can keep up with all our interviews here including our recent ones with Digital Extremes for Warframe mobile, Team NINJA, Sonic Dream Team, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, and more. As usual, thanks for reading.

Check out our pre-order thread for Resident Evil 7 biohazard here. If you’d like to try Resident Evil 7 biohazard on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, you can pre-order it on the App Store for free here. It will be using MetalFX upscaling from Apple, and I hope it has an uncapped frame rate option. Resident Evil 7 biohazard will ship with an auto fire option and enhanced controls. If you’ve not tried the currently available games in the series on mobile yet, read my review of the iPhone 15 Pro version of Resident Evil 4 Remake here and Resident Evil Village here. Will you be trying out Resident Evil 7 biohazard when it arrives on July 2nd for iPhone 15 Pro and M1 or later iPad and Mac hardware?

Fallen Aces Episode 1 launches this Friday (for real)

Back when I wrote about the best boomer shooters on Steam Deck, I featured many New Blood games. For the second article I’m working on, I thought I’d wait for Fallen Aces to hit early access on Steam. During the PC Gaming Show 2024, we finally had a date for Fallen Aces Episode 1, and it is out this Friday. Watch the trailer below:

Nightdive announces Killing Time: Resurrected and The Thing: Remastered

Nightdive Studios announced Killing Time: Resurrected and The Thing: Remastered for Steam and other platforms including consoles. Both are due this year, and Nightdive Studios is so good at these remasters that I’m willing to buy just about anything to support the team. Killing Time debuted in 1995 while The Thing debuted in 2002. I can’t wait to play the remasters. Watch the trailers below:

Monster Hunter Wilds Crossplay, Street fighter 6 Year 2, and Kunitsu Gami

Capcom had a trio of announcements and reveals over the last few days. Monster Hunter Wilds had new footage that looks amazing, Street Fighter 6 revealed year 2 with Mai Shiranui, Terry Bogard, and Elena as highlights, and the final reveal was Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess launching on July 19th. I’m so excited for Year 2 of Street Fighter 6 with Mai and Terry joining. Monster Hunter Wilds adding crossplay is a huge deal, but the lack of cross progression is disappointing. Watch the trailers below:

Slitterhead release date and gameplay

Bokeh Game Studio announced that its horror game Slitterhead will launch on November 8th for Steam and consoles. Alongside the date, Xseed Games announced that it will be doing a physical release on console which I’m definitely going to get. Slitterhead’s gameplay looks interesting, but the vibe seems amazing. Watch the trailer below:

Persona 3 Reload Episode Aigis release date, Metaphor gameplay, and SMTV: Vengeance opening

Atlus announced that Persona 3 Reload’s Episode Aigis releases on September 10th for Expansion Pass owners with a new trailer. This is The Answer content from Persona 3 FES. I can’t wait to see how it plays in this remake. Atlus also revealed the opening title loop video for Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, something the series hasn’t had since Nocturne. Metaphor: ReFantazio saw an extended gameplay showcase as well, but the huge news is Metaphor is getting a Steam collector’s edition. Will this be one of the rare PC collector’s editions I order? I’ll find out soon. Watch the videos below:

Annapurna Interactive reveals Mixtape and Wanderstop

Annapurna Interactive had two major reveals during the many showcases of note. Both Mixtape and Wanderstop look excellent, and they are due for Steam and more. Wanderstop is a narrative-centric cozy game about change and tea coming to Steam and PS5 while Mixtape is a mixtape of memories coming to Steam, PS5, and Xbox Game Pass in 2025. Watch both trailers below:

Devolver Direct 2024 announcements: Tenjutsu, Neva, Talos 2 DLC, and more

Devolver Digital’s newest direct had Tenjutsu revealed, Neva getting gameplay, The Talos Principle 2 Road to Elysium DLC, and much more. Watch the whole showcase below:

Black Myth: Wukong release date and pre-orders

Game Science’s action RPG Black Myth: Wukong launches on August 20th for Steam and PS5 worldwide, and it looks like it might be a bit too much for Steam Deck. That will not stop me from trying though. Either way, the new trailer looks great and pre-orders are now live. Watch it below:

The Big Catch set for release in 2025, published by Xseed Games

During the IGN Live Preshow, Xseed Games announced that it is publishing The Big Catch, a 3D platformer inspired 5th and 6th generation console games, via Steam worldwide. It was a Kickstarter game back in 2022, and it is set for release next year with a demo now available. Watch the trailer for it below:

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO release date and pre-orders

Bandai Namco Entertainment announced the DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO release date for October 11th, and also opened pre-orders worldwide. DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO pre-orders include early access to Broly (Super), Gogeta (Super) and more characters. I’m excited to see how this one plays on Steam Deck. Watch the trailer for it below:

If you saw an announcement or reveal from Summer Game Fest 2024 on Steam Deck or PC that thought I should highlight, let me know in the comments below. As usual, thanks for reading.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is also coming to Switch in early 2025

Fellow Traveler and Jump Over the Age announced that Citizen Sleeper 2, previously confirmed for Xbox and PC, will also be coming to Nintendo Switch and PS5. Alongside more platforms getting confirmed, a new gameplay trailer released during the PC Gameing Show 2024. Watch it below:

Sonic X Shadow Generations release date

During Summer Game Fest 2024, SEGA confirmed that Sonic X Shadow Generations will launch worldwide on October 25th for Switch, PC, and other console platforms. A new trailer was also released with pre-orders going live digitally on all platforms. There is also a Digital Deluxe Edition as usual. Watch the Sonic X Shadow Generations release date trailer below:

HUNTERxHUNTER NENxIMPACT gets new trailer and Arc System Works publishing

Arc System Works announced that it will be publishing the 2D 3v3 fighter Hunter x Hunter Nen x Impact for PS5, Switch, and Steam this year outside Japan. A demo will be playable at Anime Expo 2024 from July 4th to 7th as well. The announcement trailer also confirms that Treasure Hunter Biscuit Krueger (Bisky) will be playable with Gon, Killua, Kurapika, Leorio, Hisoka, and Netero also announced. Watch the trailer below:

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind announced by Digital Eclipse

Digital Eclipse announced that it will be releasing Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind, a new retro-inspired adventure game for PC and consoles due late 2024. It looks like a lovely brawler, and I hope to try it out on Switch and Steam Deck when it launches. Watch the trailer below:

New Dredge expansion and physical release

Black Salt Games and Team17 announced Dredge’s The Iron Rig expansion coming August 15th for Switch, PC, and other consoles. Alongside this expansion that I will be playing on Switch and Steam Deck, a new physical collector’s edition has been announced. The Iron Rig is priced at $11.99. Watch the trailer below:

Indie horror game Fear the Spotlight announced for Switch

During Day of the Devs: Summer Game Fest Edition, Blumhouse Games and Cozy Game Pals revealed the first look at the indie horror game Fear the Spotlight. Fear the Spotlight is due this year for Switch, PC, and other console, and it looks like a great narrative 90s-inspired horror experience. Watch the trailer below:

Chasm creators Bit Kid announce World War II metroidvania WOLFHOUND

WOLFHOUND from Chasm creators Bit Kid has you fighting mutant nazis in a sci-fi WWII metroidvania experience due next year for Switch, Steam Deck, PC, and PS5. I liked Chasm a lot, and this is definitely one to keep an eye on. Watch the WOLFHOUND trailer below:

School-life tactics RPG Demonschool gets September release date

School-life tactics RPG Demonschool from Necrosoft Games and Ysbryd Games finally has a release date for Switch, Steam Deck, and other platforms. Due September 13th, Demonschool was showcased a few times over the weekend. I’ve included the release date trailer below, and it looks incredible.

Slay the Princess The Pristine Cut coming to Switch

Slay the Princess The Pristine Cut is an update and a console version for the excellent game from Black Tabby Games including loads of new content, a new ending, gallery, voiced dialogue, and much more. Slay the Princess The Pristine Cut is also getting a physical release on consoles. While it doesn’t have a definite release date, it is due this fall. Watch the Slay the Princess The Pristine Cut trailer below:

Moonstone Island Nintendo Switch release date announced

Announced during the Wholesome Direct Showcase 2024, Moonstone Island from Raw Fury arrives on June 19th for Nintendo Switch. This version includes a new roster of spirits, new rewards in the never-ending dungeon, a new marriage component, a decorator’s pass, and much more in addition to whatever was included when the game debuted on PC. Watch the trailer below:

If you saw an announcement or reveal from Summer Game Fest 2024 on Switch that thought I should highlight, let me know in the comments below. As usual, thanks for reading.

Resident Evil 2 Remake will also be coming to the same hardware, but it doesn’t have a confirmed release date yet. Both games will be free to try with a single in app purchase for a universal unlock for the full game. Both games also use MetalFX upscaling from Apple. Resident Evil 7 biohazard will also have an auto fire option with enhanced controls. This is good because both current games from Capcom on iPhone 15 Pro have bad touch controls. If you’ve not tried them yet, read my review of the iPhone 15 Pro version of Resident Evil 4 Remake here and Resident Evil Village here. Both Resident Evil 4 Remake’s full game unlock and Resident Evil Village on Apple hardware are discounted for a limited time. Resident Evil 4 Remake is a universal purchase including iOS, iPadOS, and macOS together with save syncing. Will you be trying out Resident Evil 7 biohazard and Resident Evil 2 Remake when they hit Apple hardware, and did you try Resident Evil 4 Remake and Resident Evil Village before?

Goat Simulator 3 Multiverse of Nonsense will also have a crossover featuring another Coffee Stain-published game and references to some other major franchises with the Capybara goat skin being included. I hope Goat Simulator 3 Multiverse of Nonsense hits Switch alongside the base game and that it arrives on iOS and Android sooner than later. You an wishlist Goat Simulator 3 Multiverse of Nonsense on Steam here. If you’ve not gotten the base game yet on mobile, you can buy Goat Simulator 3 on the App Store for iOS here on Google Play for Android here. Check out my review of the game on iOS here and Steam Deck here. If you want to try other games in the series, they are all here on the developer page on the App Store. These include Goat Simulator PAYDAY, Goat Simulator Waste of Space, Goat Simulator MMO Simulator, Goat Simulator GoatZ, and Goat Simulator itself. If you’d rather get them on Steam, check out the full bundle here. Have you played Goat Simulator 3 on any platform yet and what do you think of Goat Simulator 3 Multiverse of Nonsense so far?

Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure launches on July 25th for $19.99 on PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. It will be available for free to Netflix subscribers on iOS and Android the same day. It will likely also soft launch in the near future on Netflix in select regions ahead of its worldwide launch. If you’d like to try Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure before it launches, you can grab the demo on Steam here. Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure is already Steam Deck Verified ahead of its launch next month as well, which is great to see. What do you think of Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure so far and will you be playing the demo on Steam Deck?

TouchArcade (TA): For those unaware, tell us a little bit about yourself and Capybara Games.

Dan Vader (DV): I’m the Creative Director and I’m currently the director of Battle Vision Network. I’ve been doing design and writing at Capy since 2007. I’ve worked on a lot of our games in a design and creative capacity.

TA: While most people today likely know Capybara Games because of Critter Crunch or Might and Magic, I wanted to also cover some of the older games like Super Shove IT or Plant Life. How is the Capybara Games of today different from the one back in 2003? How is the studio philosophy and stuff like that right now?

DV: That’s one of the wild things. A lot of people that were there in the beginning, are still there. I’ve been there since 2007. People have been there a couple of years before me. There’s a lot of folks at the studio who we’ve all worked together for, you know, 15 plus years, which I think is kind of astonishing a bit in the industry to not have people leaving and moving around for whatever reason Capy has really high retention. And then the other cool thing is that we just had an influx of a bunch of new folks who have come from other corners of the industry that brought their expertise in. And so it’s a nice melting pot of the old school folks that have been there forever, and a bunch of new people that have different perspectives. And it’s just it’s gelling really, really nicely. The vibe is great these days.

TA: Sound Shapes was one of the few games which got me to buy a PS Vita back in the day. I wanted to know how it was for Capy working with the teams involved in Sound Shapes. I really love that game even today.

DV: Yeah, that’s a really special game. That was a really cool experience. So you know, we’re an indie studio in Toronto, Queasy games, the studio that made Sound Shapes was an indie studio. And so it was a really, I think to certain extent still is a really tight knit community that everyone knows everyone. And so Queasy was working on that game for a while, and I think just sort of casually they just needed some help. Like they were focused on the core experience, but they just didn’t have the person power to sort of explore the tool themselves. Make a bunch of levels sort of figure out the identity of the game and what you could do with their level editors.

So Capy lent me as a designer to them. And for you know, I think it was for over a year. Like almost all I did was just make levels all day long. And I just experimented and made tons of levels with different kinds of ideas. And the cool thing is you weren’t just making levels. You were making songs and levels. You were placing notes to make cool beats and songs and melodies that also provided gameplay and kind of told the little story. So for about a year or more, it was just me sort of exploring their tool and having frankly an amazing time doing it. Kind of learning a lot about level design. Those are the first level like levels that ever made. And then yeah, we sort of together through all those experimentation, I made hundreds hundreds of levels. And through all those experiments, experimentations we sort of figured out a plan for like the official albums that were going to be like the level packs that were presented to players.

And the really cool thing about it was we kept saying like, you know, those levels we made that were like the campaign. They were sort of there not to be the definitive experience. They were there to sort of give players ideas of what they could do. And the idea always was it’ll be really cool when the community makes levels that are better than ours. And we’re always wondering how long is that going to take.

And I think you know, I think some of us were like, oh yeah, in a month, I bet you they’re going to have like the stuff that’s mind-blowing better than ours. And the game was released and I swear to God it was like two days later. We’re like look at this stuff. Like what are people making? Like it was mind-blowing what people were making. And it was just that they were beautiful songs. Incredible visual art. You use blocks to basically buy everything. And then these like mind-blowing game play concepts. It was totally stunning to me with the community created. Yeah, it was such a special game. And I really, I just off every once in a while just like hear those songs again and just get back into that mode. Yeah, it’s such a wonderful game.

TA: You’ve been at the studio for a very long time now. What has been your favorite game to work on so far?

DV: That’s really tough. It’s kind of a toss up. It’s kind of a toss up between I think of the games where just like making games is hard. They’re all stressful, not none of them are not stressful. They’re always harder than you think. I think about what the game is and where it doesn’t matter how tough the week was, or how long the day was. When I found myself playing them for fun at night like playing a build not to test it not to find bugs, but just because I wanted to play it. I knew those were really special like games. So the two that come to mind are definitely Grindstone, like I played every level of it 10 times each. I played the whole thing and sometimes when I go to a cottage or something or on a vacation, I pull up my phone and I load up Grindstone to just play. So that was a really special game.

I think the one that they really like, not just me, but the studio and everyone that works on it has a really soft spot for Super Time Force. That was such a fun game because you know it will really encompass the humor and the wild sort of sense of humor in the studio. Like there was no like almost no ideas were left in the cutter and floor we put everything into that game. Like there’s a million jokes, a million Easter eggs. We just really poured ourselves into that game and it is one of the most happy games in terms of the vibe of it. So I love that game.

TA: Since we covered a bit of Grindstone, when I saw the trailer for Battle Vision Network, there’s an obvious Grindstone influence, because it feels like it’s picking up from that aesthetic. What are your inspirations for Battle Vision Network?

DV: The main inspiration was our own game Clash of Heroes. We were looking back at that design and sort of dusting it off, and sort of seeing what new ideas we could shake out of it because like I said, there’s a lot of nostalgia for the games we’ve made, and a desire to return to them and that is sort of how Battle Vision Network came about. There were a few dedicated folks at Capy who just like remembering nostalgia believe that multiplayer battles we used to have in the office, you know DS to DS, and we’re sort of tinkering with the prototype of what if we just built a multiplayer only version of this? A version of Battle Vision that was completely focused on a PvP experience. That was the main inspiration. What could we do with the Clash design we created?

Another big inspiration actually for it was Eurovision, like the contest. We were just thinking about the world, and we came up with the idea of a televised spectacle. Obviously the Olympics comes to mind, American NBA/NFL kind of stuff. Eurovision really spoke to us in terms of you never know what’s going to walk on stage on Eurovision and it can be one of the wildest things you’ve ever seen. We wanted something just like that. You just don’t know what team and what new units are going to come out of the universe, out of hyperspace and join this crazy melting pot.

Definitely Grindstone to a certain extent just in terms of what we learned a lot making and updating it over like five years. We learned a lot about that kind of development, and the idea of iterating on your own game live. Instead of just sort of happening into that, we wanted to build it from the ground up with that in mind.

TA: Is a lot of the team that worked on Grindstone also working on Battle Vision Network?

DV: A fair bit of the team has moved over to this. We’re always sort of working on a couple things at once, so it’s not everyone, but a lot of the Grindstone folks are now over here on Battle Vision Network.

TA: When I saw the trailer during the Day of the Devs media event, I figured it was going to be a Steam and Switch game. I was surprised to see it coming to Netflix for mobile, especially because Grindstone is one of the banner Apple Arcade games. How was it working with Netflix on this one?

DV: It’s been amazing so far. They were just really excited about Battle Vision Network, and about our games. It’s Netflix and they have a wide reach, a huge audience, and an audience for sort of every kind of thing. It feels like there’s a place for every kind of entertainment at Netflix.

Their enthusiasm for the game was something that really appealed to us. Obviously we loved working with Apple Arcade on Grindstone, and I think it really benefited from being in that launch, so it was a great time working with them, but it just came down to just wanting to sort of try a new thing. Also we really admire their enthusiasm for games. I see what you guys write about every week. There are a lot of really interesting games coming to Netflix Games, so it’s just sort of cool to think about where it’s going to lead.

TA: I feel like the focus at Netflix is quite different to where Apple is with Apple Arcade right now. Apple is still bringing quality indie games, but we are seeing a lot of older games arrive through “+" versions. If you’re going to release a boutique indie game right now on mobile and don’t want to do a standalone release, it feels like Netflix is a safe bet because you also get the reach of Android without being limited to just iOS. How has it been working on Android if you can talk about that?

DV: Yeah it’s still ongoing right. I’d say probably maybe even half of our studio are our Android users, and it’s exciting to be bringing one of our games to that audience. It’s great having the potential to reach that many more people simply because of servicing both platforms. We’re still working on it now so yeah.

TA: You mentioned having the PvP focus. Will the online be cross platform between Netflix Games and Steam?

DV: Yes

TA: Will Battle Vision Network have its own campaign for people who want to play solo?

DV: The interesting thing about Battle Vision Network is despite it being a PvP game, there’s a strong focus on the single player experience. There are challenges and narrative quests that sort of are agnostic of whether you win or lose a battle. Just by playing a battle against whoever no matter the outcome, you’re sort of moving the needle on all these different aspects of the game of your single player experience.

TA: I wanted to know are there any plans to do any crossovers with Grindstone and Battle Vision Network with characters appearing or maybe cosmetics and stuff like that?

I’m gonna say no comment for now.

TA: Will Battle Vision Network be optimized for Steam Deck?

DV: Our goal is to be fully Steam Deck ready at launch, but it’s too early to say based on where we are in development.

TA: How will the monetization work in Battle Vision Network across Steam and Netflix?

DV: Apart from the cost of entry (buying the game), monetization on PC is not planned for Battle Vision Network. Thanks to Netflix, the team also doesn’t have to worry about microtransactions and other monetization methods on mobile platforms.

As indie devs working with an Apple Arcade or Netflix allows us to focus on making the best game we can make, a fun game, and we don’t have to worry about monetization and sort of the gamification of those kinds of systems which are really tough to figure out. It can be really tricky and sometimes even controversial with players. By working with Netflix, we just have to focus on the game because none of that stuff exists for Netflix Games which is great.

TA: Can you comment on who is doing the music for Battle Vision Network?

DV: We are teaming back up with both Jim Guthrie (Sworcery) and Sam Webster (Grindstone). They’re collaborating on a kick ass soundtrack for the game. The track in the trailer is one of the new tracks for the game.

TA: Going back to Sworcery. You mentioned how it was working on Sound Shapes. I wanted to ask about how it has been working on Sword and Sworcery all those years and just revisiting it for updates.

DV: It’s amazing. We’ve still worked on porting to other platforms and updating it for newer devices, and it was a very small team that worked on that. So every time there’s a new version that needs to be put out or updated, those original folks have to jump back into it. I think they get very nostalgic, and there’s a lot of sharing of old memes, and old memories every time. It’s a very special project and was very formative for the studio.

I think the folks that were involved are super proud of it, and so it’s wonderful that we still get people requesting new versions, having it come to new platforms, and sharing their memories of it. We’re realizing how formative a game it was for a lot of people. It came out of a really interesting time for mobile games, and for indie games, and for sort of more narrative or arty games. It’s just a really special game that we’re super proud of.

TA: I still think it’s one of the best games I’ve ever played, and it’s unfortunate because of what’s happened with Twitter’s API with that aspect of the game lost. Those gimmick accounts for the game like Logfella and sharing stuff from the game to Twitter was really great. Good times.

I’d like to thank Dan Vader from Capybara Games and Jurge Cruz-Alvarez from popagenda for their time and help here.

You can keep up with all our interviews here including our recent ones with Simogo here, Amanita Design here, Akitoshi Kawazu, Kenji Ito, and Tomokazu Shibata here, Dave Oshry of New Blood, Digital Extremes for Warframe mobile, Team NINJA, Sonic Dream Team, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, and more. As usual, thanks for reading.

If you’d like to play The Dragon Prince: Xadia at launch, you can pre-order it on the App Store for iOS here and pre-register for it on Google Play for Android here. Check out Wonderstorm’s official website here and the Netflix page for The Dragon Prince show here. The store pages have screenshots showcasing gameplay as well if you don’t want to watch the trailer for the game. I’m not familiar with this show at all, but I will be trying out the game when it launches on July 30th worldwide. Have you

You can download Honkai Star Rail on the App Store for iOS here, on Google Play for Android here, and here on the Epic Games Store in addition to its regular PC version. Check it out here on PS5. Have you been playing Honkai Star Rail regularly since it launched on mobile, PC, and PS5 and what do you think of Honkai Star Rail 2.3 so far from its trailers?

If you’d like to grab it, you can get Assassin’s Creed Mirage for free on the App Store for iOS here. Note that it has the same DLC as the console versions available as in app purchases like the Deluxe Pack or various cosmetic packs. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is limited to A17 iPhone models and available on M1 chip or higher iPad models. It isn’t on macOS yet. I’m curious to see how Assassin’s Creed Mirage ends up doing on iPhone and iPad. Will you be playing it and what do you think of the performance analysis video for Assassin’s Creed Mirage?

Welcome back to the Outlands!
COMING SOON to @AppleArcade: Outlanders 2: Second Nature!

A new, courageous generation of outlanders is ready to redefine life on the Outlands!

Find it on Apple Arcade: https://t.co/K5mJzkK1Dc pic.twitter.com/MWmF4NdaDD

— Pomelo Games (@PomeloGames) June 6, 2024

Alongside Outlanders 2: Second Nature on Apple Arcade, side-scrolling action game Punch Kick Duck+ from Shaun Coleman and Zen Koi Pro+ from LandShark Games are joining as App Store Greats. Read our review of Punch Kick Duck ahead of its launch as well. If you’d like to play the games on Apple Arcade on July 3rd when they launch, you can sign up for Outlanders 2: Second Nature here, Punch Kick Duck+ here, and Zen Koi Pro+ here. I’m glad to see Outlanders 2: Second Nature for sure, but I’d prefer getting the standalone version of Punch Kick Duck+. What do you think of next month’s Apple Arcade games?

Disney Speedstorm is a free to play kart racer with Disney and Pixar characters and worlds. It is available in some regions as a soft launch on mobile. If you’d like to try out the soft launch, here’s the Disney Speedstorm soft launch App Store link. You can pre-register for it on Google Play for Android worldwide here and pre-order it on the App Store here (same link as the soft launch). It will support cross save at launch. On Steam and consoles, Disney Speedstorm is available now. The mobile version is free to play with various in app purchase sets of tokens. Have you played Disney Speedstorm on any platform before and will you be trying it on mobile when it does release?

As of this writing, a price point hasn’t been announced for Sniper Elite 4 on Apple devices. Sniper Elite 4 is priced at $59.99 on other platforms. I assume it will come to iPhone, iPad, and macOS with a universal purchase that is discounted for launch like every other iPhone 15 Pro big game port. I never played Sniper Elite 4 despite owning it, but will definitely be trying it out on iPhone 15 Pro to see how it plays with touch and controller. The new Apple version will include all gameplay features from the original. I’m hoping MrMacRight does a comparison as well when it launches. Have you played Sniper Elite 4 before, and will you be checking it out on iPhone 15 Pro, iPad, or macOS this holiday season?

Stitch. brings in a new Play Together category, the aquarium category, more hoops, a new daily Shikaku Reward hoop, and more this week. Cooking Mama: Cuisine! also has a Play Together event on right now until July 4th letting you play with friends and family and a new ingredient available daily during the event. The Play Together event in Goat Simulator+ lets you challenge friends and family in event challenges with a random goat and level daily. Zookeeper World brings in 12 new puzzles and infinite boost items with the next set of puzzles available on June 16th. Crayola Create and Play+ adds in Camp Create and Play as a creative adventure, Father’s Day cards, kite flying summer activities, and more in the newest update. Jetpack Joyride 2 brings in the pixel invasion event, Hunting of the Lost Skulls event, a new power-up, arcade mode additions, and more. The original Jetpack Joyride+ brings in the pirates in a new limited time event this week.

