Well, after a year of Steamdeck ownership and 35 loaded games, I finally finished my first full playthrough of a game.

I’ve got to say… what an experience. While graphically intensive, the game runs flawlessly on the deck (I personally capped FPS at 40). The third-person shooter nature of the game lends itself well to the deck, unlike first person shooters. The controls are well adapted and the layout is perfectly suited to a controller.

Performance aside, the story is phenomenal. I was thoroughly invested, and like a good book I couldn’t wait to see where the next chapter took me and how my character developed. The main characters are fantastic and are unpacked well, and only stick around long enough to not become an annoyance in true nomad fashion.

I’ve personally avoided titles that aren’t roguelikes and bullethells as I haven’t quite felt the deck controls are receptive enough for shooters. That might be because I haven’t ‘felt’ the gyro is for me, and I don’t find the back buttons helpful or natural at all. I was a bit reluctant to start Days Gone for that reason, but I was absolutely blown away with how much fun I had and how natural it felt on the deck.

If you’re wanting a 10/10 deck experience, look no further! 100% recommend!