Dread Delusion Finally Hits the Sweet Spot on Steam Deck!
It’s time to admit I was wrong! About three years back, I shared some thoughts on the indie gem, Dread Delusion, and while the game got a performance update, it didn’t really cut it for me. I was left feeling pretty frustrated with the inconsistent frame rates, so I shifted my focus to playing it on desktop. But here’s the big news: Dread Delusion is finally running smoothly on the Steam Deck, and I couldn’t be happier!
After the latest update, I’m experiencing a buttery-smooth 60 frames per second, whether I’m just starting a new game or diving into a save that’s hours in. Plus, the battery efficiency is impressive with over four hours of playtime—a real win for those on-the-go gaming sessions!
This update brings a host of fixes and improvements from Dread Delusion’s recent console release, and I can’t help but think that the upcoming Switch 2 port has played a big role in transforming the game’s performance on Steam Deck. While I’m not the biggest fan of Nintendo’s latest handheld, credit where it’s due!
Last summer, when I attempted to dive back into this first-person, mini open-world RPG, I was greeted with a sluggish 25 fps in the starting area. No matter how much I tinkered with the settings, nothing could match the experience I got on desktop. If you want a real sense of just how far Dread Delusion has come, check out the performance showcase from Factor of Games from May 2023, and a forum thread from last year discussing the game’s struggles on Deck.
After the patch dropped on April 15, my experience has been incredibly smooth. I rarely encounter frame rate drops, apart from a brief hiccup when loading new areas or autosaving. It feels like I could set my watch to the game’s frame rate on the Steam Deck! I never finished that replay from last year, but now I’m excited to see the end credits without being chained to my desk.
On top of that, Lovely Hellplace, the talented developers behind the game, are already working on a new title called Entropy. This upcoming game promises to deliver a JRPG-style experience while retaining the unique art style and presentation that Dread Delusion fans love. For those wondering why you should check out Dread Delusion, it features some of the most intriguing RPG quests, including one named “The Ethics of Eating Flesh.” It’s a morally complex story about a society of sentient zombies that feels straight out of a 1970s sci-fi novel.