The final notable update is NBA 2K24 Arcade Edition bringing in eight new greatest of all time players including Kevin Garnett, Ben Wallace, Kevin Durant, Trae Young, and more. With the updates, check out our forum threads for Stitch. here, Cooking Mama: Cuisine! here, Zookeeper World here, Crayola Create and Play+ here, Goat Simulator+ here, Jetpack Joyride 2 here, Jetpack Joyride+ here, and NBA 2K24 Arcade Edition here. Head over to our dedicated thread for all things relating to Apple Arcade and every game included here. What do you think of these games if you’ve played them already and will you be trying the new Apple Arcade Original today?

If you’d like to try the closed beta, you can sign up for it here. Check out the official website here. You can wishlist Tribe Nine on Steam here. Like I said back in 2021, it is great to see Rui Komatsuzaki’s art in 3D again because this project continues to look excellent. Since 2021, the Danganronpa series has made its way to basically every platform now, and we even have Spike Chunsoft bringing Rain Code to Steam and other consoles following its debut on Switch. I’m very curious to play this one, even if I’m not a fan of the monetization. Did you play Danganronpa and what do you think of the new Tribe Nine trailer?

[Source: Dengeki Online]

Following today’s update, the major version 5.0 that has upgraded visuals is also planned for the future. Read about that here. If you’d like to play Genshin Impact and don’t own it yet, you can download it for free on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. The PC version is available on the official website here and the Epic Games Store. If you play on iOS, with iOS 14.5 or iPadOS 14.5 and later, you can use PS5 and Xbox Series X|S controllers to play Genshin Impact. We featured Genshin Impact as our Game of the Week when it released and awarded it our 2020 Game of the Year. I also featured it as one of the best iOS games to play with a controller. What do you think of Genshin Impact 4.7 so far and will you be playing it today?

Netflix’s game announcements with release dates:

Netflix Stories: Perfect Match – June 6

The Case of the Golden Idol – June 11

Hearts – June 18

Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit – June 25

Too Hot to Handle 3 – July 23 (previously July 18)

The Dragon Prince: Xadia – July 30

Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure – Summer 2024

Netflix games with no release date:

Don’t Starve Together

Harmonium: The Musical

Lab Rat

Netflix Stories: Emily in Paris

Netflix Stories: Selling Sunset

Rotwood

Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of The Rings Game

Those are quite a few game announcements, and I want to play at least five of those games. I’ll probably wait on Rotwood to hit mobile instead of playing it through early access on Steam next. Don’t Starve Together and The Case of the Golden Idol are the big indie gets for sure from the games I’ve played before, but I will be getting both on Netflix for sure. What do you think of the announcements and what do you want to play from Netflix’s new games?

If you’d like to play Wildfrost on mobile, you can get it on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Wildfrost on Steam and Switch is priced at $19.99. The iOS and Android version is free to start with a $6.99 in app purchase to unlock the full game. Wildfrost on mobile supports English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese languages. Check out our forum thread for Wildfrost here. Hopefully we get a release date for the update hitting mobile soon. Have you played Wildfrost on mobile yet, and what do you think of this update?

Skul: The Hero Slayer on mobile includes a revamped interface for touch, Game Center achievements, cloud save support, MFi controller support, and iPhone 15 series optimizations. Skul: The Hero Slayer is priced at $19.99 on PC and consoles. The mobile version will be $7.99 with a launch discount bringing it to $6.99 or $7.19 depending on region and platform. If you’d like to grab it today, you can buy Skul: The Hero Slayer on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Have you played Skul: The Hero Slayer on PC or console before, and will you be getting it on mobile this week?

I played a bit of the update on Steam Deck, and it is amazing as expected for this game. If you’ve not played Mini Motorways yet and subscribe to Apple Arcade, you can grab it here on the service, on Steam here, and on Nintendo Switch here. Head over to our forum thread for Mini Motorways here for more discussion around it. For all other Apple Arcade related things, check out our dedicated Apple Arcade forum for discussion on the service and every game included here. What do you think of today’s major Mini Motorways update and do you play the game regularly on Apple Arcade or other platforms?

I decided to put together a list of the best looking Nintendo games on Switch right now, and it has been difficult to narrow it down to just 10. This list includes my picks for the best looking Switch games since the platform debuted back in 2017. Note that this isn’t just about games that run at the best resolution or frame rate, with art direction and more also factoring into how I decide on what games to include. With Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door’s recent release, I felt the time was right to finally get around to this with how gorgeous it is. Only Nintendo-published games are included here, but if you’d like us to do one on the best-looking third party releases, please let us know. As usual, this list is in no particular order.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder ($59.99)

Super Mario Bros. Wonder isn’t just the freshest the 2D Mario games have felt since the SNES days, but it also happens to be a gorgeous and creative game throughout. I haven’t stopped thinking about it after playing it, and it is the first Mario game that hits the same highs as Super Mario Odyssey, also featured in this article, does. If you’ve ever wanted to experience pure creativity and some of the best art direction from Nintendo, look no further.

Splatoon 3 ($59.99)

I thought Splatoon 2 looked excellent on Switch, but Splatoon 3 pushed things quite a bit in its ambition throughout the single player campaign and the DLC which I adore. It also fixed most of my issues with Splatoon 2 making it a much better game overall. Splatoon 3 is another game that excels in its designs and direction, and ends up being one of the best-looking and feeling games on the system. I just hope we eventually get the Splatoon 1 campaign fully redone on Switch in some form. Given how good the Splatoon games look and run in handheld mode on Switch, I can’t wait to see what the team pulls off in the future.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 ($59.99)

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 might be one of the most ambitious Nintendo games, but it was not great in handheld mode. I played it for hundreds of hours and kept wishing it looked better, but given it was the first full game for Switch by Monolith Soft, it was understandable. We saw some minor improvements in the standalone DLC, but Xenoblade Chronicles 3 ended up being a big step up technically. Even the Future Redeemed DLC felt great to play handheld. The Xenoblade Chronicles games have always had gorgeous worlds, but Xenoblade Chronicles 3 with characters like Eunie match the excellent designs we saw with the likes of Mythra in Xenoblade Chronicles 2. While I may prefer Xenoblade Chronicles 2 overall when it comes to its music and story, there’s no denying how much better Xenoblade Chronicles 3 looks. I can’t wait to see what we get from Monolith Soft.

Metroid Prime Remastered ($39.99)

Despite being called a remaster, Metroid Prime Remastered felt more like a ground up remake for Nintendo Switch. As my first proper experience with Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime Remastered was a gorgeous and smooth experience throughout when played docked and handheld. It also helps that it is priced lower than other Nintendo games making it an easy entry point if you want to experience this landmark title. I hope we see Metroid Prime 2 and 3 on Switch in some form.

Fire Emblem Engage ($59.99)

When Fire Emblem Engage was first revealed, I refused to believe the game would look as good on the console as it did in the trailer. As much as I love Fire Emblem Three Houses, it had a lot of technical issues. When I got my Collector’s Edition for Fire Emblem Engage, I was floored by how good it looked handheld on my Switch OLED. Fire Emblem Engage looks and runs very well, but I ended up loving the character designs quite a bit more than I expected. It is the most polished Fire Emblem game we’ve gotten on Switch for sure, and I love Mika Pikazo’s designs. I didn’t care much for the DLC, but the base game is excellent. The opening song is already playing in my head right now just thinking about it and…EMBLEM ENGAGE!

Super Mario Odyssey ($59.99)

Back in 2017, I kept telling people that Nintendo’s 5/5 game was actually Super Mario Odyssey and not Breath of the Wild, because I had no complaints with it at all. Revisiting it a few months ago when Super Mario Bros. Wonder released only reminded me of how amazing it was. While it has some technical issues in New Donk City, Super Mario Odyssey is a gorgeous game and my favorite 3D platformer of all time. It feels like a game we will be talking about for ages, and I can’t wait to see what the team works on next.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild ($59.99)

You might be wondering why I included The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild over Tears of the Kingdom given how much more ambitious the latter is. Looking back at both games, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the more polished visual experience despite the absolute craziness possible in Tears of the Kingdom. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has a bit too many minor visual issues that hold it back, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a game I look back on more fondly now. It may be a cross generation release, but The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is basically the best launch title for any current console, and a sublime experience in handheld mode on Switch, especially on the OLED model.

Luigi’s Mansion 3 ($59.99)

When I first played Luigi’s Mansion 3, I was stunned at how good it looked. I still tell most friends who upgrade to the Nintendo Switch OLED model to play this game as soon as they can, because Next Level Games’ art direction and technical prowess on Switch is great. I never got around to playing the DLC much so I can’t comment on it, but the base release of Luigi’s Mansion 3 is absolutely one of the best looking Nintendo games in a long time.

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door ($59.99)

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door on Nintendo Switch is basically a new game for me because I never played the original. I loved Paper Mario: The Origami King in most ways, and I kept hoping we’d see more of the series playable on Switch. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is gorgeous across the board. My only real complaint is some menus not feeling as responsive. It is unfortunate that it isn’t 60fps like the original, but having not played the original, I can’t comment whether the combat is better or worse here. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is a gorgeous game across the board though when played handheld.

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon ($59.99)

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon might be a surprise for some folks here, but I just can’t get over how much of an impression it made on me when I first played it. It oozes creativity and is gorgeous across its environments, character designs, and animation work. While the free demo doesn’t make the best impression with its basic gameplay, the full game is an easy recommendation, and one of PlatinumGames’ best releases in recent times. If you have no interest in buying the game, at least try the free demo to see how you find the visuals.

That’s my list then. If you have a game you think I should’ve included, please let me know in the comments below. It is going to be interesting to see what else Nintendo has in store for the Switch leading into 2025. Writing about these games just makes me want to replay all of them, especially Xenoblade Chronicles 3. As always, thanks for reading!

Monster Hunter Puzzles is set on the Felyne Isles, and you will be helping the various characters by building various things on the island and helping them rebuild their businesses. If you’d like to play Monster Hunter Puzzles at launch, you can pre-order it on the App Store for iOS here and pre-register for it on Google Play for Android here. Monster Hunter Puzzles is a free to play game with various in app purchases. The App Store lists different packs, but the contents of these packs is not known. I assume it will have the usual match 3 puzzle free to play consumables and some Monster Hunter themed ones. Check out the official game website here. Will you be playing Monster Hunter Puzzles when it launches later this month?

This update arrives ahead of the major version 5.0 that has upgraded visuals. Read about that here. If you’d like to play Genshin Impact and don’t own it yet, you can download it for free on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. The PC version is available on the official website here and the Epic Games Store. If you play on iOS, with iOS 14.5 or iPadOS 14.5 and later, you can use PS5 and Xbox Series X|S controllers to play Genshin Impact. We featured Genshin Impact as our Game of the Week when it released and awarded it our 2020 Game of the Year. I also featured it as one of the best iOS games to play with a controller. What do you think of Genshin Impact 4.7 so far and will you be playing it later this week?

Steam Deck Game Reviews & Impressions

This week’s edition has many reviews and Steam Deck impressions covering new and old games. There are a few I’ve been playing for over a month now, that got major patches specifically for Steam Deck as well.

MEGATON MUSASHI W: WIRED Steam Deck Review

Level-5’s first major release in the West after Yo-Kai Watch 3 is here many years later, and it is equal parts impressive and surprising. I’m working on a full review for MEGATON MUSASHI W: WIRED on Switch, but I’ve also been playing it on Steam Deck. Ahead of my review of the console version, I wanted to cover how it feels on Steam Deck, and why I’m very impressed with Level-5’s newest release.

My early thoughts on the game itself are very positive across its story, music, and gameplay. MEGATON MUSASHI W: WIRED feels like a blend of what I love from Level-5’s games with its charm and aesthetic accompanied by the bits I love from the Gundam Breaker series. I’ve been very impressed with just how much voice acting the story has, and how much fun the game is even in the main story. I’m nearly done with the story, but even if there was nothing beyond the story, I’d be satisfied with this. There is a lot more though thankfully.

When you first launch MEGATON MUSASHI W: WIRED on Steam Deck, it installs Epic Online Services for cross platform online. What I didn’t know until recently is that MEGATON MUSASHI W: WIRED also supports full cross progression. I got my Nintendo Switch save to Steam Deck after linking my accounts and synced back without issues. I can’t wait to also do this for the PS5 version when I get it there.

MEGATON MUSASHI W: WIRED on Steam Deck has no issues right now. I played on my LCD and OLED models online and offline. Everything works fine including video playback in cut-scenes and it controls like a dream. The game has Steam Cloud support but doesn’t support the 16:10 display. It is 16:9. You can play at well above 60fps on the OLED Steam Deck as well.

On Steam Deck and in the PC port, MEGATON MUSASHI W: WIRED lets you adjust resolution, toggle v-sync, toggle HDR (this is currently broken on Steam Deck), change graphics presets, add a frame rate limit (unlimited support), shadow quality, toggle visual depth, toggle bloom, use anti-aliasing, and adjust texture quality. I only adjusted the shadow quality and left everything on default to play on Steam Deck in handheld mode. It plays a lot better than the Switch version, but the latter is quite impressive given the visuals.

I would recommend locking to 60fps for the most stable experience as 90fps isn’t feasible unless you’re ok with some drops to the high 70s. Outside that, you can safely get the game on Steam Deck. I’m surprised it isn’t Steam Deck Verified already. I’m also glad I decided to play the game on Steam Deck when a friend of mine and site reader told me about it running well.

As of now, MEGATON MUSASHI W: WIRED has been one of the biggest surprises of 2024 alongside Granblue Fantasy: Relink. I can’t wait to finish it for my Switch review and also start playing it online with friends on PS5 through cross save and cross play. Hopefully Level-5’s next releases are this good when they launch in the near future.

The Rogue Prince of Persia Steam Deck Review

The Rogue Prince of Persia was definitely one of the biggest surprise announcements of 2024. Evil Empire, most known for its work on Dead Cells content, has developed an action roguelite in the beloved Prince of Persia series published by Ubisoft, and it is currently available in early access on Steam. I’ve been playing The Rogue Prince of Persia for about a week now on Steam Deck, and it is already a super solid base for the future.

Given Evil Empire handled a lot of post launch and content for Dead Cells, I thought The Rogue Prince of Persia might play like it, but it has enough going on to feel like its own thing. I love the aesthetic and animations, but the real star is the gameplay and variety across the board. Even in its current state, The Rogue Prince of Persia feels a lot better than most early access games, but it is held back by some technical issues. Note that I’ve only played The Rogue Prince of Persia on Steam Deck LCD and OLED, so I can’t confirm if any of the issues also apply to the game on Windows.

Since the early access roadmap mentions a lot coming, I’m not going to do a full scored review for The Rogue Prince of Persia. I will be covering what is available right now, including the slick gameplay and sublime music. After a brief tutorial explaining the basics of combat and movement, you get to play the real game. Ubisoft and Evil Empire have shipped quite a bit here with bosses, biomes, weapons, modifiers, and more, but don’t come into this expecting it to give you as much freedom as Dead Cells.

Since launch a few days ago, the developers have commented on optimization for Steam Deck, and also mentioned that they are waiting on Steam Deck Verification right now. The big issue right now on Steam Deck is micro stuttering that happens even when playing at 30fps. I mitigated this somewhat by playing at 45hz or 50hz on my Steam Deck OLED, but it isn’t ideal. The game is 16:9 and not 16:10, but it does support Steam Cloud and thankfully doesn’t have its own game launcher to worry about.

While this year’s prior Prince of Persia release was released on basically everything but Steam, The Rogue Prince of Persia is only on Steam for now. Given the early access release, that makes sense, but it is still quite funny.

I’ll be checking out all the major updates The Rogue Prince of Persia gets, but I have very few complaints with the game right now. Outside some performance issues, it plays great on Steam Deck, and I can’t wait to see how it evolves over time. If you enjoy roguelites and like platforming, The Rogue Prince of Persia is worth your time right now. Hopefully the few issues can be ironed out soon so the developers can focus on bringing in more content to the release.

The Rogue Prince of Persia Steam Deck Review Score: Early Access/TBA

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord 1.0 Steam Deck (and Switch) Impressions

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord finally hit 1.0 last week following its early access launch before on Steam. With its 1.0 release, Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is now available on PC, PS5, Xbox, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. I had already played the early access release, but I’ve been playing the 1.0 version on both Steam Deck and Switch thanks to early codes from Digital Eclipse. Shaun will be doing a full review of the remake on Switch next week, but I wanted to cover how it feels on both Steam Deck and Switch right now.

If you’ve not kept up with Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, it is a full 3D remake built upon the original game, which is one of the most important games in RPG history. While not a Gold Master series release from Digital Eclipse, Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord does a lot to make the original game experience not only available on modern systems with its old school options, but also provide some accessibility or quality of life features for newcomers.

When you start the game, you can either use preset old school options for modern, original, console, or custom builds. It defaults to modern, but you can tweak things manually and individually here. Aside from that, I still love how the original game is presented on the bottom right of the screen while you’re playing with 3D visuals. I didn’t play much of the recent updates, but Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord 1.0 feels quite a bit more polished and stable than the early access build I played.

On Steam Deck, Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord runs without issues out of the box, but I recommend manually setting it to 800p. It is capped at 60fps as far as I can tell on Steam Deck regardless of your display refresh rate. It has no trouble running at 60fps, but you can play it at 30fps if you’d like to save some battery. I stuck to 60fps on Steam Deck. The Switch version also looks nice, but it has more input lag and is capped at 30fps. It isn’t a bad experience, and I’ll be getting the Japanese physical release when it goes up for pre-order for sure.

Ahead of Shaun’s full review, I recommend reading his extended interview about Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord with Robert Woodhead and Digital Eclipse here.

Ouros Steam Deck Review

In this busy month of massive RPGs or tons of quality indie releases, it is always good to find something to play as a way to relax. Ouros from developer Michael Kamm has been that game for me over the last few days. It is a spline-based puzzle game shipping with over 120 puzzles, elegant visuals, and relaxing music.

The early puzzles introduce you to the basic mechanics of pulling orbs apart to form curves. Your aim is to form a curve for a moving orb to glide on a specific path. With each new level or area, more modifiers are added requiring different approaches to what looks simple. If you aren’t a fan of puzzle games like this, Ouros won’t change your mind, but I can’t imagine it won’t be worth the low asking price for the few hours you get out of it.

On Steam Deck, Ouros boots up at 16:9, but it actually has full 16:10 800p support. It runs perfectly in handheld mode at 90fps and plays fully with touch or virtual mouse controls. I don’t recommend using a controller for this, and it feels suited to handheld play with touch support. I hope it does get a mobile port because I prefer playing games like this on my iPad. Until then, it is great on Steam Deck in handheld mode.

Ouros is a relaxing and great puzzle game that feels like something we’d see hit iPad a decade ago in a good way. It plays perfectly on Steam Deck with full touchscreen support, and has enough accessibility in its progression and hint system to be a great introduction to puzzle games as well.

Ouros Steam Deck Review Score: 4.5/5

Witch and Lilies Steam Deck Review

Witch and Lilies is a game I first learned about when my friend wrote about it. I adore the Etrian Odyssey series, and Witch and Lilies felt like a good blend of relationship building with a dungeon RPG. It finally launched on Steam Early Access last week, and I’ve been playing it on Steam Deck to see how it plays and feels in its current state.

Witch and Lilies is clearly Etrian Odyssey inspired. In fact, it feels like a more accessible and relationship-focused take on the Etrian Odyssey series. The mapping is automatic here with no manual mapping option that I see. The early access version ships with the main story complete, but it has a lot of planned updates to address game balance (this needs addressing soon), and the updates that have been released since launch have already addressed two of my biggest issues. The first was text speed and skipping, and the second was the frame limiter.

The class variety, combat, and exploration are very good right now, but this is very much an early access release. If you’re ok with buying it knowing this, you will have a fun time if you like DRPGs and yuri relationships. I’ve already gifted it to a friend after getting review code to support this release, but it very much feels like a game that would be a lot better if you play it in a few months.

On Steam Deck, Witch and Lilies defaults to 1080p. It is actually capped at 1080p right now as well. I set it to 720p and it played basically at 90fps as of today’s update. The game zooms into the 16:9 gameplay instead of offering black bars so keep that in mind. Aside from that and the text input requiring manually invoking the keyboard, I have no complaints with how Witch and Lilies plays on Steam Deck. The lovely colorful aesthetic shines on the Steam Deck OLED as well.

Witch and Lilies is pretty excellent right now, but it looks like it will be worth buying in about a month or two based on its roadmap once more fixes and enhancements arrive. It plays well on Steam Deck already aside from some minor issues, and is shaping up to be a solid release for fans of yuri and dungeon RPGs. I can’t wait to see how it feels in a few months when I revisit it.

Witch and Lilies Steam Deck Review Score: Early Access/TBA

Little Kitty, Big City Steam Deck Review

Just like Ouros, Little Kitty, Big City has been a great game to play in breaks between other longer releases. Little Kitty, Big City has you exploring the city in an open world whimsical adventure where every corner has something hilarious waiting for you through NPCs, quests, or even light puzzles. It is the first game to fill in the same niche as Untitled Goose Game, and a damn fine experience after some fixes.

As a short adventure that you will likely see all the way through in under five hours, Little Kitty, Big City gets a lot right with its characters, collectibles, puzzles, and soundtrack. Games like this usually live and die by their exploration or puzzles, but the real stars of this show are the cast interactions and the music. In a lot of ways, I ended up liking this more than Stray which is a very good game.

Little Kitty, Big City debuted on PC, Switch, and Xbox platforms, and I’ve played it exclusively on my Steam Deck. It ships Steam Deck Verified, and is basically without any major issue on the system right now. I recommend turning it to medium settings if you want to play at 60fps or above consistently though. Even setting it to the low preset results in dips to the 70s often.

Aside from some bugs that I’ve not run into since launch, Little Kitty, Big City is an easy recommendation. Just keep in mind that it is a short game so you might want to wait on a sale if the asking price is too much right now.

Little Kitty, Big City is a game I didn’t think I’d enjoy much after a trailer, but I’m glad I got to play it on Steam Deck. It is a perfect game for portable play, and I have almost no major complaints about how it plays on Steam Deck. If you enjoy games like Untitled Goose Game or just want a fun and short interactive adventure, Little Kitty, Big City is for you.

Little Kitty, Big City Steam Deck Review Score: 4/5

Alone in the Dark Steam Deck Review

As someone who never played much of the original, I was curious to see how the re-imagining of Alone in the Dark would feel for a newcomer. When it was released, a few of my friends said I’d enjoy it. I ended up finally playing it on Steam Deck a few weeks ago, and thought it was a very good horror game, but one with some issues on Steam Deck. Fast forward to this week, a major new update not only enhanced the game in general, but also made it a lot nicer on Steam Deck.

Aside from Alone in the Dark being a horror game, I didn’t know what to expect when I first played it. I was surprised at how it felt like a modern survival horror game in parts, but still had a lot of puzzles and a great atmosphere. Alone in the Dark is a third person game where you choose one of two protagonists with varying viewpoints. These aren’t completely different playthroughs, but are worth doing since the game itself isn’t very long. Expect to get 11 or 12 hours out of it. None of it felt like padding though, making this an easier recommendation.

Alone in the Dark on Steam Deck has been interesting. The game scales down very well, and you can even get it looking good on the Deck’s own screen while aiming for 40hz. Alone in the Dark is officially marked as Steam Deck Playable, but I feel like it might be updated to be Verified soon following this week’s update. The new update adds a default video option for Steam Deck, controller icons, Steam Deck UI support, and hides the keybinding option when played on Steam Deck. While FSR can help you get to higher frame rates, it does not look good in Alone in the Dark. The HDR option currently doesn’t work on Steam Deck OLED either.

When it comes to the controls, Alone in the Dark plays well, but I recommend enabling gyro for the best experience on Valve’s handheld if you are ok with it. Alone in the Dark doesn’t have tons of combat, but gyro aiming always helps on a handheld. You could also use the trackpad for precision aiming if you prefer that.

When I first played this year’s Alone in the Dark re-imagining, I thought it was a very good but flawed experience. After this week’s massive update, I’m glad I waited a bit longer to do my review because it is now in a much better state, and is worth your time even if you never played the original. Just be aware of the visual cutbacks needed to get this running on Steam Deck. I liked it enough to get it on PS5 for a replay.

Alone in the Dark Steam Deck Review Score: 3.5/5

SKALD: Against the Black Priory Steam Deck Review

When a friend of mine sent me a screenshot of SKALD: Against the Black Priory, I knew I had to play it, but was concerned about how it would feel on Steam Deck. Games built for keyboard and mouse controls can sometimes have issues even with community layouts on Valve’s handheld, but I was hopeful. Raw fury and High North Studios’ retro-style party-based RPG looks like a game from years ago resurrected with gorgeous and crisp pixel art accompanied by modern visual effects. It reminds me a little of how Octopath Traveler handled its visuals, but more in line with older PC RPGs.

SKALD: Against the Black Priory being an retro-style game also has the same challenge, but it ships with quite a few customizable difficulty options with its presets. When it comes to accessibility, it also has font and color options to tweak the experience to your liking. When I started playing SKALD: Against the Black Priory, I expected a competent game, but I was surprised at how much depth it had. This really feels like a steal at its current asking price, but I wish it had a demo so that newcomers to the genre can sample the controls.

On Steam Deck, SKALD: Against the Black Priory isn’t ideal out of the box. The game displays in a small window, isn’t fullscreen, doesn’t control well. There are a few community layouts that are worth trying, but I settled on SpeeDy_G’s “SKALD Steam Deck Intuitive Controls" community layout. I used that and the touchscreen for the best experience. You will need to manually bring up the onscreen keyboard for text entry though. When it comes to the visuals, set the game to windowed and mode scale to 2 so it runs at fullscreen. I disabled the CRT filter, but you can enable it if you want that.

SKALD: Against the Black Priory is a lovely surprise of an RPG. After a bit of getting used to it and some visual tweaks, I enjoyed my time with the game on Steam Deck using touch controls. If you’ve wanted an old-school RPG experience that’s built for today without compromising on the vision but one with some accessibility options, SKALD: Against the Black Priory is for you.

SKALD: Against the Black Priory Steam Deck Review Score: 4/5

The Quintessential Quintuplets Double Pack Steam Deck Impressions

While Shaun is doing reviews of both games in this double pack on Switch, I wanted to cover how they play on Steam Deck right now. Sadly, both games have issues right now on Valve’s handheld.

The Quintessential Quintuplets – Memories of a Quintessential Summer has control issues where even mouse controls don’t work correctly. Using a bluetooth controller is also not reliable in-game. Some menus work, but the actual game has issues right now. Aside from controls, the audio works and the game looks good on Deck.

The Quintessential Quintuplets – Five Memories Spent With You controls fine and looks great, but the audio for voices does not work. I tested multiple Proton versions including two different GE Proton versions with no luck.

If you want to play both games in the The Quintessential Quintuplets Double Pack right now on a portable, I recommend getting them on Switch. Hopefully Spike Chunsoft, Mages, or Valve can fix these issues in the near future. In recent years, I’ve been trying to experience specific anime or manga stories through games first to see how they feel for newcomers. I was planning on doing the same with The Quintessential Quintuplets games from Spike Chunsoft, but I will be waiting for patches or grabbing them on Switch

News and Trailers

Lots of news this week with Sony’s State of Play showcase revealing Monster Hunter Wilds’ first trailer, Marvelous’ showcase with 4 notable trailers (sadly without any release dates or platforms), and two Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance trailers.

Sony’s State of Play that I didn’t bother watching live had some great announcements. The highlight is Monster Hunter Wilds’ first trailer. This was a much better showing than the teaser that had me worried. Wilds looks like a proper follow-up to Monster Hunter World, and it looks to be bringing some elements from Rise as well. Alongside the first trailer, capcom also released a message from the developers ahead of the game’s next trailer being showcased at Summer Games Fest 2024. Watch both videos below:

Atlus had two reveals for Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. The first is a new trailer showcasing story moments from the new route (avoid it if you want to go in blind) and a collaboration with Slipknot for demon masks. The game is out in just under two weeks now, and continues to look incredible.

Atlus also announced a panel for Metaphor: ReFnatazio, the developer’s major new RPG from the Persona team, for Anime Expo 2024 with Shigenori Soejima and Katsura Hashino as guests of honor. The panel will have new footage, characters, and more with details on world-building and character design.

Atlus’ final bit of news this week is the latest wave of Persona 3 Reload Expansion Pass content. This includes the Velvet Costume & BGM Set for Expansion Pass owners. It isn’t available standalone as of this writing. Watch the trailer for it below:

Granblue Fantasy: Relink version 1.3.0 is now live bringing in a photo mode, new quests, Sandalphon as a playable character, new challenges, and more. If you’ve not gotten the game yet, read my glowing review of it here. Details for the update are here.

This week, NIS America announced a demo for The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak on PS4 and Switch. Nothing has been announce for PC or PS5 right now, but the PC version is already available without English through NIS America on Steam, and the PS4 version is playable on PS5. Alongside this announcement, the publisher posted the opening video for the game just about a month away from its launch. Watch it below:

The Age of Wonders 4: Eldritch Realms expansion launches on June 18th bringing in a new map layer, new ruler type, three new tomes, a new event system, two new forms, two new story realms, and much more. It will be available for $19.99 for Steam and consoles and is included with the expansion pass. A Mystic Update will also be available on the same day with new features like randomized realms with hidden traits, and more. Watch the expansion trailer below:

After Monster Hunter Wilds, my favorite trailer from Sony’s State of Play was Dynasty Warriors: Origins from Koei Tecmo and Omega Force. Dynasty Warriors 9 had potential, but it was poorly executed. This one hasn’t shown off much, but it already looks like a big step up visually. I can’t wait to see more when we likely get a proper gameplay trailer at TGS. This game will also have you playing as a nameless hero which makes it more interesting. I wonder why they didn’t call it Dynasty Warriors 10 though. Watch the first trailer below:

Bandai Namco Entertainment revealed a new trailer for Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO showing off fused warriors and more ahead of the game’s release on Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X. This is the sequel to Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi after 15 years. Watch the new trailer below:

Marvelous USA and Xseed Games had a Marvelous Game Showcase event the same time Sony had its State of Play. Marvelous revealed short teasers for a few games and dated Farmagia (previously Project Magia) for 2024. Platforms are yet to be revealed, but you can watch the showcase with a finale that had Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion. I imagine most of these will be on Nintendo Switch (or the successor) and Steam if not on those and PlayStation 5. Watch the full showcase below:

Bandai Namco Entertainment revealed a new gameplay trailer for Tekken 8’s upcoming DLC character Lidia Sobieska at COMBO BREAKER 2024. The trailer has new gameplay and more for the Tekken 7 newcomer who joins Tekken 8 soon. Watch the Lidia gameplay trailer below:

Developer Gentle Troll have announced that the D&D inspired visual novel that has elements of Coffee Talk and more together, Tavern Talk, will launch worldwide for Steam on June 20th. It looks right up my alley, and I’ll be playing it as soon as I can. Watch the trailer for it below:

The final news for the week is Mortal Kombat 1’s gameplay trailer for The Boys’ Homelander who arrives as DLC on June 4th. Homelander will be available a week later as a standalone DLC for the game. The early access date is for Kombat Pack 1 or Premium Edition owners. Watch his gameplay trailer below:

New Steam Deck Verified & Playable games for the week

Monster Hunter Stories, which plays great on Deck and It Takes Two removing the useless launcher and getting Steam Deck Verified are the highlights of this week’s newly rated games from Valve. I’m glad to see RKGK also Steam Deck Verified.

• Abiotic Factor – Playable
• Ereban: Shadow Legacy – Verified
• Fugl – Verified
• It Takes Two – Verified
• Monster Hunter Stories – Verified (Via TouchArcade reader Mor)
• No Rest for the Wicked – Playable
• Paper Trail – Verified
• PuzzMiX – Playable
• RKGK / Rakugaki – Verified
• Terra Memoria – Verified
• The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication – Verified
• Wayfinder – Verified

Steam Deck Game Sales & Discounts

Two notable sales this week with Guilty Gear Strive’s Daredevil Edition and a Monster Hunter franchise sale on Steam. If you’ve not gotten Guilty Gear Strive yet, this edition has everything released for the game until now, but it will not include Season Pass 4 which will be sold separately when Arc System Works announces the release date. For Monster Hunter, you can’t go wrong with any of the games on Steam, but I recommend Monster Hunter Stories 2 and Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition above the others. Check out the Monster Hunter franchise sale here.

That’s all for this week’s edition of the Steam Deck Weekly. There’s more Steam Deck coverage happening this week since I skipped last week. As usual, you can read all our past and future Steam Deck coverage here. If you have any feedback for this feature or what else you’d like to see us do around the Steam Deck, let us know in the comments below. I hope you all have a great day, and thanks for reading.

Skul: The Hero Slayer includes a revamped interface for mobile, Game Center achievements, cloud save support, MFi controller support, and iPhone 15 series optimizations. It will be launching on June 4th worldwide with pre-orders and pre-registrations available. If you’d like to play it at launch, you can pre-order or pre-register for a 10% discount. Skul: The Hero Slayer is priced at $19.99 on PC and consoles. The mobile version will be $7.99 with a launch discount bringing it to $7.19. Check Skul: The Hero Slayer out on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Have you played Skul: The Hero Slayer on PC or console before, and will you be getting it on mobile next week?

SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit is preparing for Plankton’s birthday with a new Tale of the Deep. You will be able to play as SpongeBob to help Plankton organize a surprise party here. Bloons TD 6+ adds its newest hero in Rosalia with Tikerton now available as a new beginner map. The Boss Rush team event is also available in-game now. LEGO DUPLO WORLD+ brings in animal routines like bath time, bedtime, and eating. The final notable update is Solitarie by MobilityWare+ bringing in improved and expanded Jigsaw events and Daily Streak tracking with rewards.

Where Cards Fall is officially available for Apple Vision Pro through @AppleArcade!

Unravel the 3D spatial puzzles of Where Cards Fall as you reach into the dreamscapes of this captivating coming-of-age story.

Read more on the Snowman blog: https://t.co/c90tEHKZhe pic.twitter.com/wUfLSTNB6w

— Where Cards Fall (@wherecardsfall) May 30, 2024

With the updates done, check out our forum threads for Where Cards Fall here, Doodle God Universe here, Crayola Adventures here, SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit here, Bloons TD 6+ here, LEGO DUPLO WORLD+ here, and Solitarie by MobilityWare+ here. Make sure to head over to our dedicated Apple Arcade forum for discussions on the new and older releases on the service. What do you think of the state of Apple Arcade right now?

As for the release dates, Netflix Stories: Perfect Match launches on June 6th as a new game that casts players on the new season of the show. Too Hot to Handle 3 launches on July 18the letting you crash the retreat and start drama among paired-up singles in a new season of the Too Hot to Handle game. Pre-registrations are now live here. The Ultimatum: Choices doesn’t have a release date yet. It lets you be a contestant on the show and decide to marry your current partner or find love with a new one. Netflix Stories: Selling Sunset is due Fall 2024 and has you taking the role of the newest agent at LA’s glitziest luxury brokerage and you need to sell your way to the top to win a $100 million Bel Air listing. Once release dates are announced for the remaining two games, we will post about them. I know these games are quite popular, but I hope Netflix continues to bring quality indie premium-style releases to mobile as well. Did you play Netflix Stories and what do you think of these announcements?

If you’re wondering about Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons, I recommend watching this video to see what led to the brand splitting like that with Marvelous handling Story of Seasons while Natsume Inc handles Harvest Moon. Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home is set to release on iOS and Android in August 2024. A definite release date or price point have not been announced yet. I’m curious to see how this ends up as a mobile-only title in the series compared to getting ports before. What do you think of Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home from Natsume Inc. and did you play the publisher’s prior mobile releases?

The social impact nominees are The Wreck, Cityscapes: Sim Builder, and The Bear. The visuals and graphics nominees are Death Stranding Director’s Cut ($19.99), Lies of P, and Honkai Star Rail. The spatial computing nominees are Synth Riders, Blackbox, and Loona: Cozy Puzzle Games. A lot of the games here I expected, but some are surprising based on the category they are nominated in. The winners will be revealed around WWDC 2024 which takes place on June 10th. I’m curious to see if we get any new game announcements at WWDC alongside iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 that will likely be there. What do you think of the nominees?

If you’ve not followed it, Squad Busters has you building squads during four minute matches grabbing gems and evolving characters across their classic and super forms. Supercell is giving Squad Busters a global launch after multiple rounds of positive feedback from players across the regions. At launch, Squad Busters ships with more than 25 characters and it is supposed to include custom room support. If you’d like to play Squad Busters today, you can grab it on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. It includes various in app purchases of gold and season pass bundles. What do you think of Squad Busters so far and will you be trying it today?

Riviera: The Promised Land will likely get localized on Steam and Switch eventually, but I really hope Sting brings over the localization to the global mobile release as well. Right now, Riviera: The Promised Land Remaster is available for $19.99 on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. I wouldn’t buy it assuming English will be patched in at this point, but if you want to play the Japanese version, you can grab it now. Sting self published Yggdra Union on Steam and Switch internationally with no sign of the mobile version getting English support as of today. Have you played Riviera: The Promised Land on GBA or PSP in the West before and did you end up trying Yggdra Union on Steam or Switch in English?

Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal, $14.99 Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal is the newest release on this list, and it immediately shot up the list of the best iOS game ports in a long time. When I played it last year, I finally saw why many considered it one of the best games ever. Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal on mobile from Feral Interactive has support for controllers, touch, and full keyboard and mouse gameplay. If you’re new to the world of Hitman, this is a fantastic entry point, and it is superlative on modern iOS devices.

ROME: Total War, $9.99 The Rome: Total War Collection brings the base Rome Total War game and both expansions together in a single premium bundle. It is absolutely worth your time if you’re new to the genre or want a fantastic classic PC game conversion for iPad. This is a game I prefer playing with touch controls, but Feral Interactive added full keyboard and mouse support to make it more accessible to those who played it on PC before, or anyone looking to play with that input method on iPad.

Total War: MEDIEVAL II, $14.99 Just like Rome: Total War Collection Feral Interactive brought another classic from the franchise to iOS and iPadOS as a universal game with Total War Medieval II and more recently the Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms expansion. Both hit iPad this year and the conversion is superb. Read my review of the base game here and the expansion here. It has full support for keyboard and mouse controls, and is well worth your time and money even at full price.

Alien: Isolation, Free Alien: Isolation is arguably one of the biggest AAA games to hit iOS in recent years, and it got the best conversion we’ve seen for a big console game like this. While Feral Interactive usually adds multiple control options for their games on iOS, Alien: Isolation went above and beyond with support for not only touch controls, but also full keyboard and mouse support in addition to full controller support. Alien: Isolation on iOS is the best portable version of the game, and it is a must play if you’re a fan of the genre and want to try out something on your iPad with keyboard and mouse support.

Note: Alien: Isolation is a free to try game with the first two missions included for free. There’s a single in app purchase to unlock the full game.

XCOM 2 Collection, $14.99 Another Feral Interactive conversion joins the list with XCOM 2 Collection. I’ve had a lot of issues with XCOM 2’s base game before, but it is a great experience on iOS and PC right now. This XCOM 2 Collection is a steal at its asking price, and it supports full keyboard and mouse gameplay if you aren’t a fan of touch controls. I hope we keep getting conversions of this quality on iOS for years to come from Feral Interactive. Just make sure you have a supported device because XCOM 2 Collection is more demanding than usual.

Company of Heroes, $13.99 The final Feral Interactive release to be in the list is one of my favorite iPad games of all time. Company of Heroes is so good on iPad, that I find it hard to go back to the PC version. It has full keyboard and mouse support in addition to great touch controls. I feel confident that all the amazing work done to make Company of Heroes look and play this well on modern displays will lead to a PC remaster, but that’s for another day. Make sure you grab the DLC as well with the base game. It is available in a complete bundle for new purchases as well here. Existing owners can grab the DLC through in app purchases.

Myst Mobile, Free Myst Mobile is not only a gorgeous remake of a classic game, but also a technical showcase for modern iOS devices. I’ve not even played it on the newest iPad models, but it was still worth playing and gorgeous on my old iPad Pro (2020). Myst Mobile has full keyboard and mouse support on iPadOS with correct button prompts as well. If you aren’t sure if you will like it, it is a free to start release, so it is worth downloading and trying at least.

Terraria, $4.99 Terraria is another one of those massive games that is available on every platform. It plays very well with touch controls, but shines with a controller on iPhone. On iPad, it plays best with either a controller or keyboard and mouse. If you haven’t played Terraria yet, the iOS version is much cheaper than on consoles as well. It is also getting updated more often than a few years ago where it was lagging behind other versions.

Minecraft, $1.99 Minecraft is similar to Terraria in how it is a game available on all consoles and PC, but Minecraft is actually a lot better on iOS than on consoles. A recent update brought in full keyboard and mouse support making it the most versatile version of the game. While I love playing Minecraft with a controller on iPhone, there’s no denying how much better it is with a keyboard and mouse. On iPad, you have all possible input methods and the most stable portable version of the game available.

Divinity - Original Sin 2, $24.99 The final game featured here is the superb and massive Divinity: Original Sin 2 from Larian Studios that hit iPad through Elverils. Divinity: Original Sin 2 was one of the games I was looking forward to the most on iPad, and it delivered in spades. If you have a modern iPad, you can play Divinity: Original Sin 2 with touch, controller, or full keyboard and mouse support. The interface changes depending on your input method. I hope Divinity: Original Sin 2 did well enough to get us an iPad version of the original game which was teased before.

This list obviously doesn’t cover every single game on iOS with keyboard and mouse support, but these are our picks for the best ones you can play in 2024. If you have some suggestions for more games that are worth recommending for anyone who recently bought an iPad, let us know in the comments below. I’m interested to see how developers continue to add support for keyboard and mouse input on iPad, and to see what other big games hit the platform in the near future. Hopefully we see keyboard and mouse support added whenever No Man’s Sky hits the platform. I haven’t given up on hope on that, and also believe in Baldur’s Gate 3 coming to iPad in the future.

Details for the Songs of Travel main characters and stories are here. Songs of Travel is a 600MB or so download on iOS. If you’d like to grab it today, you can get Songs of Travel on the App Store for iOS for free here. It is also available on Google Play for Android here. Beyond mobile, additional platforms have not been revealed yet. Check out the official Songs of Travel game website here. What do you think of Songs of Travel so far if you’ve played it?

Level Infinite promises more to come as well for the “ever-expanding" world of Tarisland. If you’d like to play Tarisland at launch, you can pre-order it on the App Store for iOS here and pre-register on Google Play for Android here. Tarisland releases on iOS, Android, and PC on June 21st. I don’t know if I’ll be playing it day one since the Elden Ring expansion hits the same day, but I will try it later on for sure. Check out the official game website here. What do you think of Tarisland and will you be playing it at launch on June 21st for mobile and PC?

Vampire the Masquerade – Coteries of New York is priced at $19.99 on Steam and Switch. A physical bundle with both Vampire the Masquerade visual novel experiences is also available on consoles. On mobile, PID Games has released Vampire the Masquerade – Coteries of New York for $4.99 on the App Store for iOS. Check it out here. The Google Play version should release in the next few hours. Until then, you can pre-register for it here on Android. Check out our forum thread for Vampire the Masquerade – Coteries of New York here. Have you played Vampire the Masquerade – Coteries of New York before on any platform and will you be trying it out on mobile today?

Zenless Zone Zero will support cross-progression and cross-play across all platforms when it launches. I’m looking forward to playing it on iPhone 15 Pro and seeing how it feels compared to the PS5 version. It is going to be interesting to see if the iOS version gets extra visual options like both prior HoYoverse titles. If you’d like to play Zenless Zone Zero at launch, you can pre-order it on the App Store for iOS here and pre-register for it on Google Play for Android here. Check out the links to the PS5 and PC versions here on the official pre-registration announcement. A Zenless Zone Zero PS5 digital pre-order bundle is now available for $9.99 with in-game items. Check out more about the game on the official website here. What do you think of Zenless Zone Zero so far will you pre-order and pre-register for it on mobile?

Update: Added PS5 pre-order bundle.

I assume gamepad support is a precursor to Pocket City 2 hitting other platforms, which is only good for the game. Read my Pocket City 2 interview here covering many aspects of the game including pricing and more. You can buy Pocket City 2 on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Check out the official website here. What do you think of Pocket City 2 if you’ve been playing it since launch and will you get back to it to check out the controller support?

A release date for Feeling Death is yet to be announced. I hope it does hit mobile alongside Steam worldwide and not just in select regions. If you’d like to keep up with Feeling Death, you can currently wishlist it on Steam here. Check out the official website here for more details about Feeling Death. I’ll be keeping an eye on this one. room6’s Unreal Life is excellent, and while this isn’t the same developer, I’m still excited to try it. What do you think of Feeling Death so far, and did you watch Indie Live Expo 2024 over the weekend?

Steam Deck Game Reviews & Impressions

Arctic Eggs Steam Deck Review

I love cooking and fishing mini-games. I almost always spend too much time fishing in any game or getting obsessed with whatever recipes a game includes. When it launched, my friend gifted me Arctic Eggs on Steam, and I thought it was going to be one of those joke games that people buy to stream, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. It is an incredible, short, and challenging experience that has been on my mind ever since I played the opening few minutes. Arctic Eggs has a few issues on Steam Deck, but it is equal parts thought provoking and funny, and is one of the most interesting games I’ve played in a while.

Arctic Eggs from The Water Museum hit Steam a few days ago, and it is a sci-fi cooking game about being stuck in Antarctica and trying to find a way out while cooking eggs for colorful people. The eggs you cook and the requirements are basically different types of puzzles with modifiers through over the top combinations you need to cook. After a basic tutorial to get used to the controls and fry a single egg, you start getting more varied requests involving other items and even multiple eggs. You can keep trying and failing as well, and the game lets you avoid some requests while tackling things in a different order if you’re ever stuck. There are also three difficulty options. I stuck to normal for the most part. Hard mode on the Steam Deck seems like a good challenge for me this weekend, especially for some of the later requests.

The reason I haven’t said much about the story here, is that just like Umurangi Generation, I want more people to try this without knowing much about the world. If the concept of a sci-fi cooking game about frying eggs, cigarettes, and other things together sounds good to you, just get Arctic Eggs.

I love the vibe Arctic Eggs has, but the real highlights barring the actual egg requests and NPCs, are the visuals and music. Arctic Eggs has an incredible soundtrack that I’ve been listening to for about a week now. Just like the eggs you need to fry for many people, the way the music brings together different instruments you’d not expect is commendable. I also love how the aesthetic carries into every animation, particle effect, and even the UI. Finishing the game completely also unlocks sandbox mode.

Arctic Eggs is a game clearly built for playing with a mouse, but that has never stopped me from playing something on Steam Deck. After a bit of tweaking, I found myself enjoying it quite a bit on Valve’s handheld. I then ended up using the community layout mentioned here, and it basically felt perfect with the trackpads. I haven’t run into any performance issues either. It runs perfectly on Steam Deck OLED aside from some instances of camera panning or cutting where it drops frames for a few seconds.

Arctic Eggs is currently unrated for Steam Deck by Valve, but the only thing I’d love to see fixed soon is adding Steam Cloud support. I also hope improved controller support is added at some point. The community layout basically elevated my experience quite a bit here.

Arctic Eggs. What a game. What an experience. In this super busy month of quality indie games hitting non stop, I think Arctic Eggs will stick with me for a long time. While it isn’t ideal on Steam Deck out of the box, the community control layout made it my favorite way to experience Arctic Eggs. The soundtrack, aesthetic, and vibe are superb here. It’s time to fry eggs and change lives.

Arctic Eggs Steam Deck Review Score: 4.5/5

Mullet Madjack Steam Deck Review

When I first saw the trailer for Mullet Madjack, I thought it looked brilliant, but wasn’t sure how it would feel to play. It was a different take on a boomer shooter from what I’m used to, but the 90s anime aesthetic and synthwave soundtrack were enough to get me to play it. I have bad news for everyone reading this because Mullet Madjack is another Banger Indie Release from May 2024. Hammer95 and Epopeia Games have something special here, and it is immediately in my top 10 games of 2024, and excellent on Steam Deck with one caveat.

Mullet Madjack ships with its main campaign, endless mode, leaderboards, a manual, and options. Before getting into the game, I want to highlight just how good the manual is. The developers put more effort into just the manual being interactive with its own interface than I’ve seen from almost every other game.

When I first tried Mullet Madjack, it felt like an anime roguelike take on Ghostrunner. It has a lot of weapon variety, never feels one note, and had me captivated for over a week on Steam Deck. The combat is smooth, and Mullet Madjack succeeds at making the player feel like an absolute badass nonstop. Even death is accompanied by excellent dialog and effects work. The developers nailed the VHS and retro anime aesthetic in every category. If you aren’t a fan of all the post-processing, you can disable the VHS filter, flashing, and more.

In Mullet Madjack, health is time. You get more time by killing. There’s not much of a story here, and I didn’t expect one, but it is carried by the awesome narration in between levels and when you choose upgrades, or even die. You play as a moderator, Mullet Mad Jack, and you need to keep killing to refill the 10 seconds of life you have. This 10 seconds is on the normal mode, and there are many options to tweak difficulty, including one that removes the timer letting you play as a traditional boomer shooter. It features custom stages at random across different chapters, and is one of the best arcade experiences of 2024.

Mullet Madjack is another game that is a stunner on the Steam Deck OLED screen. Every cut-scene, particle effect, and animation feel made for the display. I just wish it had HDR support. It isn’t Steam Deck Verified by Valve yet, but it may as well be with how good it plays on the handheld. I recommend disabling the screenshake and tilt if you’re sensitive to them like I am with motion sickness. Aside from that, I didn’t really bother changing anything from the default settings.

On Steam Deck, without changing any settings, Mullet Madjack targets 90fps, but it can’t really hold that frame rate with drops to the high 40s pretty often during the very visually busy sections. I recommend playing at medium settings and capping the game to 45hz from the Steam Deck’s menu for the most consistent experience. It isn’t possible to play at a locked 60fps at native resolution with it dropping below that often. If you’re ok with that, I would stick to the native resolution and play it uncapped as it doesn’t drop noticeably below 50fps for too long.

Aside from the visuals, the main thing to keep in mind is controls. Mullet Madjack is a very fast-paced game, and I recommend using gyro to help with aiming. I set it to “Gyro to Joystick Camera (beta)" and had a much better time when playing on the Steam Deck OLED itself.

Mullet Madjack is plain fantastic. It looks gorgeous, feels amazing, and is a sublime boomer shooter with an aesthetic we don’t usually see in the genre. If you have even the smallest interest in boomer shooters and like the 90s anime aesthetic, this one is worth getting. I recommend downloading the demo on Steam Deck and enabling gyro controls to see how you find the controls though as that’s the only aspect that might not work for everyone.

Steam Deck Review Score: 4.5/5

The Tower on the Borderland Steam Deck Impressions

The Tower on the Borderland is a game I had on my wishlist thanks to a friend of mine who posted about it. I decided to buy it because it looked interesting, and really like what I’ve played so far on Steam Deck. I’ve not had time to finish it yet, but wanted to write some brief impressions on the game and how it feels on Steam Deck right now in what feels like a great month for PS1-inspired horror experiences.

In The Tower on the Borderland, you play as Erin who finds herself trapped with no way out. Your aim is to escape, but it is full of various things of all sizes that want you dead. Combat is likely the area some might struggle with here, but I’ve learned that avoiding combat seems like the best solution at least early on. When you hear of PS1-inspired horror games, you probably think of Crow Country or Signalis now. While those are more traditional horror experiences, everything outside the horror elements in The Tower on the Borderland stood out to me more.

The Tower on the Borderland is set in a huge labyrinth, and I’m nowhere near the end, but the aesthetic and intrigue keep me going. I’m a sucker for this visual style as you can tell, but I am surprised at how well The Tower on the Borderland manages to bring in elements from the games it’s inspired by, well beyond what’s listed on the Steam store page. It is equal parts unsettling, mysterious, and gorgeous.

On Steam Deck, The Tower on the Borderland boots up and seems to run at about 40fps, but the actual game hits 60fps without issue in the parts I’ve played. It has full controller support as well and basically runs out of the box on Steam Deck with no tweaking required. I had one small UI issue when playing on my 1440p display, but I haven’t been able to reproduce it.

I haven’t even finished The Tower on the Borderland yet, but it has convinced me to get developer DascuMaru’s other games just because I think they all have an aesthetic that shines on the Steam Deck OLED screen. I recommend downloading the demo to try it out yourself.

News and Trailers

For some reason almost every fighting game developer decided to announce or release a lot of new stuff this week. In addition to that, some notable game releases, updates, and trailers round out this week’s news. Let’s get into it with the fighting games first.

Street Fighter 6 had a massive balance update arrive alongside the new jukebox mode and Akuma who is the final character of the Year 1 Pass. Check out the full patch notes here. The BGM feature is quite good, but I hope it can be tweaked to be as good as the feature is in Tekken 8 letting you change even the menu music. I immediately bought the Third Strike music on every platform, and see no reason to get any other DLC from the BGM sets right now. Watch the trailer for the update and Akuma DLC below:

Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising version 1.40 launched yesterday alongside Beatrix, the newest DLC character. Beatrix is a lot of fun to play so far, as expected, but I’m hoping we see Ilsa added as DLC in the future. I’ll be playing more of the game this weekend and will likely have some detailed impressions on the current state of the game next week. Stay tuned for that. Watch the Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising Beatrix character guide video below:

Arc System Works also released a new starter video for Slayer who arrives next week on May 30th for Season Pass 3 owners and also as a standalone DLC on PS5, PS4, Xbox, and PC platforms. Slayer is the final DLC of this pass with Season Pass 4 in development. Watch the Slayer Starter Guide video below:

Samurai Shodown’s long-awaited rollback update hit Steam last year, but it has finally gone live worldwide for the PS4, Xbox Series X (not Xbox One), and Epic Games Store versions of the game. This doesn’t directly affect the Steam release, but since EGS and Steam have crossplay, it was worth covering for the folks who got it on EGS and Steam. This makes the online mode finally playable for more than just folks who have people nearly to play with on consoles. Samurai Shodown was always an excellent game, and I’m glad the online is holding up with this update as well across all current platforms now. If you’re wondering what the best version of the game is today, it is Xbox Series X for sure with 120fps support.

Digital Eclipse released Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, the 3D remaster/remake hybrid of the first Wizardry on Steam and all consoles this week. Read Shaun’s interview with Digital Eclipse and Wizardry co-creator Robert Woodhead here. I’ll be writing up some thoughts on the 1.0 build on Steam Deck next week. Watch the Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord launch trailer below:

Cicada Games launched Isles of Sea and Sky for Steam this week, and it is an excellent open world puzzle game. I’ll be reviewing this one, but I really like it so far, and it looks gorgeous on Steam Deck. Watch the launch trailer below:

Speaking of puzzle games, Animo Games and Astra Logical will be releasing Star Stuff, an automation puzzle game, for Steam on June 7th. It will ship with more than 150 levels featuring you as a part of the solution. Watch the trailer for it below:

The final bit of puzzle news of the week is Ouros from developer Michael Kamm. It is a zen-like puzzle game with more than 120 handcrafted puzzles included for you to solve by forming curves and avoiding obstacles. This looks like a game I’d play a lot on iPad so I do hope it comes there, but I am playing it on Steam Deck right now where it is lovely.

Cassette Beasts from Raw Fury hits mobile very soon, but the Steam and consoles versions were finally updated this week with multiplayer support and an in-game collaboration with Raw Fury’s other game, Moonstone Island. Multiplayer lets you explore with up to 8 people in total. Watch the update launch trailer below:

Raw Fury and developer OTA IMON Studios launched the story-based roguelike deckbuilder Zet Zillions for PC via Steam worldwide this week. I really like what I’ve played so far, and will be doing a full review of it in the near future. Watch the launch trailer below:

This week Spike Chunsoft released both The Quintessential Quintuplets games: Memories of a Quintessential Summer and Five Memories Spent With You alongside a bundle of both on Steam and console platforms including Switch and PS4. The games are out now on Steam here. Watch the launch trailer below:

Gearbox and Wabisabi Games launched RKGK / Rakugaki, the stylish 3D platformer, on Steam this week, and it looks gorgeous. This is definitely another game that shines on the Steam Deck OLED display. I’ll have a full review of this one in the near future as well. Watch the launch trailer for it below:

Disney Speedstorm from Gameloft brings in Kermit the Frog this week as a new mid-season racer. I’m still waiting for this one to hit iOS to start playing regularly again, but it is good to see it still getting supported. Watch the launch trailer for Kermit the Frog below:

Risk of Rain 2 was updated on all platforms to bring in a new map, two artifacts, and a collaboration with the amazing Dead Cells. Watch the update trailer below:

Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion due in a few weeks just had its new story trailer released. I’ve watched it a few times already, and the expansion hype is rising. I have my main save on Steam Deck ready for it. The expansion launches on June 21st with pre-orders now live. Watch the expansion story trailer below:

Overwatch’s new legendary Azure Flame Hanzo skin is contributing (25% of revenue) to the esports prize pool at the DreamHack Dallas festival set to take place from May 31st to June 2nd. The Azure Flame Hanzo bundle is available until June 3rd and it includes the skin, a name card, player icon, spray, and weapon charm.

The Warhammer Skulls showcase aired this week with some big reveals. My favorites are the Boltgun horde mode coming next month on June 18th, new DLC coming for it, Rogue Trader’s first DLC: Void Shadows coming August 8th, it being Steam Deck Verified, and the new trailers for Space Marine 2 which has pre-orders now live. Watch the full Warhammer Skulls Showcase – Festival of Video Games 2024 event below:

Dating sim dungeon crawler hybrid Witch and Lilies from developer Stromatosoft is now available on PC through Steam Early Access. It is available at 15% off for just under two weeks on Steam. Stay tuned for my early access review of it in the near future. Watch the newest trailer for it below:

Inti Creates’ Card-en-Ciel roguelite deckbuilder RPG launches on October 24th for all consoles and Steam with multiple difficulty options, online PvP support, daily missions, and more. It will feature many Inti Creates characters as well. Watch the release date trailer for it below:

I’m going to end the news section with a recommendation for all readers to check out The GameDiscoverCo Newsletter. It is essential reading if you care about the current state of games and the most-recent newsletter covering Rabbit and Steel, a game I want to play as soon as I can, is worth your time. Check it out here.

New Steam Deck Verified & Playable games for the week

Some surprises, but the highlight of the week is Owlcat’s Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader getting updated and Steam Deck Verified this week. I’m surprised Valve also marked FOUNDRY as unsupported when it plays well on Deck, and is a lot better than many Verified games.

• Apex Legends – Playable
• Asteroid Run: No Questions Asked – Verified
• Bleeding Edge – Unsupported
• Command & Conquer and The Covert Operations – Playable
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert, Counterstrike and The Aftermath – Playable
• Dogyuun – Verified
• FOUNDRY – Unsupported
• Gray Zone Warfare – Unsupported
• Insurgency: Sandstorm – Playable
• London Detective Mysteria – Playable
• Mashiroiro Symphony HD: Love is Pure White – Unsupported
• No Rest for the Wicked – Unsupported
• One-inch Tactics – Playable
• Saviorless – Verified
• Tents and Trees – Verified
• THE FINALS – Playable
• Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader – Verified
• Wizard with a Gun – Verified

Steam Deck Game Sales & Discounts

This week, there are three notable sales on Steam. The Warhammer Skulls 2024 festival sale is on to celebrate the announcements from the showcase. If you aren’t sure what to get, grab Boltgun or Rogue Trader for sure. I love them both. Draknek & Friends’ Cerebral Puzzle Showcase 2024 is also on with amazing puzzle games discounted like Patrick’s Parabox, Baba is You, and many more. Check out all the games here and try out the demos to find some cool games for your wishlist. The final notable sale right now is Annapurna Interactive’s publisher sale for 2024. Many great indies are on sale here, and I really should grab the ones I’m missing on Steam soon.

That’s all for this week’s edition of the Steam Deck Weekly. As usual, you can read all our past and future Steam Deck coverage here. If you have any feedback for this feature or what else you’d like to see us do around the Steam Deck, let us know in the comments below. I hope you all have a great day, and thanks for reading.

This update arrives ahead of version 5.0 that has upgraded visuals. Read about that here. If you’d like to play Genshin Impact and don’t own it yet, you can download it for free on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. The PC version is available on the official website here and the Epic Games Store. If you play on iOS, with iOS 14.5 or iPadOS 14.5 and later, you can use PS5 and Xbox Series X|S controllers to play Genshin Impact. We featured Genshin Impact as our Game of the Week when it released and awarded it our 2020 Game of the Year. I also featured it as one of the best iOS games to play with a controller. What do you think of Genshin Impact 4.7 so far?

Magical Drop VI currently has 15 playable characters with new ones in DLC, six game modes, local and online multiplayer support, and many challenges included. The mobile version through Crunchyroll hasn’t officially been revealed aside from this agreement which is on Forever Entertainment’s own investor page. I hope the mobile version includes online multiplayer support. If you’re curious how the game was at launch, read Shaun’s review of the Switch version here. I never got around to getting the game and might wait for the mobile version unless I decide to buy a Switch physical version if that ever gets a largescale release. Have you played Magical Drop VI yet on any platform?

Update: Changed the release date for PlayStation and Xbox to June 14th after Forever Entertainment issued a correction.

As of now, Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit is only announced for Netflix, and Spry Fox was acquired by Netflix back in 2022, so it remains to be seen whether it hits other platforms or not. This will be the studio’s first game since the acquisition. If you’d like to play Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit at launch, you can pre-register for it using this link. Check out the official game website here. Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit has soft launched, but it will be available to all as of June 25th. I’m interested to see how it does on Netflix, and also whether we see it expand to consoles. Have you played Cozy Grove on Apple Arcade and will you be checking out Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit on Netflix for iOS and Android when it launches?

If you’ve not played the game in a while, check out the 2024 roadmap for what is due this year and more. You can get Diablo Immortal for free on the App Store for iOS here, Google Play for Android here, and PC here. It has been a while since launch, but I’m still curious to see if we get Diablo Immortal on Steam after Diablo 4 hit Valve’s storefront a little while ago. What do you think of Diablo Immortal if you play it regularly and do you like what you see of the Tempest class?

As of today, in app purchase sales have ended for Dragon Quest Champions on iOS and Android. This one never released outside Japan, and I was hoping to see it in the West. This is yet another Square Enix mobile game to shut down about a year or so after launching. Check out the official website for more gameplay screenshots and information if you don’t plan on playing it and want to know how it was. Dragon Quest Champions is a free to play with various gem packs that are now no longer available. If you’d like to try out the Japanese release until it shuts down, you can get it on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Did you play Dragon Quest Champions in Japan or were you hoping for a localization?

Something fishy’s on the horizon, son…looks like we better get ready to set sail for an all-new Ridiculous Fishing EX update Thursday, May 23rd on Apple Arcade! 🫡

Download now at the App Store! https://t.co/stQ8QyjK4M pic.twitter.com/J16UpFfcpf

— KO_OP RIDICULOUS FISHING EX GARBAGE PATCH (@KOOPMode) May 21, 2024

Solitaire Stories brings in a brand new story in Durango Joe and three new time-limited events: Grand Prix, Mercury, and Groove Ship for this summer. Taiko no Tatsujin: Pop Tap Beat brings in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex’s opening ‘Inner Universe’ and five more songs in this week’s update. BEAST has season 5 now live with a new character, new map background, and new rewards today. The final notable update of the week is Bloons TD Battles 2+ version 4.0 bringing an overhaul to ranked mode and a lot more.

With the updates done, check out our forum threads for Ridiculous Fishing Ex here, Solitaire Stories here, Taiko no Tatsujin: Pop Tap Beat here, WHAT THE CAR? here, BEAST here, What The Golf? here, and Bloons TD Battles 2+ here. For all Apple Arcade related things, check out our dedicated Apple Arcade forum for discussion on the service and every game included here. What do you think of Apple’s updates this month so far?

How to play Final Fantasy XIV on Steam Deck in 2024

If you’re just here to learn how to play Final Fantasy XIV on Steam Deck, it is pretty simple. If you own the game license on Steam or want to play the Final Fantasy XIV Free Trial on Steam, you can just claim it on your account and get started. Final Fantasy XIV is officially marked as Steam Deck Playable by Valve. This is because the game’s launcher requires using the touchscreen or mouse cursor and manually invoking the on-screen keyboard for text input.

If you’ve not installed GE-Proton yet, I recommend doing so just in general for your Steam Deck because it helps a lot of games run even better. GamingOnLinux has a step by step guide here on doing it. I’ve had a lot of folks who play Final Fantasy XIV on Steam Deck recommend using GE-Proton to play, and I’ve had zero issues using it.

One last thing to keep in mind is Final Fantasy XIV’s region lock and account system. On Steam, you can only access the version meant for your region. If you play using the standalone license, you have no restrictions like that. Most people I know play on NA accounts despite living outside NA or having moved outside NA. On Steam, they would be forced to create a new account and character for another region. Check the Steam game page for Final Fantasy XIV before logging in or making an account if you plan on playing via the Steam license. I recommend using the standalone license for flexibility. Even if Steam only serves you the PAL version and you want to play using the NA region account, the guide below will help.

Final Fantasy XIV on Steam Deck with standalone license

If you own Final Fantasy XIV through its standalone license or the Mog Station like I do, you can still play through Steam by following this guide. It uses no mods or plugins. This has worked perfectly for me for months now on both my Steam Deck LCD and OLED models. The only thing you need to keep in mind is making sure to type your password, then hiding the keyboard. Don’t press enter or click login here. If you do so, you get an error. Once you type your password and then hide the keyboard, move the cursor to the one time password field and then type that by invoking the keyboard. At this stage, hit return on the keyboard/right trigger. This will let you play without issues. I’m not sure what the problem is for clicking or not doing it this way, but I’ve tested multiple times and the only way to do this without any friction is hitting enter/return/right trigger after the one time password has been filled. You also need GE-Proton to ensure stability.

How does Final Fantasy XIV run on Steam Deck OLED

As of this writing, I’ve made it to about 10 hours into the Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood storyline. I have not played Shadowbringers or Endwalker yet so cannot comment on the content in those expansions, but everything in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, patches, and whatever I’ve played of Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood so far is excellent on Steam Deck OLED, with it running well above 60fps almost all the time. I’ve even done dungeons with friends at 80-90fps.

While I’ve not done too many raids, I want to highlight that it does play really well even in Crystal Tower with all the effects and ran noticeably better than when I played on consoles. You just need to get used the clutter on the small screen. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how well Final Fantasy XIV runs and plays on Steam Deck through the many dozens of hours I’ve put into it recently and in the last two years across updates.

Final Fantasy XIV Steam Deck graphics settings

I’ve been using the 150% UI setting, windowed mode, custom 1280×800 resolution (with 16:10 support), the 90fps frame rate limit, real-time reflections off, anti-aliasing at FXAA, transparent lighting quality and grass at normal, parallax occlusion and tessellation at high, map resolution at high, and glare off. For shadows, I have all displayed with LOD set to low-level. Shadow resolution at 1024p, cascading at the best preset, softening at strong, anisotropic texture filtering at 16x, and dynamic resolution off. I played with dynamic resolution on and off, so try both and see which you prefer. If you want to run at 60fps and not higher, you can turn a few options higher. Since Final Fantasy XIV is an online-only game, I’m usually playing at home or when I’m near my phone for hotspot, and I usually have a charge near me. This isn’t a game I prioritize battery life with.

Final Fantasy XIV control settings

The only thing I changed here was PS5 gamepad type controls so I could have the same button prompts I’ve been used to for years. I also enabled DualSense features for when I play on Steam Deck over the docking station with my DualSense controller plugged in. One thing to keep in mind here is that the controller ordering sometimes causes issues with which controller is active. While not directly related to controls, I don’t recommend using the on-screen keyboard for chatting. I’ve been using Discord voice to chat with friends while playing online here.

Final Fantasy XIV on Xbox Series X

Since Final Fantasy XIV hit Xbox Series X recently, I decided to also cover that version. Final Fantasy XIV on PS5 feels pretty close to the PS4 Pro version aside from some minor visual improvements. The big boost was to load times and the amazing DualSense haptics. On Xbox Series X, aside from the controller features being absent, it plays great and loads fast. I also appreciate having VRR support which I don’t have on PS5 when using my monitor.

The biggest advantage to playing Final Fantasy XIV on Xbox Series X is for my lazy side. Not having to type the password and one time password each time is great for getting me to play when I just want to boot up the game and do a quest or two. This is more of a laziness issue, but it is worth highlighting, and I hope the other systems have this added as an option.

How is Final Fantasy XIV in 2024 for a new player?

Despite having a character from around 2013, I still consider myself a relatively new player since I’m still playing story content that hit back in 2017, just with newer features added. Final Fantasy XIV is not only a fantastic Final Fantasy game, but it is worth your time even if you want to play solo. Almost all the content can be played with a party of NPCs, and when you do need to do some content that isn’t doable like that, the queue time is very short in my experience. If I had to count, I think I’ve had only about 5 instances of needing to play with others in all of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and Heavensward with patches. Playing with others is more fun for sure, but you can treat this as a single player Final Fantasy game, just one that is online-only.

While Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has its ups and downs for the story, I enjoyed almost all of it leading into Heavensward. Heavensward on the other hand is sublime for its narrative, characters, new locations, music, and more. Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward is in my top 5 Final Fantasy games of all time. It is absolutely worth experiencing.

Having played Final Fantasy XIV on a controller since the early PS4 days and even remote playing it on PS Vita if you believe it, I’ve always enjoyed the controller input method. What I didn’t know until someone in my free company told me, is the expanded hold controls and other crossbar options for a controller. This coupled with the Steam Deck’s Steam Input makes Final Fantasy XIV more enjoyable for me to play on Steam Deck than on PS5 and Xbox. It also helps that the game runs brilliantly on Valve’s handheld.

If you’re a longtime player and you just want to replay the story, there’s a NG+ option now, and that might be the best use case for experiencing the main story on Steam Deck. If you just want to use the Steam Deck to grind out certain things, that’s also an option. Having an excellent portable version of Final Fantasy XIV that even excels above the console versions will never get old.

The main thing I’d like to see addressed with Final Fantasy XIV on Steam Deck and PC in general, is the login system. Right now, Final Fantasy XIV on PS5 has you inputting your one time password to login. On Xbox Series X, it saves everything so you just need to boot the game up and can directly hit login and play. On PC, you have to input both the password and the one time password to login. Doing this is very annoying on Steam Deck. I hope we see the Xbox-style login option added on PC and PS5 in the future.

The music of Final Fantasy XIV

I’ve basically stuck to Final Fantasy XIV all these years because of Masayoshi Soken’s music. I’ve been listening to it well before getting the expansions or even reaching those points story wise in-game. I know this isn’t ideal, but the music in A Realm Reborn was too good for me to not listen to it constantly over the years. It was interesting seeing where each song was used in-game though. I decided to put a pause on that for Endwalker, and have been saving that soundtrack for when I hear it in-game. Soken’s music in Final Fantasy XIV is beyond incredible. I even love most of his work in Final Fantasy XVI, but I think the Heavensward and Shadowbringers music form some of the series best music of all time. It is that good. I’ve been making it a point to always buy Final Fantasy XIV music even if I’m not up to date with the game. I like it that much.

What’s next for Final Fantasy XIV on Steam Deck?

Next month, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail with a graphics overhaul arrives. It might make some aspects of this article obsolete, but I can’t really say right now. I will try and keep this updated once Dawntrail releases so those looking to get into Final Fantasy XIV with the new graphics can still play it on Steam Deck. Stay tuned for that. I’ll hopefully also be covering Dawntrail in the future.

When I originally got the Steam Deck back in 2022, it took me a while to se tup Final Fantasy XIV because of how complicated all the guides were back then. In 2024, playing Final Fantasy XIV on Steam Deck is easier than ever, and there’s almost no friction involved. It feels excellent on the handheld, and is even playable over a phone hotspot in my experience.

As someone who is playing it only for the story and music, I’ve had a ton of fun with it on my Steam Deck OLED and Xbox in recent weeks. If you aren’t sure if it is something you will enjoy, at least get the free trial because Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward is easily one of the best Final Fantasy experiences I’ve ever had.

If you’ve not played Monster Hunter Now recently or are planning to just start playing, I put together tips and tricks for the game, details on the weapons, special skills, the current monsters list, my wishlist for future update monsters, and more. You can grab Monster Hunter Now on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. The in app purchases include different sets of gems and upgrades. Check out the official website here. What do you think of Monster Hunter Now if you’ve been playing it and what do you think of Driftsmelting if you’ve used it?

If you’d like to play Katana Zero and have an active Netflix subscription, you can get it on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Check out our forum thread for Katana Zero here. Katana Zero is priced at $14.99 on Nintendo Switch and Steam. Make sure to listen to the soundtrack here as well. With Hades and Katana Zero both now available, I’m curious to see what the next big indie is to arrive on the service. Have you played Katana Zero on Steam or consoles yet and will you be playing it on mobile through Netflix?

Having enjoyed and beaten Katana Zero multiple times before on Switch and PC, I was well aware of how difficult some stages are, and also how annoyed I was for specific bosses. In the translation to iOS, Katana Zero has lost nothing, and I’m quite surprised by that. It almost makes me want a port of Hotline Miami from Devolver, but I digress. As with my other port reviews, I’m going to also cover how the game on mobile compares to other platforms I’ve played said game on, and help you decide which one you should get.

Katana Zero is a stylish action-platformer with stunning pixel art, mesmerizing animations, and superb music. While most games in the genre have a story that gets the job done with a focus on gameplay, Katana Zero is the rare game that punches (slices?) well above its weight in every single category. It is very much a once in a generation experience, and I don’t say that lightly. After every few stage sections when you get used to a new mechanic or enemy type, Katana Zero throws something new at you. This could be with a brand-new stage type, boss fight, story moment, and more. Expect to take about 5 hours or so to see Katana Zero to its end, but it took me a lot more during my first run through it on Switch back in the day.

The core gameplay in Katana Zero involves platforming, attacking, dodging, jumping, stopping time, and more. You end up using a combination of all of this to make it through a stage section. You can keep playing through a specific section if you die until you manage to clear it. If you hadn’t caught on from the title screen and the opening, Katana Zero wears its synthwave and VHS vibe proudly. When you die, you get a VHS-like rewind effect. In fact clearing a section also has you ejecting a tape.

Speaking of the length, Katana Zero feels like it is built for speedrunning. It has a few settings that save your time, like being able to skip the VHS rewind animation on death and almost instantly restart. I recommend enabling this because it does get annoying when you make a mistake a few times in a row on a specific level and see the same animation play out.

Given the structure and difficulty, there is a lot of trial and error as you learn a specific level segment before moving to the next one. This may or may not be an annoyance for you. I expected it given the genre, but there are a few bits that annoy me to this day. When watching Katana Zero trailers or gameplay, you’d think this is a very fast-paced game, and you’re right, but there’s a lot more to it. While the opening levels feel pretty straightforward, there is a lot of depth and strategy at play in Katana Zero. Each level, enemy placement, point of interest, object, and more work together to make you feel like a puzzle solving samurai genius with one of the best soundtracks in gaming.

If you played Hotline Miami, the addictive one more chance style action is at play here. You will die often, but every death is a learning experience. This aspect might turn some players off, but outside of maybe a handful of deaths, I’ve never felt like my time was being wasted in any level of situation. I will say that some of the boss battles are frustrating, and that’s really my only complaint with the core game. It is a sublime experience, but I never really enjoyed some specific moments in my Switch or Steam playthroughs. Those aren’t fun when experienced on mobile either as you can expect.

On Switch and PC, Katana Zero plays perfectly with a controller. On iOS, you can of course use a controller, but I was more interested in seeing how the developers adapted the game for touch controls. On the controller side, I tested using a Backbone One on an iPhone 14 Plus and my 8BitDo Pro 2 on iPad Pro. It all works well. On my iPhone 15 Pro, I used touch controls, and found them to be very good outside one issue. The action buttons and interaction button can all be resized and moved around. The analog stick for movement has three settings, but none of them let you properly fix the joystick including the fixed setting. I have to imagine this is a bug or a mislabelled setting. If you aren’t used to playing platformers on touch controls, this will take you some time to get used to, but I think the team has done a fantastic job with the controls on iOS.

Katana Zero looks brilliant on iOS. It has some border artwork on iPhone 15 Pro during gameplay, and has black bars in menus and interfaces. On iPad Pro, there are just black bars around the 16:9 gameplay. It looks crisp though, and performance has been very good on my devices. Katana Zero is capped at 60fps on PC so I didn’t expect support for more on iOS. I did notice a variable frame rate in some parts on iPad Pro (2020), but performance was excellent on my iPhone 15 Pro.

If you’re new to Katana Zero and have a Netflix subscription, I’d definitely try it out on mobile before buying it on another platform. If you don’t have a Netflix subscription, I’d recommend getting Katana Zero on Switch or Steam Deck to play on the go with the latter being the best version with no performance issues at all.

I mentioned the soundtrack being great, but it really is one of the best game soundtracks in many years with it touching quite a few genres through its runtime. This is definitely one to own on vinyl. If you have no interest in the game and have somehow made it this far into a review of said game, at least listen to the soundtrack. You will not regret it.

While I’m not sure I’d say Katana Zero justifies subscribing to Netflix if you don’t have an active subscription, it is immediately one of the best games on the service, and a fantastic, and near-perfect, conversion of a magnificent game. If you have a Netflix subscription, drop everything else and play Katana Zero right now. It is that good. Replaying it has not made the wait for Katana Zero DLC easier.

Check out the official Wuthering Waves website for more character and pre-registration reward details here. If you’d like to play Wuthering Waves from day one, you can now get it on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Wuthering Waves is a free to play game, but it has various in app purchases listed including different Lunites packages and even a Lunite subscription. There are two in app purchases of Connoisseur and Insider Channels listed as well. I don’t know what those do yet, but I assume the game will have them listed when it fully launches from May 22nd. What do you think of Wuthering Waves so far and will you be playing it this week?

Kingdom Two Crowns: Call of Olympus follows Kingdom Two Crowns: Norse Lands campaign which launched as DLC on other platforms and as an in app purchase for $2.99 on iOS and Android. You can currently wishlist Kingdom Two Crowns: Call of Olympus on Steam here. If you’ve not gotten the base game yet, you can buy Kingdom Two Crowns on the App Store for iOS and Google Play for Android. The base game is 75% off on Steam as well as a part of a Raw Fury publisher sale. Have you played Kingdom Two Crowns on iOS or Android yet and what do you think of this new expansion?

Fast forward to earlier this year, Capcom announced a remaster of Monster Hunter Stories for PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam. This remaster promised improved visuals over the 3DS release, a museum mode, full voice acting, all Japan-exclusive title updates, and added language support. That sounds great of course, but I still thought the improved visuals just meant we would be getting the mobile version on modern consoles and PC. I was wrong. Capcom has gone and improved a few notable aspects of the visuals even on Nintendo Switch compared to the mobile version. Thanks to early access from Capcom, I’ve been playing the remaster of Monster Hunter Stories on Switch, Steam Deck, and PS5 for this preview. I will not be directly comparing the game on platforms here, but will cover how each version feels, and what makes it worth getting even if you own prior releases of Monster Hunter Stories, based on my time with it.

Monster Hunter Stories remaster hands-on preview

If you’re completely new to Monster Hunter Stories, it is an RPG from Marvelous and Capcom that basically floored me on 3DS with its visuals and excellent transition of Monster Hunter mechanics to a monster collecting RPG. In fact, I used to joke about how Monster Hunter Stories on 3DS was better than the Pokemon games on the system. Looking back, not only do I still believe that, but I think Monster Hunter Stories 2 transcended that to become its own fantastic game, but I’ll save my thoughts on Monster Hunter Stories 2 for another article later on. So, Monster Hunter Stories is quite different from mainline Monster Hunter games, but it very much was a great gateway game for a younger audience. Following its 2017 release on 3DS, it saw a mobile release internationally a year later, and basically will have not seen a single new platform release until this PS4, Switch, and Steam version will release next month.

Monster Hunter Stories remaster new features

When I first got access to this remaster, I purposely didn’t play the mobile or 3DS versions until a few days later. I wanted to see how this new version felt out of the box. I thought it looked and played great on my 1440p monitor, but the voice acting was the biggest surprise. It sounds good enough to the point I was surprised it wasn’t included in the original release. It also felt great to play Monster Hunter Stories with a controller after spending a lot of time with the touch version on my iOS devices.

Monster Hunter Stories remaster visual improvements over mobile and 3DS

Visually, I first thought this remaster of Monster Hunter Stories was just the mobile version running on Switch, PS4 (and PS5), and Steam, but adjusted for different aspect ratios and hardware. After then replaying the opening hours across multiple devices, I could see the improvements in the remaster. These range from increased foliage to improved textures and even support for higher frame rates depending on the platform. I’ll have comparisons for the different platform versions closer to launch. For this Monster Hunter Stories remaster hands-on preview, I mainly wanted to confirm that this release isn’t just the mobile version ported like I expected.

Monster Hunter Stories also has a Museum that features music and an art gallery. I can’t show it all for spoiler reasons, but the music is split up into 6 sections. The art gallery features characters, backgrounds, monsters, and other illustrations. This is all accessible from the title screen menu, and you get a spoiler warning before accessing it if you’re new to the world of Monster Hunter Stories.

Before getting into how this remaster feels on each platform, I recommend all those who get the remaster immediately look at the camera options to fix the movement. It feels very sluggish by default. Play around with the settings to make it feel better.

Monster Hunter Stories remaster Nintendo Switch impressions

Monster Hunter Stories on Nintendo Switch is an upgrade over the mobile version in some ways, but the frame rate right now isn’t stable throughout. It basically feels like it is running uncapped with a 60fps target, but it feels a lot better than Monster Hunter Stories 2 did on Switch. It looks excellent on the Switch’s OLED screen and when played docked. Load times are not bad either.

Monster Hunter Stories remaster Steam Deck and PC port impressions

The PC version of Monster Hunter Stories includes a few graphics and display options. You can adjust window mode (windowed, fullscreen, and borderless), resolution (864×486 to 4K), frame rate target (30fps to 144fps), toggle v-sync, toggle anti-aliasing, and adjust shadow quality (low, medium, high). You can also adjust brightness.

On my Steam Deck OLED, Monster Hunter Stories held 90fps very well with everything set to high aside from shadow quality which I turned down from the start. Load times are near-instant. The game supports Steam Cloud, but doesn’t do full 16:10 on the Deck’s screen.

Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Hunter Stories 2 PS5 impressions

I won’t lie. I was disappointed to see Monster Hunter Stories being a PS4 game with no native PS5 release. A native release would’ve allowed for higher resolutions and frame rates. The PS4 version runs at 60fps on my PS5, but it could’ve been crisper. Aside from that, the load times are fast and I have no real complaints with it. The lack of a proper physical release of both games worldwide on PS4 is disappointing though.

I couldn’t obviously test the Monster Hunter Stories 1.20 and 1.30 title updates for this preview. I’m looking forward to digging deeper into this remaster for my full review closer to the game’s launch. Until then, Capcom definitely went above and beyond for this release. I expected just a port of the mobile release with controller support, but this is a lot more than that, and it is fantastic even for those who enjoyed it on 3DS like myself.

The episodes will initially be exclusive to France before releasing worldwide later. If you’ve not gotten the game yet, you can buy Dead Cells on the App Store for iOS and on Google Play for Android for $8.99. If you’re unsure whether to grab it on mobile or Switch, read my comparison here and my DLC review covering the newer updates here. I’ve been playing the game more on Steam Deck lately, but you really need to get the Castlevania DLC on whatever platform you play the game on. What do you think of the first trailer for Dead Cells: Immortals?

Steam Deck Game Reviews & Impressions

Cryptmaster Steam Deck Review

Cryptmaster might just be the most interesting game of 2024 so far that feels perfectly tailored to my taste. I love word games and dungeon crawlers, and Cryptmaster blends both together while constantly surprising me during its runtime. I’ve even started replaying it just to try and see how much the developers thought of with the text input mechanic and dialog.

Cryptmaster is full of mystery, lovely NPC interactions, good combat (that isn’t too deep), and a lot of wordplay (inputting words to guess lost skills) that ended up making it one of my favorite games of the year so far just after my first play session of three hours. I’ve since continued that, started over fresh, and basically tried my best to milk this game of all it has to offer in its voiced dialog and while also trying the alternate combat option. I definitely recommend playing in turn-based mode for your first run.

Cryptmaster lets you choose between keyboard or controller input when you boot up the game. You have a few control options to let you adjust rotation speed, stick sensitivity, skipping dialog options, instant rotation snap, and headbob. The graphics options let you adjust resolution from 720p all the way up to 3840×1600 on Steam Deck when docked. There are quality presets from low to ultra, draw distance options, a color tint option if you aren’t a fan of the black and white aesthetic, FOV options, and three audio sliders for speech, effects, and music. I left everything on default aside from resolution that I tweaked depending on the display I used.

Playing at 1440p on my monitor worked out fine for a 30fps target on Deck. If you want a locked 60 or 70fps, you need to play at 720p. Setting everything to the lowest or off resulted in around 95fps when played at 720p. The aesthetic scales well through lower resolutions as well, and it looks excellent on the Steam Deck screen.

I wanted to play Cryptmaster on Steam Deck for two reasons. The first is because the game’s premise was pretty damn cool, but I also wanted to see how a game that was clearly built for keyboard gameplay would feel on Steam Deck. The developers have made sure it is playable even for those who only use a controller or play on the Deck itself, but I would still recommend playing it with a keyboard hooked up for the best possible experience.

Aside from the control issues if you don’t use a keyboard and some difficulty spikes I ran into, I have no complaints with Cryptmaster as a game. It is a smart blend of two genres that worked out well, and I hope it does well enough to get console ports down the line. I do hope the PC version gets patched with Steam Cloud support though.

If you like word games and dungeon crawlers, Cryptmaster will likely be one of your favorite games in years. It oozes humor, charm, and constantly keeps you engaged with its striking aesthetic and mechanics. I also like how the developers cater to those who play with a controller here, though I recommend a keyboard for the smoothest experience.

Cryptmaster Steam Deck Review Score: 4.5/5

Gigantic: Rampage Edition Steam Deck Review

I initially was skeptical of Gigantic: Rampage Edition on Steam Deck because it is a MOBA, and online games can sometimes have issues with Proton thanks to anti-cheat measures. When I eventually did get sent review codes for Gigantic: Rampage Edition, I was surprised to see it work out of the box. I’ve slowly been playing it with randoms and with friends since launch to see how it feels. I’m going to cover how it plays on Steam Deck and whether it is worth your time right now.

Gigantic: Rampage Edition is a new version of an older game that I hadn’t heard of until learning about this new release. It hit PC and consoles last month with cross platform play. If you, like me, were new to Gigantic, Gigantic: Rampage Edition is a 5v5 MOBA hero shooter that aims to appeal to both genres with its blend of interesting heroes, modes, and more. Right off the bat, I’m going to say that I rarely play MOBAs, and the last one I truly spent time with for more than a month was Heroes of the Storm. With that out of the way, I’ve enjoyed the gameplay across the modes in Gigantic: Rampage Edition with friends. I’ve still not seen what all heroes have to offer, and I wish there was some sort of proper story mode to build up the heroes here.

In its current state, Gigantic: Rampage Edition is a paid release at $20 or regional equivalent. More hero skins and a ranked mode are due through free updates. I was surprised to see this arrive as a paid release, but I won’t fault the developers for trying. It being a one and done purchase has definitely made it easier for me to get friends to try it out, but the ones who bounced off it have similar complaints as I do. Gigantic: Rampage Edition needed a bit more time to cook and flesh out certain parts of the game more. It isn’t remotely a bad experience, and I recommend it, but it could’ve been more.

The PC version of Gigantic: Rampage Edition lets you adjust display mode, resolution, toggle v-sync, graphics quality, texture details, dynamic shadows, and various levels of anisotropic filtering. Without changing anything, Gigantic: Rampage Edition held 60fps quite well even in visually busy portions of the game. Turning everything to low resulted in less drops from 60fps, but I recommend leaving things at the default preset.

Gigantic: Rampage Edition is officially marked as Steam Deck Playable by Valve due to needing to manually invoke the keyboard for some text entry and for small text size. In my experience with it playing on my Steam Deck OLED and also on my monitor through the docking station, I’ve had no issues even grouping up with friends across the world. There have been some hiccups, but those affect all platforms.

In future updates, I’d love to see an offline mode added to play with just bots, but I understand that might not be possible.

Gigantic: Rampage Edition with cross platform play and with how well it plays on Steam Deck is worth your time if you have people to play with despite the few issues I have with certain aspects of the experience. I worry for the online population, but this is a solid base at a low asking price. I just hope some sort of story mode can be added as future DLC or in an update.

Gigantic: Rampage Edition Steam Deck Review Score: 3.5/5

Crow Country Steam Deck Review

When I played Signalis, I thought it would basically have no competition for throwback horror games given how good it was. It turns out I was wrong, and I’m glad about that. SFB Games’ Crow Country is a superb 90s style survival horror game with a surprisingly good blend of modern features to make it feel right at home today. SFB Games nailed what I pictured in my head for a retro horror game built for modern audiences here.

Crow Country is full of surprises, gorgeous 90s visuals, smooth controls, excellent puzzles, riddles, and even an option to play it as an exploration game if you aren’t a fan of horror. The developers really thought of just about everything here with it even having a hint system. Another aspect I love is the general design language that applies to environments, character designs, enemies, and the UI. SFB Games absolutely knocked this one out of the park as its first survival horror game.

Crow Country on Steam Deck is officially Steam Deck Verified, and it basically is the version of the game I recommend. I loved playing Signalis handheld on Switch and Steam Deck, and will be replaying Crow Country if it ever hits Switch. I have zero complaints with how it runs on Switch both playing on my Steam Deck OLED and when docked on the 1440p monitor. The only graphics options it has are adjusting screen mode, displaying exit arrows, and showing the gameplay HUD.

The only thing I don’t like about Crow Country is the traps spread across the game. They aren’t always bad, but in some instances I just got annoyed with the placement and despite some of them also working on enemies, I would rather the number be reduced in general as an option. Aside from the roadmap already announced, I hope Crow Country comes to Switch and gets a physical release.

Crow Country joins Signalis as one of the best survival horror games in recent years. It is shockingly good, and I can’t wait to revisit it when its next update arrives. I urge you to at least try the free demo. It feels perfect on Steam Deck. What I thought would be a nice throwback horror game ended up being one of the best in years for the genre, and a standout title in an already amazing 2024 for games.

Steam Deck Review Score: 4.5/5

INDIKA Steam Deck Review

INDIKA is a very interesting third-person adventure game that always tiptoes between a few styles, but manages to be its own thing by the end with surreal and humorous moments. You play as a young nun in the middle of self discovery with religious themes, torment, and more. When it launched, it had issues on Steam Deck, and still does in parts, but it is now at a point where I can recommend experiencing it on Valve’s handheld.

When it comes to gameplay, INDIKA is basically a walking simulator, albeit one that feels much bigger budget than the norm, and one that has some mini-games sprinkled across. It plays well and looks excellent on Steam Deck, but suffers from drops below 30fps in some parts. Overall, it is a game I’m glad I got to play, and one you should try if you’re interested in the premise.

The PC version of INDIKA doesn’t have any graphics options outside disabling the UD, motion blur, and gamma. You can adjust the FOV or controller sensitivity, but have no control over capping the frame rate or anything else in-game. I capped it to 30fps from the Steam Deck’s own menu. I also recommend turning the subtitle size to 150% if you plan on playing in handheld mode only, and also disabling the pixel font. The pixel font would’ve been fine if you could tweak the UI size across the board.

INDIKA was a fresh adventure experience that continuously surprised me throughout with how its narrative flowed, and one I’m definitely going to replay on PS5 when it releases there. As a fan of walking simulators, this is one of my favorites in the genre, and I’m just shocked it even exists. It might even be one of my favorite games 11 bit studios has published so far.

Steam Deck Review Score: 4/5

Hatsune Miku – The Planet Of Wonder And Fragments Of Wishes Steam Deck Review

Hatsune Miku – The Planet Of Wonder And Fragments Of Wishes is a game I had no idea existed until I saw it get Steam Deck Verified pre-release. It originally released on Switch last year, and arrived on Steam a month ago. While most Miku fans know and love the rhythm games, she does also see games in other genres. Hatsune Miku – The Planet Of Wonder And Fragments Of Wishes is a short adventure game with mini-games included that you can get through in about two hours or less.

At its asking price of $30, that’s a hard pill to swallow. If you look beyond the price, Miku fans will enjoy the interactions and mini-games. I definitely liked the time I put into it, but I just cannot recommend it at that price. Hatsune Miku – The Planet Of Wonder And Fragments Of Wishes is Steam Deck Verified like I mentioned, but it has a scrolling issue where the game doesn’t feel smooth at 60fps or 90fps. I fixed this by forcing the Steam Deck’s display to 50hz. This is a bug I’ve experienced in a few other games as well, and I hope it can be fixed so the scrolling is smooth even at higher frame rates.

Hatsune Miku – The Planet Of Wonder And Fragments Of Wishes is a game I recommend on a big discount if you like Miku. I try to play just about every Hatsune Miku game I can across platforms, and Hatsune Miku – The Planet Of Wonder And Fragments Of Wishes would’ve been easier to recommend if it cost about half of what it does and didn’t have a constant scrolling issue. As a short adventure game for Miku fans, it gets the job done, but the asking price makes it a non starter right now.

Hatsune Miku – The Planet Of Wonder And Fragments Of Wishes Steam Deck Review Score: 2.5/5

Samurai Warriors 4 DX Steam Deck Review

I have very fond memories of Samurai Warriors 4 because it was basically the first proper Warriors game I played after getting into the genre through Hyrule Warriors. When I bought Samurai Warriors 4 back on PS4, I was blown away by how smooth it felt, but also with how addictive the gameplay was throughout the main story. I ended up sticking with the series and buying Samurai Warriors 4-II and Samurai Warriors 4 Empires (my favorite of the lot) as they came out. Back then, also Koei Tecmo ported Samurai Warriors 4-II to PC, but it was a middling conversion that used old generation assets and just wasn’t as good of a port. Times have changed since with Koei Tecmo games usually best on PC these days.

Samurai Warriors 4 was PlayStation exclusive, and it hadn’t seen any re-release until Samurai Warriors 4 DX hit PS4 and Nintendo Switch in a few years ago in Japan. Since Koei Tecmo released Dynasty Warriors 8’s complete (more or less) edition on Switch, I hoped Samurai Warriors 4 DX would make its way over. That ship seemed to have sailed as the years went by, but we had a surprise announcement and release of Samurai Warriors 4 DX for Steam this week, and it arrived Steam Deck Verified to my surprise.

If you’ve never played a Warriors game before, Samurai Warriors 4 DX is one of the best introductions to the genre, and a fantastic version of Omega Force and Koei Tecmo’s hack and slash action games. Samurai Warriors 4 in particular also has excellent storytelling and has you slowly experiencing different characters across regions that all build towards the grand finale. It remains one one of the best Warriors games out there as well even in its base format. With Samurai Warriors 4 DX, it includes all the DLC from the PS4 version, and just buying the DLC on PS4 looks like it would cost more than Samurai Warriors 4 DX does on Steam. This DLC includes edit parts, costumes, scenarios, weapons, BGM, and more. You can see all the DLC on the PSN store page here.

Samurai Warriors 4 DX on PC also includes online co-op support and splitscreen. I didn’t test the latter, but playing online worked perfectly with a friend of mine in another country. There was no delay, and we got in and out of a mission near-instantly.

The PC port of Samurai Warriors 4 DX lets you adjust resolution down to 640×360, frame rate target (30 or 60fps only), toggle movie playback, adjust overall quality preset, dynamic shadows, texture filtering, reflections, and ambient occlusion. It has Xbox button prompts only as far as I can tell, and has Steam Cloud support. The game is 16:9 only as well.

On my Steam Deck OLED, out of the box Samurai Warriors 4 DX runs with a 60fps target, but drops to the mid 40s often during busy combat when played at 720p. I turned everything low or off and had it running around the 50s in the test area. I then turned everything on and used the high preset. This is good for a 30fps target because the game hovered between 30 and 40fps. As of this writing, a locked 60fps is not possible at 720p as far as I can tell. I hope this can be improved in patches. The high and medium presets look very good on the handheld screen.

If you’ve never played a Warriors game before, Samurai Warriors 4 DX is superb value and a fantastic game to start with. Some aspects are dated compared to newer Omega Force games and the price should’ve been a bit lower though. That aside, it is incredible to finally have it on PC over a decade later, and it is almost perfect on Steam Deck out of the box. I hope it can be optimized a bit for a locked 60fps because I always love playing Warriors games on a portable, and Samurai Warriors 4 DX on Steam Deck is an amazing version of one of my favorite Warriors games.

Steam Deck Review Score: 4.5/5

Capes Steam Deck Impressions

I’ve had a preview build for Capes since a while now, but didn’t get around to playing it much until a few weeks ago. With it set to release later this month, I wanted to write up some brief impressions of how the pre-release preview build plays on Steam Deck. Things are looking good already, but what surprised me the most, is how much fun I was having playing Capes on Steam Deck.

Spitfire Interactive and Daedalic Entertainment’s newest game is a sci-fi turn-based tactical RPG where you grow your team of heroes, upgrade, level up, take on more, and progress through the various campaign missions. I didn’t have access to more than the opening hours in the preview build, but it is definitely polished and fun so far.

A reductive way of describing Capes would be Marvel’s Midnight Suns with less of the downtime, no licensed characters, and more comic book aesthetic. If that sounds good to you, Capes should be on your radar. It also plays great out of the box on Steam Deck. I’ll save my full thoughts on the PC port for when I have access to the review build in the near future. We will likely be covering it on Switch as well for our review coverage.

PO’ed: Definitive Edition Steam Deck Impressions

Shaun is doing a full review of PO’ed: Definitive Edition on Switch, but I wanted to cover how it is on Steam Deck from day one in this impressions feature. PO’ed: Definitive Edition is a supercharged and enhanced version of the 1995-released 3DO and PlayStation shooter that I had never heard of until Nightdive Studios announced this release. It is funny, smooth, and basically feels amazing to play today thanks to an excellent release from Nightdive, who have yet to disappoint me.

On Steam Deck, PO’ed: Definitive Edition is marked as Steam Deck Playable by Valve. This is because Valve says some text might be too small to read. I’ve had no issues with PO’ed: Definitive Edition on Steam Deck playing at 90fps in handheld on the Steam Deck OLED, or playing at 144hz on my monitor. It just works out of the box, and has been a very interesting experience. Shaun will cover how the game itself has aged in his full review, but I’m pleased with what Nightdive has released here.

News and Trailers

That sure was a long reviews and impressions section wasn’t it? Let’s get into the news with a new Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance trailer from Atlus showcasing the new locations included in this enhanced and expanded version of one of 2021’s best RPGs. Watch the Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance New Locations trailer below:

Alongside my full review of the PC port above, here’s Koei Tecmo’s announcement and launch trailer for the excellent Samurai Warriors 4 DX. This is incredible value if you’re new to the game, but I still wish it was $40 instead of $50 on PC. I hope Koei Tecmo brings Samurai Warriors 4 Empires to Steam next so we have the complete set of games from that generation of Samurai Warriors on PC. Watch the trailer for it below:

Sega is bringing the recently-released Switch game Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba -Sweep the Board! is coming to Steam and other consoles on July 16th. Digital pre-orders are live on Steam featuring some stamps to use and three premium tickets. Check it out on Steam here.

This week, Day of the Devs revealed the partners for the Summer Game Fest Edition showcase stream including: Calligram Studio, Clapperheads, Crescent Moon Games, Furniture & Mattress, Mossmouth, Oopsie Daisies Studio, Optillusion Games, Pikselnesia, Pollard Studio, Rocket Adrift, Soup Island, Studio Tolima, Tan Ant Games, Those Dang Games and more. The showcase will take place online on June 7th at 4 PM PT. It will stream on YouTube, Twitch, and more.

Spike Chunsoft announced that it will be bringing The Quintessential Quintuplets – Memories of a Quintessential Summer, The Quintessential Quintuplets – Five Memories Spent With You, and The Quintessential Quintuplets Double Pack to Steam, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch on May 23rd. There will be a discount for launch week. I’m not familiar with the source material, but it is good to see more visual novels get localized for PC and consoles in the West.

Warhammer Skulls returns on May 23rd featuring Rahul Kohli who will be hosting it to cover updates on Rogue Trader, Boltgun, Darktide, and Space Marine 2. I’m very interested in all of those barring Darktide which I still need to play more. Watch the showcase trailer below:

Cygames confirmed that Beatrix, the next playable DLC character coming to Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, will launch worldwide for Steam, PS5, and PS4 next week on May 23rd. I’m looking forward to getting back to the game to try her. Watch the Beatrix Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising trailer below:

The final bit of news is Prime Video announcing a new series based on Tomb Raider which is the first news we’ve had for the IP after Crystal Dynamics and Amazon Games announced a multiplatform game project. Check out the announcement for the show here.

New Steam Deck Verified & Playable games for the week

Nothing out of the ordinary this week aside from the surprise launch of Samurai Warriors 4 DX which arrived Steam Deck Verified.

• ASTROLANCER – Playable
• Class of Heroes 2G: Remaster Edition – Verified
• Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun and Firestorm – Playable
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 and Yuri’s Revenge – Playable
• Days With Ollie – Verified
• Footgun: Underground – Playable
• Hell Let Loose – Playable
• Kill It With Fire 2 – Playable
• Laysara: Summit Kingdom – Playable
• Maid of the Dead – Playable
• Nuclear Blaze – Unsupported
• Piczle Cross Story of Seasons – Unsupported
• Echoes of the Plum Grove – Playable
• PO’ed: Definitive Edition – Playable
• Pools – Verified
• Rainbow Cotton – Verified
• Salt 2 – Verified
• SAMURAI WARRIORS 4 DX – Verified
• The Colonists – Playable
• The Settlers: New Allies – Playable

Steam Deck Game Sales & Discounts

The highlight sales of the week are the Monster Hunter Humble Bundle including both Rise and World across different tiers and Devolver Digital’s 15th anniversary sale. For the Monster Hunter bundle, I recommend the $30 bundle so you have World with Iceborne and Rise with Sunbreak. While you can get by with just World, the base Monster Hunter Rise is not worth playing. Iceborne and Sunbreak make their base releases superlative. Check out the bundle here. Note that the Deluxe kits are not worth grabbing on their own later on.

Devolver has boatloads of great games discounted, but if you had to just pick one of the recent releases, I’d go with The Talos Principle 2 at 40% off. I’d also say Loop Hero, but that’s best on mobile now. Devolver Digital’s sale is on from now until May 30th.

Steam has its Endlessly Replayable fest with discounts on Dead Cells, Crusader Kings III, Balatro, Risk of Rain 2, and much more. This sale definitely has a lot of games I want, but I thankfully own most of what I want already. This sale is on until May 20th.

That’s all for this week’s edition of the Steam Deck Weekly. As usual, you can read all our past and future Steam Deck coverage here. If you have any feedback for this feature or what else you’d like to see us do around the Steam Deck, let us know in the comments below. I hope you all have a great day, and thanks for reading.

The Brotato Abyssal Terrors DLC (also not confirmed for mobile yet) will bring in 20 new waves of enemies and bosses, more than 10 new characters, more than 10 new weapons, more than 30 new items, and more. As revealed before, the free update will bring in local co-op for up to 4 players, game balance adjustments, and new content on PC. If you’ve not gotten Brotato on mobile yet, read Shaun’s review of Brotato on iOS here and my Switch review here. We featured Brotato as our Game of the Week when it launched. If you’d like to get it on mobile, Brotato (premium) is available for $4.99 on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Have you played Brotato and what do you think of the new weapon?

The second major update for Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop has launched today bringing in four new rulesets for solo/multiplayer, two new ways to play endless mode, three new Puyo Puyo tracks, and more. I’m curious to see if this pace is kept for future content updates as well. Castle Crumble adds in the Amber Hills Kingdom with 40 new levels, Amber King challenge, Conquest Mode, and more in today’s 1.10.0 update. Simon’s Cat – Story Time brings in support for 250 new levels with 50 coming each week. Tamagotchi Adventure Kingdom has its major 2.0.0 update bringing in loads of new content, features, 60fps support, and more. The final notable update of the week is Zookeeper World bringing in even more levels with the next set arriving on June 16th.

With the updates done, head over to our forum threads for Hello Kitty Island Adventure here, Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop here, Simon’s Cat – Story Time here, Castle Crumble here, Tamagotchi Adventure Kingdom here, and Zookeeper World here. For all other Apple Arcade related things, check out our dedicated Apple Arcade forum for discussion on the service and every game included here. What do you think of Apple’s newly released games and updates recently?

Update: Added information on Tamagotchi Adventure Kingdom update.

• 2048
• Amstrad – CPC (CrocoDS)
• Amstrad – CPC/GX4000 (Caprice32)
• Arcade (FinalBurn Neo)
• Atari – 2600 (Stella 2014)
• Atari – 2600 (Stella)
• Atari – 5200 (Atari800)
• Atari – 5200 (a5200)
• Atari – 7800 (ProSystem)
• Atari – Lynx (Handy)
• Bandai – WonderSwan/Color (Beetle Cygne)
• Commodore – Amiga (PUAE)
• Commodore – C128 (VICE x128)
• Commodore – C64 (VICE x64, fast)
• Commodore – C64 (VICE x64sc, accurate)
• Commodore – C64 SuperCPU (VICE xscpu64)
• Commodore – CBM-II 5×0 (VICE xcbm5x0)
• Commodore – CBM-II 6×0/7×0 (VICE xcbm2)
• Commodore – PET (VICE xpet)
• Commodore – PLUS/4 (VICE xplus4)
• Commodore – VIC-20 (VICE xvic)
• Dinothawr
• Fairchild ChannelF (FreeChaF)
• GCE – Vectrex (vecx)
• Game Music Emu
• Handheld Electronic (GW)
• MSX/SVI/ColecoVision/SG-1000 (blueMSX)
• Mattel – Intellivision (FreeIntv)
• NEC – PC Engine / CD (Beetle PCE FAST)
• NEC – PC Engine / SuperGrafx / CD (Beetle PCE)
• NEC – PC Engine SuperGrafx (Beetle SuperGrafx)
• NEC – PC-98 (Neko Project II Kai)
• Nintendo – DS (DeSmuME)
• Nintendo – DS (melonDS DS)
• Nintendo – Game Boy / Color (Gambatte)
• Nintendo – Game Boy / Color (Gearboy)
• Nintendo – Game Boy / Color (SameBoy)
• Nintendo – Game Boy / Color (TGB Dual)
• Nintendo – Game Boy Advance (VBA Next)
• Nintendo – Game Boy Advance (VBA-M)
• Nintendo – Game Boy Advance (gpSP)
• Nintendo – Game Boy Advance (mGBA)
• Nintendo – NES / Famicom (FCEUmm)
• Nintendo – NES / Famicom (Mesen)
• Nintendo – NES / Famicom (Nestopia UE)
• Nintendo – NES / Famicom (QuickNES)
• Nintendo – Nintendo 64 (Mupen64Plus-Next)

• Nintendo – SNES / SFC (Snes9x 2005)
• Nintendo – SNES / SFC (Snes9x 2010)
• Nintendo – SNES / SFC (Snes9x)
• Nintendo – SNES / SFC (bsnes)
• Nintendo – SNES / SFC (bsnes-hd beta)
• Nintendo – SNES / SFC / Game Boy / Color (Mesen-S)
• Nintendo – Virtual Boy (Beetle VB)
• PocketCDG
• Quake (TyrQuake)
• Rick Dangerous (XRick)
• SNK – Neo Geo AES/MVS (Geolith)
• SNK – Neo Geo CD (NeoCD)
• SNK – Neo Geo Pocket / Color (RACE)
• ScummVM
• Sega – MS/GG (SMS Plus GX)
• Sega – MS/GG/MD/CD (Genesis Plus GX Wide)
• Sega – MS/GG/MD/CD (Genesis Plus GX)
• Sega – MS/GG/MD/CD/32X (PicoDrive)
• Sega – MS/GG/SG-1000 (Gearsystem)
• Sega – Saturn (Beetle Saturn)
• Sharp – X68000 (PX68k)
• Sinclair – ZX Spectrum (Fuse)
• Sony – PlayStation (Beetle PSX HW)
• Sony – PlayStation (Beetle PSX)
• Sony – PlayStation (PCSX ReARMed)
• Sony – PlayStation Portable (PPSSPP)
• Texas Instruments TI-83 (Numero)
• Thomson – MO/TO (Theodore)
• Vircon32
• VirtualXT
• WASM-4
• Watara – Supervision (Potator)

If you’d like to grab it, you can get RetroArch on the App Store for iOS here. Check out the official website for RetroArch here. While not as user-friendly as Delta, RetroArch does a lot more with its platform support and features right now. I can’t believe both RetroArch and PPSSPP are now officially on the App Store. What would you like to see next for the world of emulation on iOS?

TouchArcade (TA): I usually begin by asking for an introduction, but regular TouchArcade readers are well aware of Simogo and your superlative games. Instead, tell us a little bit about how the last few years have been for Simogo with multiple platforms, working with Annapurna Interactive after self-publishing games before.

Simon Flesser (SF): It’s been both good and strugglesome. Sayonara Wild Hearts was a tough project, and it only became tougher as we worked on it. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, on the other hand, was mostly a joy for the team to work on. Even though the project took big turns and we threw away a lot of finished work when shifting directions, it was a much more joyful and creative process, which I think has strengthened us as a team.

TA: I recently wrote about Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, one of the most fascinating puzzle games I’ve played in ages. It is releasing days from now (based on when this interview was conducted). How have the last few months been for you working on the game?

SF: Over the last five-six months, we have mainly been focusing on localizing the game, and implementing the translations. It’s a complicated and very manual process, as this game has a lot of text and displays them in a lot of different ways.

TA: I’ve always considered every Simogo game worth experiencing regardless of how someone feels about a specific genre because of the creativity on display. What were your inspirations for Lorelei and the Laser Eyes?

SF: Films like L’Année dernière à Marienbad, books like the Magus, the work of Paul Auster and videogames like traditional adventure games and Resident Evil, Zelda and Metroid. We were also inspired generally by the trend of open world games, but we instead wanted to try and create an intimate world, instead of open.

TA: Simogo has developed some of the most interesting games ever like Device 6 and Year Walk being the most common examples. For those unaware about Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, what do you think makes it worth experiencing for newcomers to the genre?

SF: Even though the puzzles are difficult, you never get stuck. Because the game is so non-linear and has so many unique puzzles and interactions to discover, there is always something new to do. And the more you discover, the more you will understand how everything is connected, and be able to solve the mystery. We’ve seen people who usually don’t even play videogames be completely spellbound by it.

TA: Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is pretty simple to control but quite complex in its puzzles. What led to you wanting the game to just have character movement and one interaction button for everything?

SF: There were a number of reasons. We always want to try and challenge established control-standards, and explore how things could be done differently. It was an interesting design exercise to try and boil down all interactions to just one input. We called this design “the always forward” design, meaning that the player could never cancel or back out of anything magically, or skip steps, they had to take the same way out as they came in, and we wanted to make a 100% consistent design where all interactions were created equally.
We also wanted anyone who had never held a controller to be able to play this game, and we wanted it to be playable with only one hand, or even less.

TA: I noticed some puzzles require cycling through multiple numbers or tabs. Are there plans to make this easier to do on a controller?

SF: No. We want the game to feel deliberate, and players to commit to their choices.

TA: In the past, you’ve posted about how Lorelei and the Laser Eyes feels great on Switch and Steam Deck. The former even runs at 60fps and native resolution on Nintendo’s hybrid system. Was Lorelei and the Laser Eyes developed for Switch from the start?

SF: Yes, Switch was always the game’s primary platform. It’s a nice system to develop for as you can bring it with you and test builds when you are on the go. That’s especially for a game like Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, which required so much testing, because of its non-linearity and random generated elements.

TA: Speaking of Switch, Nintendo has featured Lorelei and the Laser Eyes in its showcases a few times now. It was definitely the highlight of the recent Japanese showcase for me. How important have these directs been for you over the years?

SF: It was a really fun thing for us to have our game in them, and it was great to see the Japanese version. How important it is for the game, I couldn’t tell you, I’m not a marketer, and I try to not look too much at numbers.

TA: Sayonara Wild Hearts got a physical release through iam8bit and it was excellent. I bought it on both platforms twice since it is one of my all-time favorites. What should we expect for a potential Lorelei and the Laser Eyes physical release?

SF: No immediate plans as of now, but hopefully it’s something we can do later on.

TA: Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is launching on just Switch and PC. Are there plans to eventually bring it to mobile or other consoles?

SF: There are no immediate plans for other consoles, and it’s not likely it will come to mobile, but who knows.

TA: How was it working with the Steam Deck pre-release for Lorelei and the Laser Eyes?

SF: It just works. Proton seems like some black magic to us. The game is Deck verified, although with Proton 9, a small visual issue for our game was introduced, so we recommend setting Lorelei and the Laser Eyes to launch with Proton 7 for how we intended the game to look, for now.

TA: Have there been any recent puzzle games or just games you like in the genre that inspired anything in Lorelei and the Laser Eyes?

SF: I always keep up and try to play new and interesting releases, but I rarely get any direct inspiration from new games. But I think it can be interesting to play new things and try to understand the reasoning behind designs, and think about their structure.

TA: I remember meeting Gordon back in 2013 in India where I got the Year Walk soundtrack on CD and some pins. For Sayonara
Wild Hearts there were vinyl and cassette releases. Are there any plans to do something similar for Lorelei and the Laser Eyes?

SF: We hope to be able to release the soundtrack physically later on, somehow.

TA: After playing Lorelei and the Laser Eyes on Steam Deck, I kept thinking about how much I’d love to replay it later on with a DualSense on PS5 and with touch controls on iPad. This isn’t a question, but I’m just expressing interest in Lorelei and the Laser Eyes hitting more platforms like those and Xbox. I hope the game does well enough to get ported so more people can experience it.

SF: It has some very nice and subtle rumble on Switch, already!

TA: It has been over a decade since we last interviewed you. A lot has changed since then for not just Simogo, but also mobile gaming as a whole. Are there any plans to revisit your older titles and bring them to other platforms?

SF: We’re always thinking about finding ways to preserve our games, but simply porting them to other platforms would not make sense for games that were designed for mobile. We have been talking for many years about doing a collection of some kind. Who knows what the future holds.

TA: What have you been playing lately outside Simogo’s own titles?

SF: Marvelous: Mōhitotsu no Takarajima, which I think is a real hidden gem. I’ve also enjoyed the remake of Famicom Detective: The Girl Who Stands Behind, Silent Hill 1 and 2 and the Gameboy Color version of Deja Vu.

TA: How do you like your coffee?

SF: Black and medium strong. I used to drink at least five cups a day. Now I only drink one or sometimes none, but I enjoy that cup much more than any of the five I had in my previous life.

I’d like to thank Simon Flesser, Simogo, and Karolina Kecki from fortyseven communications for their time and help here.

You can keep up with all our interviews here including our recent ones with Amanita Design here, Akitoshi Kawazu, Kenji Ito, and Tomokazu Shibata here, Dave Oshry of New Blood, Digital Extremes for Warframe mobile, Team NINJA, Sonic Dream Team, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, and more. As usual, thanks for reading.

The official announcement mentions how MoltenVK will be re-enabled and even native Metal support might be considered. JIT compiler will not happen until Apple changes its own rules. The Magic Keyboard for iPad will be supported at some point through another method with RetroAchievements arriving with a better login in the future. If you’d like to get PPSSPP, you can grab it free on the App Store for iOS here. A paid GOLD version to support development (assuming it is the same as the Android version) should go up here. What are you going to play first on the emulator if you grab it today and what would you like to see added to it in the future?

I’m curious to see what else happens during this 15 day celebration. I assume there will be some free DLC packs as well. If anything does happen relating to the game on mobile, I’ll make sure to cover it. Until then, you should grab Minecraft on the App Store for iOS here at just $1.99 while it is still discounted. Minecraft also has a Marketplace Pass subscription available on all platforms as of a recent update. Details for that are here. This subscription is available to access from all devices with Minecraft Bedrock Edition. Hopefully we see some of the spin-offs hit mobile natively as well in the future in addition to a native PS5 release of the game. What do you think of Minecraft right now, and what would you like to see during this 15 day celebration?

As revealed before, Athenian Rhapsody will let you share your own “Rhapsody" as an individualized story with other players. It features 16 potential unique companions, mini-games, different endings, and more in its base game. Aside from iOS, Athenian Rhapsody will also hit Android, PS5, PS4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC platforms including Steam later today when it rolls out worldwide. If you’d like to try it on iOS, you can grab Athenian Rhapsody here on the App Store for iOS. You can wishlist and check out Athenian Rhapsody on Steam here, Switch here, PlayStation here, and Xbox here ahead of its launch later today. It isn’t up on Google Play yet. Will you be trying Athenian Rhapsody today on mobile or any other platform?

The contents of the DLC are listed below if you’re curious:

Wingspan Woodland Wonders Decorative Pack forest backgrounds:

• Boreal Forest
• Evergreen Forest
• Broadleaf Forest
• Baobab Forest
• Jungle Rainforest
• Sequoia Forest

Wingspan Woodland Wonders Decorative Pack themed portraits:

• Sable
• Frog
• Otter
• Giraffe
• Superb Bird of Paradise
• Opossum

If you’ve not played the base game yet, Wingspan based on the original physical board game designed by Elizabeth Hargrave, is available on consoles, PC, and mobile. Read my review of the iOS release of Wingspan here. You can buy the Oceania expansion on Steam here, as DLC on Switch and Xbox, and as an in app purchase on mobile. Wingspan is usually priced at $9.99 on mobile and $19.99 on consoles and PC platforms. Check it out on Google Play for Android here and on the App Store for iOS here. Head over to our forum thread for the game here. Check out the official website for the game here. Have you played Wingspan yet on any platform yet and will you be getting this cosmetic pack today?

Having now played Braid, Anniversary Edition on iPhone and iPad through Netflix, Nintendo Switch, and Steam Deck while trying the original game on my older Steam Deck, I see that a lot more has gone into this release than I expected, and I’m not even talking about the extras. In this Braid, Anniversary Edition review, I’m going to cover whether this is worth getting if you already played the original, and also why this is worth your time if you’re new to the game and comparing all versions as usual.

If you’ve not played Braid before, it is a puzzle-platformer with a gorgeous aesthetic, incredible music, and excellent mechanics intertwined into the various levels. These range from different ways of manipulating time that either directly let you control time, interact with the environment in interesting ways, or even have time controlled by your own movement. There’s a lot that changes across the levels, and even though I’ve played the game twice before, I enjoyed revisiting the old areas and seeing how well the extra content has been added into Braid, Anniversary Edition. In a lot of ways, Braid, Anniversary Edition feels like a deluxe 4K Blu-Ray remaster of an older movie you loved chock full of bonus content, interviews, and extras. I don’t think I’ve seen this much attention put into those areas of a re-issue of any game outside something from the masters of reissues at Digital Eclipse.

For newcomers to Braid, you can experience this without any of the extra content, and even toggle the older visuals if you’d like to play it like it was back in the day, but on modern platforms. If you already played it, you might first wonder what was “remastered" visually, but toggling the old and new graphics which you can do just about at any part of the game will show you how much attention has gone into translating the colorful painting aesthetic of Braid for modern platforms while making it feel just as you remembered the original in your head.

The comparison below shows the new graphics (left) with the old graphics (right) on my iPad Pro (2020):

For those who played Braid before, aside from the remastered visuals and improved soundtrack quality, the highlight is the commentary. I thought we might just get a commentary track playing while making our way through the game normally (which is included if you’d like), but I’m stunned at how much has been added on top of that for those who really want to go into the weeds of Braid. Not only do you get to check out different kinds of commentary with interview dialogue during parts of the game, but there’s a commentary world on its own that lets you experience design, programming, sound & music, and visuals as different categories of commentary. I’d say this commentary feature on its own is worth the asking price of Braid, Anniversary Edition for me, but there’s so much more than that in this release overall.

Before getting into the mobile port and platform-specific features and differences, if you’re wondering whether Braid, Anniversary Edition is worth buying or playing if you already have played it before, the answer is yes, if you care about the extra content or want to replay it. This is now the best version of Braid, and instead of just giving it a fresh coat of paint (I couldn’t resist) and porting it to more platforms, Thekla did so much more. My only real complaint with the release itself, is that there’s no physical version right now, and I will use this chance to grumble about no physical release of The Witness as well. If you already own Braid on Steam, Braid, Anniversary Edition is available at a 50% off discount for existing owners, and this is a no-brainer purchase if you like the game.

Braid, Anniversary Edition on mobile is available exclusively through Netflix. I tested it on my iPhone 15 Pro, iPad Pro (2020), and iPhone 14 Plus. On the iPhones, Braid, Anniversary Edition has fullscreen support which I didn’t expect. On iPad, there are black bars above and below the gameplay. Performance is solid across the board as well. The issues I ran into have to do with touch controls. If you play with a controller, which Braid, Anniversary Edition supports, these will not bother you, but I am disappointed to see no customization for the on-screen control button sizes. The touch targets for some controls are too small on the iPhone 15 Pro. I found them acceptable on iPhone 14 Plus though.

On Steam Deck, Braid, Anniversary Edition has black bars above and below the 16:9 aspect ratio gameplay. It targets your screen refresh rate (90fps on Steam Deck OLED, 60fps on Steam Deck LCD, and 144fps on my monitor) but seems to use v-sync (double buffered) where if the game cannot hit the target frame rate, it drops to half that for a few seconds. On the Steam Deck OLED, I noticed it sometimes went from 90fps to 45fps for a few seconds, but it always shot back up. There are no graphics or display options in Braid, Anniversary Edition on PC that I can see on Steam Deck.

On Nintendo Switch, Braid, Anniversary Edition looks gorgeous on the Switch’s OLED screen. I also tested it on my Switch Lite. The only difference here is load times are longer and the swapping between SD and HD graphics sometimes has a delay on Switch compared to mobile and Steam Deck. I have no qualms in recommending it on Switch if you’d prefer to get it there.

Being able to change from the older to newer graphics on the fly also highlighted how much better the soundtrack quality is in Braid, Anniversary Edition. Everything sounds clearer, and this perfectly complements the visual upgrade we see. Speaking of the visuals, not only is everything gorgeous on high resolution modern displays, but seeing assets redone and new animations hits home how much work went into this release.

As a value add to Netflix, Braid, Anniversary Edition is an amazing boost to its gaming catalog for newcomers to the puzzle-platformer, and another fantastic game on the service that likely wouldn’t have hit mobile alongside other platforms. Playing Braid, Anniversary Edition has been just as much fun as it was experiencing the Xbox 360 version years ago, and I hope it gets a physical release in the future. I also hope the mobile version sees some touch control improvements in potential patches though.

Steam Deck Game Reviews & Impressions

TopSpin 2K25 Steam Deck Review

TopSpin 2K25, the first game in the series in over a decade, launched about two weeks ago on PC and console platforms. I was excited to play it and see how 2K and Hangar 13’s modern take on the series would feel. At launch, there was good and bad news for the game, but as of today’s update, one of the major issues I ran into on Steam Deck has been addressed. I also was playing TopSpin 2K25 on PS5 to compare with the Steam Deck experience.

TopSpin 2K25’s gameplay is excellent, but the visuals are a bit inconsistent. I didn’t expect TopSpin 2K25 to look as good as the NBA games, but this feels a bit lacking on some fronts visually. Aside from that, the presentation of the UI and modes is very good. The modes themselves like career or the online modes in addition to the tutorial are well done. Expect a push for microtransactions though. Whenever I play a sports game that has that in a certain mode, I just avoid that mode. I wanted to get TopSpin 2K25 for its core gameplay and to play against friends online, and it delivers on that front. It even supports cross platform play which is good to see since it includes PC in that pool unlike most sports games.

On Steam Deck, TopSpin 2K25 right now runs online and offline. I waited for the crashing issue to be resolved, and was sticking to it on PS5 more or less since launch because of that. It now plays fine even against others with the internet connectivity indicator during the match telling you whether you or the opponent has connection issues. When it comes to the Steam graphics options, TopSpin 2K25 lets you adjust quality preset, or change shadow quality, geometry detail, reflections quality, indirect lighting quality, and volumetric effects quality. There is no other option.

As I said above, I had to wait a bit to review TopSpin 2K25 because it had an issue relating to AMD GPUs that caused it to regularly crash on Steam Deck. This has been fixed, but the issue relating to player bodies vanishing while only retaining clothes is still present. I tested this across three different Proton versions (make sure to not keep swapping as you might get locked out by the DRM), with no luck. Aside from that, TopSpin 2K25 can do 60fps on Steam Deck during gameplay at the low preset with resolution scaling at around 80. I managed to get it to 60fps at 100% scaling, but still saw some drops in gameplay. To be safe, I set it to 80% and had zero issues during gameplay aside from the opponent body only displaying clothes. I recommend setting your screen to 60hz if you play on a Steam Deck OLED like I did. The game currently has no rating from Valve for Steam Deck.

TopSpin 2K25 on PS5 feels very polished, and it has great DualSense functionality included. Given the option between playing TopSpin 2K25 on Steam Deck or PS5, once the transparency issue is fixed on the former, I will be playing it more there, but the PS5 version is just a lot better right now, and I always enjoy good DualSense features in games.

One thing I want to make clear is that a lot of modes are online even if singleplayer, and you need a 2K account to play TopSpin 2K25. This is important to note since you’re playing on a portable with the Steam Deck version, and I don’t think many people have a 2K account unless you play NBA games yearly like I do.

In its current state with the visual issue caveat, I recommend TopSpin 2K25 if you really like tennis. It could’ve been better, but I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve put into it. I’m not sure if this will become a yearly series for 2K, but I’m glad to see TopSpin return. I look forward to seeing what future updates bring for the game.

TopSpin 2K25 Steam Deck Review Score: 3.5/5

Footgun: Underground Steam Deck Review

It’s always fun when a genre gets so thoroughly saturated that people start trying out some really wild ideas, and I believe we might be there with roguelite action games. Or at least, we’re there with this game. Footgun: Underground is a roguelite action game built around soccer mechanics. And I don’t mean it’s soccer with roguelite elements. No, you’ve got a cybernetic leg and you’re traveling from station to station using soccer balls to kill mutant creatures for fun and profit. Good ball control is essential, and so is understanding angles. It’s weird, and I kind of dig it.

I think the key to the enjoyment here comes from the unusual mechanic and how much practice it takes to master it. You can just kick the ball around like a mad lad if you want, and that will get you places at times. But eventually you’re going to have to learn how to juggle it to aim your shots better, take advantage of the walls for rebound attacks, and figure out when it’s best to build up power and when it’s better to just hoof it. As you play through and earn more moves, balls, and modifiers, things get more chaotic. You’ll have multiple balls in play, each often with its own effects, and they can bounce off pretty much everything including each other. Visually it can get a bit hard to read, but such is the price for seeing all heck break loose.

Despite the abnormal combat mechanics, the rest of Footgun: Underground follows a very familiar structure. You’re choosing your route on a big map with multiple branches, with various points of interest sprinkled in amongst the arena battles. Each map culminates in a big boss battle, of course. If you run out of hit points, that’s a full-stop game over. You will earn gold coins during each run that you can then put into a gatchapon machine to unlock new abilities, balls, and so on that will appear in subsequent runs. You can also unlock new characters. The drip-feed of these new things is a little slower than I’d ideally prefer, as the game starts out a little too basic and some of those unlockable abilities really bring it to life.

With all that said, Footgun: Underground is a clever spin on a formula that is getting to be very well-worn indeed. Even setting the sheer novelty of blending soccer moves with the roguelite action genre aside, the actual mechanics are fun to learn and take some technique to apply well. It’s not as immediately enjoyable as some games in the genre, but take some time to learn the nuances and unlock some of the more interesting abilities and you’ll be well rewarded. -Shaun Musgrave

Footgun: Underground Steam Deck Review Score: 4/5

Foundry Steam Deck Early Access Review

An old friend of mine texted me asking why I wasn’t playing Foundry from Paradox Interactive and Channel 3 Entertainment a few days before I got access to the Steam release, and at the time I was wondering why he specifically wanted me to play it. You see, I didn’t know much about it then, but slowly discovering that Foundry is a mix of Minecraft and some Satisfactory was enough to get me excited to check it out. It also helps that he told me “it feels built for Steam Deck". That’s the key here, and having now spent a few days with the early access release exclusively on Steam Deck, I think Foundry has the potential to be incredible.

Foundry right now feels like a game that’s in between the complexities of something like Factorio and a simple automation experience. If you’re new to the genre, it has an excellent tutorial that goes over the absolute basics, and you can expect to spend at least a few dozen hours here before reaching the ends of the early access content in a save file. Usually, games like this struggle on Steam Deck for controls, but this one ships with a lovely default controller configuration that actually reminds me of my recent article about how community config layouts make Paradox Interactive’s more complex games playable on Valve’s handheld. It lets you use the left touchpad to access various keyboard buttons with glyphs from the get go.

Foundry lets you adjust resolution with 16:10 support, window mode, v-sync, frame rate target (30fps to 240fps and unlimited), and more for display settings. For graphics, you can adjust the quality of terrain, models, clouds, shadows, shadow resolution (and distance), textures, vegetation shadows, render distance for a few notable items, FOV, and enable soft particles. On Steam Deck OLED, I turned the shadow-related settings to low as I usually do, and could play Foundry’s early hours at between 30 and 40hz (I capped the screen to 40). I was happy with this after turning the FOV up a bit.

Right now, Foundry only has keyboard and mouse button prompts. While you can play it comfortably on Steam Deck, expect to use both trackpads and the paddles often. This shows the strength of the hardware and Steam Input, but Foundry isn’t much fun to play with a DualSense or Xbox controller right now. I’m curious to see if it does get controller support for PS5 and Xbox controllers in the future.

Before concluding this early access review of Foundry, I want to highlight the soundtrack. I’ve left the game running while I write this because of how much I like it. I can’t wait to see if more is added to the score through the early access period.

Right now, I can see myself playing Foundry daily for a session or two solo or with others as a nice way to chill. It has a solid base already, and I hope to see it improve even on Steam Deck support with the many patches and content updates planned to arrive in the future. If you’ve wanted a solid base building and automation experience that is a lot of fun even early on, Foundry is worth checking out.

Foundry Steam Deck Review Score: TBA/Early Access

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU Steam Deck Impressions

Since I will be doing a full review of Tales of Kenzera: ZAU on Switch next week, I wanted to briefly cover how it feels on Steam Deck in this week’s Steam Deck Weekly. If you’ve not followed Tales of Kenzera: ZAU at all, it is a stunning and heartfelt metroidvania adventure game with one of the best stories of 2024 so far. I absolutely love most things Surgent Studios pulled off here in the newest EA Originals title, but I feel like certain things could’ve been better.

I’ll save those details for the full review, but if you’re wondering whether Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is good on Steam Deck, I can safely say yes. Out of the box, the only setting I recommend changing is the letterbox artwork to fill up the black bars on the Deck’s screen. I found them quite distracting and think a pattern based on the game’s interface would’ve been a better fit.

Playing Tales of Kenzera: ZAU at 60fps is easy with no tweaking required (it defaults to the LOW preset) on my Steam Deck OLED. Trying to get it above 60 to 90 will require visual cutbacks and using AMD FSR. You can get it to 90fps during a lot of early gameplay portions including combat, but the game doesn’t hold that well. If you use XeSS performance, it can run at around 70fps during combat. I ended up sticking to 60fps with minor changes to the settings.

While I’ll save my full thoughts on Tales of Kenzera: ZAU for my Switch review next week, it is one of the nicest and most heartfelt surprises of 2024 so far, and one I think we will be talking about for a long time when it comes to its narrative.

PuzzMix Steam Deck Impressions

Shaun already reviewed PuzzMix on Nintendo Switch, so I’m covering how it plays on Steam Deck. Inti Creates has been one of the best developers for the platform since every game works and feels great, but I want to take this chance to say I’m still annoyed that Dragon Marked for Death does not have Steam Cloud support. Back to PuzzMix, it is still a solid albeit safe take on Suika Game.

On Steam Deck, PuzzMix defaulted to a lower resolution than 720p for me. I forced 1080p and it looked great. It seems capped to 60fps, but otherwise runs fine out of the box despite no Steam Deck rating from Valve. It has touch support and full controller support with Steam Cloud support (Inti Creates I need you to fix this in Dragon Marked for Death). It defaults to Steam Deck / Xbox button prompts, but will display PlayStation symbols if you use a DualSense controller like I did to test.

While it costs just a few dollars and has great music, I was hoping to see more from Inti Creates in its take on this style of games. I’m curious to see if we get any DLC or free updates for it in the future. Right now, it is easy to recommend at that price if you enjoy Inti Creates game music and Lola, The Muse.

News and Trailers

Let’s start the news with Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance’s newest reveal during its Complete Guide stream. This stream, which you can watch below, showcased the return of the Demi-Fiend, tons of quality of life improvements, enhancements, new content, new dungeon, music, and more for the upcoming RPG ahead of its worldwide multi-platform launch next month for Steam and all consoles. I’m looking forward to playing it on Steam Deck and PS5. Watch the full video below:

Spike Chunsoft is bringing the Switch exclusive Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE to Steam, Xbox Series X, and PS5 this October following its debut last year. Read Shaun’s review of it here. The new platform launch will be called Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Plus when it arrives on October 1st for Steam and both current consoles. It will feature 4K visuals, faster loading, all DLC included, and a new gallery mode. I found Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE pretty rough on Switch so I’m looking forward to playing it on better hardware this year. I hope the digital novel is brought over to Steam in some form since the announcement mentions it being for PS5 only. Watch the Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Plus trailer below:

NIS America announced that magical RPG Reynatis from FURYU will be seeing its international release on September 27th for Steam, PS5, PS4, and Switch. This one features a special crossover from Square Enix’s NEO: The World Ends With You as well bringing in characters, locations, and enemies from there. Watch the Reynatis English trailer below:

Bandai Namco Entertainment finally announced the release date for Gundam Breaker 4 globally. There will be three different editions with pre-orders now live on Steam here. I played and enjoyed Gundam Breaker 1,2, and 3 (on both PS4 and Vita) so I hope this one delivers. Gundam Breaker 4 launches for $59.99 for the standard edition on August 29th. Check out the contents of the ultimate edition on the Steam page and the release date trailer below:

EA Sports revealed the final gameplay deep dive video for F1 24 ahead of its launch on May 31st worldwide, and also revealed new features coming. Check out the official website post for the new features including track updates, career updates, MyTeam icon, and more here. Watch the final gameplay deep dive for F1 24 below:

Atlus revealed new details for Metaphor: ReFantazio’s combat system with some gameplay screenshots this week. The combat system is a hybrid “Fast & Squad" battle system that lets you use either “Fast" or “Squad" turn-based combat during the game. This feels inspired by Falcom’s 2021-released (in Japan) The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak (releasing this July in the West). Check out a new gameplay screenshot from Metaphor: ReFantazio below:

The Rogue Prince of Persia from Evil Empire and Ubisoft has been delayed to sometime later this month from May 14th because everyone is playing Hades II. This also lets the team polish the game more for its launch. I’m still very excited to play the early access release whenever it arrives on Steam later this month.

This week, Humble Games and Summerfall Studios revealed Stray Gods: Orpheus DLC coming to the game on Steam next month on June 27th and to consoles soon after. Stray Gods: Orpheus is a brand-new story for Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical letting you play as Orpheus. I liked the game quite a bit on Steam Deck and will definitely be playing this DLC. Watch the Stray Gods: Orpheus DLC teaser trailer below:

Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles has gotten its first free update on Steam since launching about a month ago. This update, dubbed the “Tribute, Trade, and Splinters" update, brings in three new captains, three new diplomacy events, spoils from combat and world events. Watch the trailer for the game below:

Nightdive Studio just announced that PO’ed: Definitive Edition will launch next week on May 16th bringing its DOOM and QUAKE-inspired chef boomer shooter to Steam and consoles. Check out the trailer for the game below and wishlist it on Steam here:

Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut has been delisted (via TouchArcade reader Mor and SteamDB) in many countries across the world ahead of its launch next week. This is likely because a PSN account is required for the Legends multiplayer mode. I’ve played Ghost of Tsushima more than twice, and have not spent more than 10 minutes with this mode. This delisting is super disappointing for those who were looking forward to the main game after a few years of rumors of it hitting PC, and the eventual announcement with pre-orders going live on Steam. I hope Sony can decouple the Legends mode in the future so everyone can at least enjoy the main part of the game.

The final bit of news is SteamOS 3.6.0 is now available in preview (not beta yet). This one features a VRR display fix for playing docked that I’ve been hoping is addressed for many months. Check out all the patch notes including new Arch, new Mesa, new kernel, CEC support, and more here.

New Steam Deck Verified & Playable games for the week

Some notable updates here with Homeworld 3 getting Playable, Animal Well getting Verified, recent releases like Snufkin and Summerhouse also seeing new ratings.

• Akka Arrh – Playable
• ANIMAL WELL – Verified
• Armed and Gelatinous: Couch Edition – Verified (hours after my review last week)
• Berserk Boy – Playable
• Buckshot Roulette – Playable
• Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles – Playable
• Capes – Verified
• Homeworld 3 – Playable
• NUKITASHI 2 – Playable
• PAKO 2 – Verified
• Populous The Beginning – Playable (via TouchArcade reader Mor)
• Rusty’s Retirement – Playable
• Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley – Verified
• SUMMERHOUSE – Playable
• Super Animal Royale – Playable (updated)
• The Thaumaturge – Verified
• UFO ROBOT GRENDIZER – The Feast of the Wolves – Playable
• Ufouria: The Saga 2 – Playable (via TouchArcade reader Mor)
• Vigil: The Longest Night – Verified
• Withering Rooms – Playable

Steam Deck Game Sales & Discounts

There are three notable Steam sales on right now. The first is Ludonarracon with some excellent narrative games featured from now until May 13th for many of the games included. The event also highlights some recent games like 1000xresist and Cryptmaster that I will be covering soon.

The second notable sale is the Dark Souls franchise sale. I feel like Bandai Namco rarely puts these games on discount for PC, so take advantage of this if you’ve been waiting for a deal. I might use this to get the original Dark Souls 2 to see how it feels after playing Scholar of the First Sin.

The final sale of the week is the Paradox Interactive publisher sale for 2024 with big discounts on games like Crusader Kings III (a free weekend is also on), DLC, and more. Check out all the games, DLC, and bundles included here.

That’s all for this week’s edition of the Steam Deck Weekly. As usual, you can read all our past and future Steam Deck coverage here. If you have any feedback for this feature or what else you’d like to see us do around the Steam Deck, let us know in the comments below. I hope you all have a great day, and thanks for reading.

You might be wondering why a developer’s website being updated is newsworthy, but given how important Simogo is to iOS gaming, and how much we love their games, it is worth celebrating any way to make more people aware of excellent games. With Annapurna Interactive publishing Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, I hope it does eventually come to mobile as well. Until then, look forward to my review of the game next week. If you’ve not checked out Sayonara Wild Hearts yet, it is available here on Apple Arcade and also on PC and console platforms. If you’ve played Simogo’s games before, I’m curious which ones you like the most. I think they are all worth playing, and I hope the library remains accessible for years to come. Are you looking forward to playing Lorelei and the Laser Eyes next week on Switch or Steam Deck?

Best Cozy Games on Switch

VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action ($14.99)

Wait, VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action again? Didn’t I just include it in the best indies list? Well, this is in my top 10 games of all time, and one I go to regularly when I just want to relax and soak in the vibes, so how would it not be in this article? The Switch version of VA-11 Hall-A is my favorite, and it perfectly fits the game’s pick up and play gameplay style. If you’ve not played this yet, it is a world that will stay with you long after finishing it thanks to the characters, aesthetic, music, and narrative. Go ahead and mix drinks and then change some lives.

My Time at Sandrock ($39.99)

For My Time at Sandrock, I specifically wanted to include that video above and not an image because the game has dramatically improved on Nintendo Switch since launch. I loved the PC build I played, but I like having games like this on both Switch and Steam Deck. I play different save files across platforms, and was glad to see the team work to fix the issues the Switch version had to make it feel like a worthy purchase. With that out of the way, My Time at Sandrock is basically My Time at Portia, but bigger and improved in just about every way. I already love My Time at Portia, but this one is superb. You get a lot of freedom, and I always love soaking in the worlds in these games and just doing my own thing while all the other NPCs are on their routines. My Time at Sandrock is an easy recommendation on Switch now, and I can’t wait to check out the DLC soon.

Unpacking ($19.99)

Unpacking has you unpacking and arranging various objects as you experience someone’s life through different stages with a narrative that slowly unfolds through objects, locations, and puzzles. I already loved the storytelling, relaxing gameplay, gorgeous visuals, and soundtrack in Unpacking when I first played it, but revisiting it through the mobile release really hit home about it being one of the best indie games in a while. Despite some aspects stressing me out, Unpacking is a superb relaxing game that I recommend everyone check out on whatever device. The Switch and iPad versions are my favorite.

Stardew Valley ($14.99)

Stardew Valley is another one of the “ultimate" cozy games with how you can basically play it as you want and just chill while managing your farm or even fishing and interacting with the various and lovely characters. Stardew Valley was already amazing at launch, but in its current state, it is a steal at its asking price. I also recommend Stardew Valley on Switch above the other consoles because it feels great to play on the go. Hopefully the 1.6 update hits consoles soon.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons ($59.99)

For a little while, I was one of those people with 100+ hours in Animal Crossing: New Horizons that got tired of some aspects of the game and dropped it. I still think it is lacking compared to Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but revisiting Animal Crossing: New Horizons lately has made me realize that I actually enjoy coming back to it once in a while to just unwind or go visit a friend’s island. Speaking of visiting islands, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is also great in multiplayer once you deal with the Dodos. Jokes aside, Animal Crossing: New Horizons even without the DLC is well worth your time.

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life ($39.99)

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is a remake of a GameCube game that a lot of people told me was one of the best entries in the series. I never played the original, but I adored Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life on Switch. It is one of the best life simulation games despite some aspects making it feel older mechanically, and it happens to not struggle on Switch like Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town does. If you’re new to the amazing Story of Seasons franchise, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is an easy recommendation for one of the best cozy games on Switch.

Dorfromantik ($14.99)

When I first saw Dorfromantik, I thought it would be a nice puzzler. I didn’t think it would be a lovely blend of building strategy, puzzles, great music, and more together. If you’ve ever wanted a great zen-like puzzle game that punches above its weight with the mechanics, Dorfromantik is for you. It also perfectly suits portable play making it a great game to play on Switch, especially on the OLED model.

A Little to the Left ($14.99)

A Little to the Left, like Dorfromantik, is a relaxing puzzle game about organizing, tidying up, and soaking in the lovely visuals. It feels like a great game for fans of Unpacking as well. Your aim here is to move household objects into the right spots across various puzzles that have unique solutions. It also has gotten a great Switch conversion that uses the system’s features well with both HD Rumble and full touchscreen support.

Townscaper ($5.99)

Townscaper is more an interactive toy than a full game, but it is yet another release I recommend for those looking to grab something to unwind with. You “play" or interact with it to express your creativity as you immediately get lovely visual feedback building your own little colorful town. Every little thing you tap on is accompanied by a satisfying pop and click. The low asking price makes this an easy recommendation for Switch, though I think it is best on your phone if you have that option available.

Coffee Talk 1+2 ($12.99 + $14.99)

It only feels right to end an article that started at VA-11 Hall-a with Coffee Talk. A reductive way of describing Coffee Talk would be VA-11 Hall-A but coffee instead of drinks, but it is unique enough in other areas to be its own thing. Brew different beverages for folks, listen to their problems, soak in the lovely coffee shop ambience with lo-fi music, do latte art, and more in both Coffee Talk games. I’m cheating here by including both games instead of just one, but there’s a physical Switch bundle that has both so let’s just say I’m featuring that. Coffee Talk and Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly are two of my favorite chill games in years, and they shine on Switch in handheld mode.

Bonus:

Endless Ocean Luminous

Endless Ocean Luminous has been a nice surprise, and one game I absolutely would not enjoy if I spent more than 30 minutes on daily. I love the aesthetic and the excellent music, but mostly just enjoy jumping in and exploring to find something new. It is a great example of a game that’s best enjoyed in smaller chunks, and I also think it isn’t going to be for everyone. I was curious about it after the mixed reviews, but a friend who I trust with games said I would enjoy it. I’m glad I took that chance because I look forward to diving into Endless Ocean Luminous daily for a while in addition to playing online. I included this as a bonus because it isn’t something I can recommend without caveats. I wish it had a demo so people could immediately judge whether it was for them or not.

I’ve played and enjoyed every single game featured here on Switch in addition to other platforms when applicable, and can recommend the Switch versions if you like playing games there. I know there are some games most people talk about that I may or may not have included here, but this is what I consider the best. If you think there are some games I missed out on that others should try, please let me know in the comments below. Hopefully you find something you end up playing and enjoying from this feature on the best cozy games on Switch including the bonus. As usual, thanks for reading.

Check out a short clip of exploration in the game below:

Persona 5: The Phantom X developed by Black Wings Game Studio and published by Perfect World Games is currently available on the App Store for iOS here in China and here in Taiwan. The Google Play version is here. The links to the store pages are via Gematsu’s game hub page. While we wait for this, I still hope Arc System Works is doing a Persona 5 fighting game like Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. I’d love to play a new one from the same developers on Steam and PS5. What do you think of Persona 5: The Phantom X so far, and will you play it if SEGA releases it worldwide?

Sarah Bond, @Microsoft’s Xbox president, announced at #BloombergTech that the company will launch its own mobile game store in July, creating an alternative to Apple and Google’s app stores pic.twitter.com/hj6eLtsGfl

— Bloomberg Live (@BloombergLive) May 9, 2024

We’ve seen Apple open up its restrictions to some degree in the EU, but how successful Microsoft is at this remains to be seen. Aside from those two titles, Call of Duty is also first party, and I imagine they will try to get people to use the alternative Xbox gaming store versions of the Call of Duty mobile games with some incentive. I can’t imagine Microsoft even attempts to pull these games from the App Store and Google Play given their success there, but I can’t say anything for sure relating to Microsoft lately after we recently had its other mobile game Mighty Doom announced to be closed and with it shutting down the studio that made my favorite Xbox game since Forza Horizon 2 in Tango Gameworks’ closure following the launch of the incredible HiFi Rush. What do you think of the possibilities of this store and what would you like to see on it?

Full patch notes for the update are here on Twitter with excerpts on the App Store listing for the game. I’m glad to see so much player feedback addressed in the game’s first update. Hopefully we see some paid DLC in the future as well. Ex Astris is a premium mobile RPG priced at $9.99. If you’d like to play Ex Astris, you can buy it on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. You can also check out the official Ex Astris official English website here for more gameplay and story details. Hopefully this business model works out for the developers and we see more games like Ex Astris in the future. What do you think of Ex Astris if you grabbed it at launch, and do you play Arknights regularly?

Netflix also says that you will be able to collect objects and wearables from different shows and movies to decorate your Fan Pod, your private space that you can open up to friends. Netflix Nextworld will also let you attend premieres and viewing parties when available including Tudum Theater daily content. The Jurassic World: Chaos Theory event begins next week on May 17th with the others available today in Netflix Nextworld’s early access launch within Roblox. Roblox is available on iOS, Android, consoles, and PC platforms. For some reason I thought something like this would be happening in Fortnite, but I guess that would make the mobile aspect harder. What are your thoughts on Netflix Nextworld in Roblox?

If you’ve not played Vampire Survivors since it launched, you’ve missed out on a lot through free updates and paid DLC releases. Read my co-op impressions of the Steam version here, 1.0 launch review here, Legacy of the Moonspell DLC review here, Tides of the Foscari DLC review here, and Emergency Meeting DLC review here. It was already a superb experience, but each update and DLC only enhanced things. So how does the Vampire Survivors Operation Guns DLC feel for a Contra fan, newcomer, and someone who just wants more Vampire Survivors? I’m going to try and cover all that in this review.

On paper, Vampire Survivors Operation Guns brings in 22 new weapons, 11 new characters, a new map, Contra music (including six new tracks), and more. You initially start by just getting access to the new stage (Neo Galuga), which is awesome not only for the Contra theme, but because of its layout in general. What initially starts out as just a nice themed stage ends up quite surprising. I don’t want to spoil things, but I recommend paying attention to the prompts on the map sooner than later when you notice something new. One more thing I love about the stage is how the Contra power-ups have been translated to Vampire Survivors. The team went all out, and this is easily my favorite release involving Contra since probably Contra Hard Corps that I recently got to enjoy on Nintendo Switch Online. I’m not counting the M2 anniversary release of course and I’ve not played Contra 4, but you get the picture.

So the stage looks and feels awesome, but what about the characters and weapons. As usual, you start out with nothing and need to unlock the first new character from the new stage. After you unlock Bill who is the first Vampire Survivors Operation Guns character, you can slowly work your way to getting the rest which have their own requirements usually relating to evolving weapons. Speaking of weapons, I can’t get over how awesome the animations are for the weapons, the particle effects, and interactions with elements of the stages. Vampire Survivors Operation Guns feels like a labor of love throughout, and if you love Contra Hard Corps and the original games, you will adore this DLC.

Whenever I review a DLC pack, I also like covering the current state of the game in question. While pushing for absolute chaos, Vampire Survivors Operation Guns on my Steam Deck OLED never dropped below the high 40s for its frame rate before the 30 minute timer ended. It usually hovered around the high 70s mark. I disabled damage numbers as I usually do when I play, but I did enable them just to see how much I could push the game for this review. I’m impressed with the current state of the game on Steam Deck and Xbox Series X. The Switch version is excellent, but the worst platform to play the game on right now.

If you’re wondering about the mobile version, I had the least progress in that version and the Switch release since I have put so much time into both Xbox and Steam Deck. This brings me to the cross save feature that’s currently in beta. I moved my Steam Deck (LCD) to the beta version of Vampire Survivors and created an account. This process is simple. Once created, I uploaded my progress from Steam Deck to the cloud. I have access to the account (beta) through the beta build on iOS that I used on my iPad. I got my Steam Deck save to my iPad and picked it up right there. I don’t have the Vampire Survivors Operation Guns DLC on iOS yet, but everything else worked fine in the sync. The only complaint I have is auto sync not being possible, but I understand the reasoning for that with how save data is handled in this game. You can read about the poncle account system here.

Coming back to Vampire Survivors Operation Guns, and it is time to cover the music. The new Vampire Survivors arrangements for Contra songs are incredible. I can’t wait for the soundtrack on Steam to get updated so I can transfer these to my phone. Just like with the visuals and weapons in Vampire Survivors Operation Guns, I think the team has gone above and beyond for the music. Other than arrangements, there are also Contra songs from Contra 4 and Contra Hard Corps.

At this point, Vampire Survivors DLC is a lot like Dead Cells DLC where it is hard to not recommend buying any of it. Vampire Survivors Operation Guns, like the Emergency Meeting DLC, is a must-have regardless of whether you are familiar with the source material or not. It enhances the game and made me play a lot of Contra Hard Corps on Nintendo Switch Online today. It is an essential purchase if you like Vampire Survivors given the value and quality.

Vampire Survivors Operation Guns Steam Deck Review Score: 5/5

Crayola Adventures sees a brand-new story added today with “Creature Comforts", the National Space Day event, Creativity Day adventures added, and more today. Both Jetpack Joyride 2 and Jetpack Joyride+ have new events on right now with the former being Viking-themed while the latter has a fruit-themed event featuring a Durian Jetpack and more. The final notable update of the week is Temple Run: Puzzle Adventure adding in 100 new challenges. With the updates done, head over to our forum threads for Patterned here, Illustrated here, Kingdoms: Merge and Build here, Crayola Adventures here, Jetpack Joyride 2 here, and Temple Run: Puzzle Adventure here. For all other Apple Arcade related things, check out our dedicated Apple Arcade forum for discussion on the service and every game included here. What do you think of Apple’s newly released games and updates recently?

If you’d like to play Genshin Impact and don’t own it yet, you can download it for free on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. The PC version is available on the official website here and the Epic Games Store. If you play on iOS, with iOS 14.5 or iPadOS 14.5 and later, you can use PS5 and Xbox Series X|S controllers to play Genshin Impact. We featured Genshin Impact as our Game of the Week when it released and awarded it our 2020 Game of the Year. I also featured it as one of the best iOS games to play with a controller. What do you think of Genshin Impact 4.6 if you played it following its recent release?

I previously even bought Crusader Kings III on Xbox Series X day one and played Stellaris on Xbox One, but to understand what led to all of this happening, we need to go back to the Steam Controller hardware and Steam Input. In the Steam Controller hardware video from Valve, the team showed off the original Cities: Skylines being played with a Steam Controller thanks to its touchpad and custom controls in general. This controller that I borrowed from a friend to try a while ago, showed me what was possible with Steam Input then. Cities: Skylines eventually did come to consoles, and I played it on both Xbox and Switch. I thought the controls worked great on a traditional controller on the former, and have put in loads of time into the updated version for Xbox Series X as well. This led to me wanting to get Crusader Kings III on Xbox at launch, and I thought it was a great port as my first proper experience with the game. I eventually realized that the PC version was quite a bit ahead and got that towards the end of that year.

Since then, I’ve been focusing on getting Paradox Interactive’s grand strategy games (with DLC) on Steam, and learning to play them while trying out a few Steam Input community layouts that keep impressing me. This is the key because without those community contributions to controls, I don’t think I’d be playing these games on Steam Deck for remotely as long as I have so far.

You often see Paradox Interactive games in Valve’s most played games on Steam Deck charts the company puts out each month, so there clearly is a demand for these games on the system. I kept wondering how they actually felt, and seeing people ask about how specific games play on the handheld regularly. When I played Victoria 3 on Steam Deck, I saw what was possible from the awesome community early on, and that led me to playing and getting even the older titles and into this article covering the most popular grand strategy games from the publisher, less liked ones, older ones, and even a bonus test for games outside the genre that I was interested in trying out.

One thing to note is that Paradox doesn’t officially support the Steam Deck for many of the games here, and some are marked as straight up unsupported by Valve. I’ve indicated every single game’s Steam Deck Verification result here. If you regularly use your Steam Deck, you would have realized how the Verification program isn’t black and white with some “Unsupported" games running and looking better than Steam Deck Verified ones. Either way, I just wanted to put that disclaimer before getting into the individual games. I do hope that Paradox Interactive considers official support in the future.

For every game featured here, I will be mentioning what community controller layout I’ve used (if applicable), Proton version, Steam Deck Rating (if tested by Valve), and my basic experience with the game on Steam Deck (both LCD and OLED models).

Before getting into how individual games look and feel, there are a few common things to keep in mind. If you plan on playing without mods like I did for most of the time I put into the games, the text size might be too small for some folks. I’ve recently been trying out specific UI and text mods to make the games more playable on a smaller screen or with larger UI on my monitor, and mods like this are amazing.

While some of these games will work when using a traditional controller, you’re missing out on the most useful and best feature the Steam Deck offers with its trackpads. I realize that this article might be getting into the weeds for some folks, but I’ve tried to keep things simple enough for those who are absolutely new to these games as well. I do recommend watching this excellent video if you’re wondering which game to start with though.

How is Crusader Kings III on Steam Deck in 2024?

Crusader Kings III is a massive and complex grand strategy game about the middle ages starting in 867 or 1066 until 1453. This is probably the game I’ve been playing the most of the ones featured here. I put in quite a bit of time into the Xbox version before dropping it for the PC release on Steam Deck and macOS. Nearly four years after the grand strategy release debuted on PC, Crusader Kings III is in a much better place, though the most recent DLC, Legends of the Dead, was not worth grabbing. Crusader Kings III on PC does not have controller support like the console versions, so I’ve opted to play it using the trackpads and Steam Deck itself with a community layout titled “Gimler’s Crusader Kings III". I initially was disappointed in the lack of controller support since the console versions include it, but having played the game with this community layout and with how snappy the interface is, I’ve begun preferring it by a large margin.

Crusader Kings III is marked as Steam Deck Playable by Valve for text size, invoking the keyboard manually, the launcher, and the lack of full controller support. I addressed the controller bit already, but there are two specific mods I’ve used that dramatically improved my Crusader Kings III Steam Deck experience. Steam user Agami has a Better UI Scaling mod and a brighter text mod (linked on the same page) that lets you use the scaling options in-game that would otherwise cause the menus to overflow off the screen or overlap. This lets you scroll through them, and makes the text much more readable.

As for stability, In the 15 hours I’ve spent recently playing Crusader Kings III on Steam Deck (both my OLED and LCD models), I’ve had two crashes, but the autosave helped. I know Crusader Kings III has had stability issues in the past, but based on my experience now, I can safely recommend it on Steam Deck once you get used to the controls. If anything changes with newer DLC, I’ll cover any updates of note.

If you’re new to Crusader Kings III, I recommend using the free weekends to try it, but the Crusader Kings III Starter Edition is the way to go for the full game right now since Tours and Tournaments is an amazing expansion. I also recommend this DLC if you want more from the initial experience.

How is Hearts of Iron IV on Steam Deck in 2024?

Next up is what is likely one of Paradox Interactive’s most popular games ever inHearts of Iron IV, set during World War II and officially ending by 1949 for its main scripted content. Nearly eight years after it debuted on PC, Hearts of Iron IV still gets updated and has paid DLC releases. In fact, Hearts of Iron IV has so much DLC that there’s a subscription option available to get all of it together for a monthly price. One thing I didn’t touch on when covering Crusader Kings III above, is the music of Paradox Interactive games. Hearts of Iron IV has an amazing score and even includes Sabaton music DLC.

Hearts of Iron IV doesn’t have a console version so there’s no base controller support that I used when I started playing it. I opted for Gyrospec’s Hearts of Iron 4 V2 community layout on Steam Deck. This surprisingly has just about everything I needed in the time I put into the game including detailed map and army configurations. Hearts of Iron IV can get very demanding later on in saves when you use higher speeds, and this video on Reddit does a good job of showing what you should expect on that front.

Hearts of Iron IV is officially marked as Steam Deck Playable by Valve for similar reasons. I’d say the UI of Hearts of Iron IV is more complex than Crusader Kings III and this is a game where you will need to get used to smaller text even more. I haven’t found a good mod for the UI in this one yet, so I’ve stuck to the default. One thing to keep in mind when playing on Deck is the resolution. The game doesn’t like it if you play docked at another resolution and then load the same save in handheld. It causes some pointer issues. I recommend sticking to handheld play at 800p for this one.

If you are new to Hearts of Iron IV, I recommend getting the base game only first and then opting for the subscription to see which DLC packs you like instead of buying the very expensive DLC out of the gate unless of course there’s a bundle deal available. It is worth noting that the current base game has three DLC packs available for free or rolled into it now with: Death or Dishonor, Together for Victory, and Waking the Tiger.

How is Victoria 3 on Steam Deck in 2024?

Victoria 3 is the reason I’m writing this article as I said above. This grand strategy game had a bit of a rough start, but has slowly been improving quite a bit. As Paradox’s newest release, this one doesn’t have too much DLC yet, with the first major expansion coming next month in Sphere of Influence. Victoria 3 has you starting off from 1836 and going all the way to 1936 in what I think is Paradox’s most gorgeous game yet across the menus and the gameplay.

Victoria 3 is officially marked as Steam Deck Playable by Valve, and aside from the same issues as the games above, you need to tweak the graphics on this one for it to run well, though late game struggles quite a bit in some situations. Victoria 3 has no console port or controller support, and I opted for Gimler’s Vic3 Steam Controller 1.0 layout or DarkLord Waffles Victoria 3 Steam Controller 1.0 layout while playing on Steam Deck.

One thing to keep in mind with Victoria 3 specifically is the late game can get dire performance wise. Testing a save around the 1910s and setting things to the low preset and running at game speed two or less was the only way I could avoid crashes on my Steam Deck (LCD model). When I loaded the same save on my Steam Deck OLED, I forgot that I was using a combination of medium and other presets there. This ran the game at around 10fps so I definitely recommend playing at low if you want to go to the late game on Steam Deck.

I will be revisiting Victoria 3 through its DLC and updates soon in a separate article so stay tuned for that.

How is Europa Universalis IV on Steam Deck in 2024?

Europa Universalis IV is the biggest of Paradox Interactive’s titles to be marked as Steam Deck Unsupported by Valve. That has never stopped me in the past, and here we are. When I first discovered Europa Universalis IV, I was told it was like a more historic Civilization game (something I was familiar with), and that ended up being a good entry point for me.

Even the base game of Europa Universalis IV is an incredible grand strategy experience covering 1444 until 1821. The screenshots always looked overwhelming, and I won’t pretend the game isn’t complex even early on, but the tutorial and some learning by experience paid off quite a bit.

Europa Universalis IV, like Hearts of Iron IV, has a subscription available to access all paid DLC on a monthly basis if you don’t want to spend a ton to get it all. I’ve only played the base game here so I cannot comment on how any DLC is, but I will be grabbing some soon to try things out once I take a break from the other games.

Without changing any compatibility options, Europa Universalis IV boots up fine on Steam Deck. It doesn’t have controller support or a console version, so you’re going to need a community layout. I opted for Kladro’s Europa Perfected 2.0 layout. Not only does this have great radial menu support, but you can also hold X to swap between radial menus. It gives you a ton of control.

For performance, do not bother using maximum speed here and stick to the first or second option. Going for the maximum speed results in performance dropping to around 20fps even at the start of the game.
Europa Universalis IV is also another game where you will need to get used to a smaller font size. I haven’t found a good UI mod that addresses this yet. It isn’t a huge issue for me personally, but something to keep in mind. The screenshots I’ve added should help.

How is Stellaris on Steam Deck in 2024?

Before I got into Paradox games properly, the one that always looked the most appealing was Stellaris. This is because of the gorgeous visuals, the space setting, and the addition of 4X mechanics. I also heard a lot of the music before getting the game, and I finally first experienced it on console, and loved it. I’ve not been up to date with Stellaris’ DLC for over a year now, but what I did play, I loved, and moving to Steam Deck from console has been interesting.

Stellaris is also officially marked as Steam Deck Playable by Valve for reasons relating to the launcher, keyboard and mouse icons, and manually invoking the keyboard. The usual by now. Despite having a console port, Stellaris does not have controller support on PC. For Stellaris on Steam Deck, after trying three of the most popular community layouts, I stuck to Gyrospeck’s Stellaris configuration that has full mouse support, touch menu support, zooming, and more. It works well.

It took me about an hour of playing around to get used to it, but the payoff was worth it. I almost regret the five season passes of DLC I bought on Xbox instead of Steam after how good this feels. Speaking of DLC, Stellaris also has tons of DLC, and there’s a subscription available to access it all. Given my own experience with the game, I definitely recommend just the base game for now if you’re new to it.

I still think Stellaris is a great entry point into Paradox’s games if you like the setting. I also recommend this specific video as a great primer that I actually watched to get back into the groove.

How is Imperator Rome on Steam Deck in 2024?

If you just look at how Imperator Rome is right now, you’d think it is right in its prime with Paradox set to bring years of DLC to it. That sadly isn’t the case as far as I’m aware. I don’t think Imperator Rome has any major updates or content planned for the future. It had a rough launch, but has recovered to the point where I’d recommend playing it right now based on what I’ve played. Imperator Rome feels like a combination of a greatest hits release and something that’s standing on its own right now among Paradox’s grand strategy releases.

On Steam Deck, Imperator Rome is marked as Steam Deck Playable by Valve for the same reasons as other games in this article. I opted for using the community layout from BuffaloBruce that has zooming on the left trackpad and mouse for the right trackpad. It has a radial menu on the right trackpad you can activate by pressing L5 (the paddle) on the Steam Deck.

As for performance, Imperator Rome seems to run better than Victoria 3 by a large margin, but I think Victoria 3 might be the most demanding game of the lot so far. Imperator Rome starts out well on the OLED, but drops to the 30s even early on if you play at full speed on the default preset. Setting it to low will result in around 50-60fps on average early on, but it can go higher.

I set the game to 70% GUI scale, but even that’s too small to really play. I need to find a good mod for Imperator Rome’s UI and text on Steam Deck. I’ll be revisiting this in the future.

How is Millennia on Steam Deck?

I’m always up for new turn-based 4X games, and after a few hours with Millennia from C Prompt Games and Paradox, it has a lot of potential, but needs some work. Millennia isn’t currently designed to work with Steam Deck according to Paradox Interactive, and has some UI-related quirks right now. Unlike other games that let you scale the interface to help with text sizes and more, there is no such option in Millennia right now.

As a huge fan of the recent Civilization games and expansions, I was hoping Millennia would be different, and it is, but it feels lacking in its polish even as a PC release in general. Not only does it not have controller support, but since it is a new release, it also has just one proper community layout for controls. While other games in this article have some sort of UI scaling option, Millennia lacks it right now.

If you’ve played Paradox Interactive releases on Steam Deck before, you will not struggle here (and the touchscreen helps), but the UI and font sizes are too small right now with no way to increase them. In its current state, Millennia is very playable on Steam Deck with some caveats like the UI scaling and font size. I hope this can improve in patches.

How is Crusader Kings II on Steam Deck in 2024?

Crusader Kings II is a free to play (the base game) release now. Crusader Kings II lets you start from between 1066 to 1337 (or 867 if you have this DLC) and work towards 1453 where it ends. I imagine most people wanting to play it now would get the free license for Crusader Kings II itself, and subscribe to get all DLC at a low monthly subscription fee if needed. If you’re new to Paradox’s games, I feel like this being free and having so many years of updates and support makes it a good entry point if you’re willing to spend time with it and want the lowest barrier of entry. If you’re wondering whether it is worth playing Crusader Kings II over Crusader Kings III right now, I recommend watching this video.

It still feels weird writing about Crusader Kings II now because it felt like a meme for the longest time with how much DLC it used to get years ago as I kept seeing it pop up on Steam. Looking at other Paradox games, this isn’t too surprising anymore, but I always used to laugh at how much DLC Crusader Kings II had and kept getting back then. I slowly got all of it and now own the complete Crusader Kings II Imperial Collection, but only started properly focusing on it after trying Crusader Kings III.

Crusader Kings II is also marked as Steam Deck Playable by Valve for the same reasons as games above, but this one runs a lot better given it is an older release. I initially used the Crusader Kings 2 community config from the user “error", but recently got to the modified layout from user Luke. It plays very nicely with this and I got used to config in under an hour during a new game save.

As for performance, even early on running at full speed will result in drops well below 60fps when unpaused. I recommend turning down the speed here if you want the best experience. The font size wasn’t a problem for me here.

How is Age of Wonders 4 on Steam Deck in 2024?

Age of Wonders 4 released last year from Triumph Studios and Paradox bringing a blend of 4X strategy and turn-based tactics letting you experiment and create your own empire. Age of Wonders 4 actually shipped simultaneously on consoles as well, and it has controller support on PC making it play nicely out of the box on Steam Deck.

Valve has marked Age of Wonders 4 as Steam Deck Playable and not Verified because of small in-game text and the launcher (Have I told you how much I hate game launchers that just waste my time when I want to get into a game save as soon as possible?) requiring touchscreen or having small text. Age of Wonders 4 runs fine out of the box with no controller config needed. The default graphics can drop to the 30s often during combat or even below sometimes. I recommend using the in-game v-sync option to aim for 30fps if you want a consistent experience or leave it uncapped like I did on the 90hz display.

Having tried it around launch and a few months after, getting back to Age of Wonders 4 in 2024 has been interesting. I still think it is a fantastic game, but need to see how it feels with the DLC. I only own the base game on Steam. I did get the DLC on Xbox a little while ago, but hadn’t had the time to get back to it there.

Age of Wonders 4 isn’t a grand strategy game like most of the games in this article, but I still think it is worth playing if you’re a fan of the genre and enjoy fantasy settings. I really hope Paradox and Triumph support this for years to come.

How is Star Trek Infinite on Steam Deck in 2024?

Before getting into anything relating to how Star Trek Infinite is on Steam Deck, it is worth noting that the game will no longer be supported as revealed on the official forum. I’ve always wanted a good Star Trek game, and thought this one seemingly built on the base of Stellaris would be perfect. I am disappointed to see it officially confirmed to no longer get updates and support though. The more I played the game, the more I just wanted to go back to Stellaris. Star Trek Infinite doesn’t feel like a game that was ready for release, and to see it left behind like this is even more disappointing.

With that out of the way, Star Trek Infinite is officially marked as Steam Deck Playable by Valve. You know the drill by now. I wasn’t happy with any scaling option or how it looked on Steam Deck because the UI kept getting cut off or was outside the display with the scaling I chose. I found a great solution to this in the Steam forums from user Warnstaff that forced the game to run at a different resolution, then set a 1.1 scale for the UI, and it displayed everything correctly. The text size will be small even with this, but it isn’t missing UI elements at least.

There’s only one community controller layout for Star Trek Infinite right now from user Baraan, and it’s titled Simple Star Trek Infinity. I tried using that while playing after getting the UI sorted through the link above, and it is much better than the default. With all that done, it is very playable and it looks great, but it is still hard to recommend at full price given the state of things around the game.

Bonus:

After covering all of those Paradox games, why not also cover the Cities: Skylines series? The original game has been so important to me in showing the potential of Steam Input and Steam Controller, so here we are, but it is mostly bad news at least as of this writing.

How is Cities: Skylines II on Steam Deck in 2024?

Unlike Cities: Skylines, Cities: Skylines II actually has controller support which was a big surprise to me. That’s basically the only positive thing I can say about the game on Steam Deck sadly. I don’t have access to a high end gaming PC to check there, but everyone I know who plays this on their desktop PCs has told me how bad it runs consistently. Back to Steam Deck, Cities: Skylines II is officially marked as Steam Deck Unsupported and I can see why.

Cities: Skylines II even with everything set to the lowest possible settings doesn’t hit 30fps on Steam Deck. The screenshot I’ve included has the game looking horrible while still only hitting 23fps. I do not recommend even downloading Cities: Skylines II to Steam Deck if you already own the game on Steam. Stick to playing it on your main PC if it runs fine there. It will likely take a lot of work to get it running at an acceptable frame rate on Steam Deck.

How is Cities: Skylines on Steam Deck in 2024?

The original Cities: Skylines has worked one out of maybe five times for me on Steam Deck. The other times it reboots the system when I try to start a new game or load a save. This happened as recently as this morning on my Steam Deck OLED running the public build of SteamOS with no modification. Right now, it boots up but always crashes or reboots whenever I try to start a new game even using the base maps. I’ve been told the way to remedy this is by disabling a lot of DLC, but I didn’t buy all that DLC for Cities: Skylines to not have it when I play did I? I hope Valve can look into this because Valve has marked Cities: Skylines as Steam Deck Playable when it clearly isn’t.

If you already own any of the games here and have not tried them on Steam Deck yet, I urge you to give them a shot. The downloads are not as big as the usual AAA games these days, and you might be surprised at how much fun you have. If you are too used to playing with a mouse and keyboard, you can always hook those up as I’ve shown in the image above.

I’m going to continue playing these games on Steam Deck, and will likely be doing DLC reviews as well for the newly released and upcoming expansions if I can. If you made it this far and are wondering if this article just exists to promote Steam Input, well that is definitely one of the reasons the Steam Deck is as useful to me. I think Steam Input is one of the most important things Valve has done for games on PC.

If you’ve played Paradox Interactive games on Steam Deck, I’d love to know your experiences as well and whether you have specific mods you recommend using.

As usual, you can read all our past and future Steam Deck coverage here. If you have any feedback for this feature or what else you’d like to see us do around the Steam Deck, let us know in the comments below. I hope you all have a great day, and thanks for reading.

I had a few rolls saved but haven’t gotten Robin yet. Hopefully soon. If you’ve not gotten the game yet yet, you can download Honkai Star Rail on the App Store for iOS here, on Google Play for Android here, and here on the Epic Games Store in addition to its regular PC version. Check it out here on PS5. Have you been playing Honkai Star Rail regularly since it launched on mobile, PC, and PS5 and what do you think of Honkai Star Rail 2.2 “Then Wake to Weep" so far from its trailers and will you be playing today?

Players interested in requesting a refund for purchased in-game currency can sign up here https://t.co/uONLJKkejc to receive details. pic.twitter.com/1qkGE9Sh1I

— Mighty DOOM (@MightyDOOM) May 7, 2024

Mighty Doom finally launched worldwide last year following different stages of soft launches across the world for a few years. I know Jared liked playing Mighty Doom. If you already own the game, you should be able to download it from your purchases, but it has been delisted for new purchases on both iOS and Android. Check out the official website for Mighty Doom here. It was available here on the App Store for iOS and here on Google Play for Android. I hope the folks at the three studios find something. This is all super disappointing to see and I’m really mad about Tango Gameworks especially since HiFi Rush was just ported to PS5 recently where I’ve been playing it again after loving it on Xbox and Steam Deck last year. Did you play Mighty Doom while it was still available?

• Sonic Mania Plus (Today)
• Braid, Anniversary Edition (May 14th)
• Paper Trail (May 21st)
• Netflix Stories: Virgin River (May 29th)
• Katana Zero (TBA May)

Netflix Stories: Virgin River is a new game based on Netflix’s Virgin River where you end up after a short trip. This release will let players interact with characters from the show and make choices to discover community, true love, and more. Netflix also confirmed that one level in Braid, Anniversary Edition will include one exclusive level for the Netflix version on mobile. You can try the Braid, Anniversary Edition soft launch in the Philippines on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. You can try out the soft launch for Katana Zero on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here in the Philippines. Check out our forum thread for Katana Zero ahead of its global launch here. What do you think of Netflix’s plans for this month?

If you’d like to play Sonic Mania Plus on mobile and have an active Netflix subscription, you can grab it on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Check out the official Netflix game page for Sonic Mania Plus here. If you’re new to the game, the Plus part is the Encore DLC which brought in the all-new Encore Mode, two new characters, expanded Competition Mode, and more to an already amazing base game package. Sonic Mania Plus is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam for $19.99 + $4.99 for the Encore DLC. Have you played Sonic Mania Plus before and will you be trying out the mobile version on Netflix today?

More details for the class are here. If you’ve not gotten the game yet, you can get Diablo Immortal for free on the App Store for iOS here, Google Play for Android here, and PC here. The Tempest joins in as the newest playable class on May 23rd in Diablo Immortal alongside an update. It has been a while, but I’m curious to see if we get Diablo Immortal on Steam after Diablo 4 hit Valve’s storefront a little while ago. What do you think of Diablo Immortal if you play it regularly and do you like the state of the game right now?

You will be able to stream the THQ Nordic Digital Showcase 2024 on YouTube, Twitch, and Steam. I’m curious to see what the publisher will reveal for its existing games and also what HandyGames will announce for mobile. If you’ve not played HandyGames’ SpongeBob releases yet, read Shaun’s Switch review of SpongeBob SquarePants – The Cosmic Shake on Switch here and our Game of the Week post for The Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated here. You can grab the bundle on the App Store here. Read this for all things Titan Quest on mobile. What is your favorite HandyGames release?

The updates are quite interesting with Where Cards Fall getting a full spatial update, What The Car? bringing in new honey-thirsty bears, Ridiculous Fishing EX getting a huge update with new fish and a boss, and Hello Kitty Island Adventure bringing in new photo op areas to all islands. Our forum threads for the games are not up yet, but you can check out our dedicated thread for all things relating to Apple Arcade and every game included here. What do you think of these games if you’ve played them already and will you be trying the new Apple Arcade Original?