Redfall: Steam Deck Recommended Settings and Performance

Performance Overview

Performance all comes down to how you play. In handheld mode, you can expect somewhere in the region of 30 to 50 frames per second, with an average range of 39 to 42 frames.

It’s not great, and you should go in expecting frequent dips and an array of issues. Texture pop-in is something that can’t be controlled, to the point where sometimes textures won’t load in at all, the lighting doesn’t play well with the game’s world, leaving character models looking flat and lifeless, the AI often fails to react, and there’s also an issue with AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.1 causing the game to become a jagged mess whenever a setting is changed.

On top of all that, you also need to deal with a number of crashes that I wouldn’t consider normal for a new release. Some crashes are to be expected, sure, but the amount I suffered goes far beyond what I’d expect for a game that costs $69.99.

Then there’s docked mode, which isn’t a fun experience. The framerate goes even lower and the Steam Deck can’t seem to output Redfall in a way that doesn’t look like a blurry, saturated sludge. I’d imagine this is more of a Deck issue than it is a development one, but if you do decide to pick up Redfall, handheld mode is the way to go.

Recommended Settings

The settings below are designed to keep the framerate manageable, though I need to stress, that isn’t always possible.

Cranking everything down to low is the only way to get Redfall into a decent state. One saving grace is that there isn’t much of a difference between low, medium, and high settings. At least not on the Steam Deck’s 800p screen. You’ll struggle to see any differences, and upping the settings will tank the framerate to below 30.

I found to keep things moving mostly within the 30 to 40 range, turning off VSync and enabling tearing helps net roughly an extra four to five frames. That may not seem like much, but every little bit helps, and doing this lets us switch AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.1 to quality rather than balanced, resulting in slightly more crisp visuals.

Verdict

Redfall’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t feel like it’s finished. The groundwork is there, but it feels like it’s missing a layer of polish.

I don’t mean that as a Microsoft level of first-party polish, but when you compare Redfall with Arkane’s previous games – Deathloop, Prey, and Dishonored – it doesn’t feel up to the developer’s own standards. Redfall feels like an early access title in a lot of ways; in need of players to say what they like and dislike and where the game needs work. As a first-party release, at the new increased game price, Redfall doesn’t deliver.

All that said, as a groundwork for Redfall 1.0 in a year or two’s time, there is potential here. The pitch of Dying Light but with vampires is a strong one, and with more work I feel like Redfall could be the next No Man’s Sky redemption arc. Some of the fundamentals are there, and Arkane’s world-building is second to none, but, as I say, Redfall feels like a full-priced early access title on Steam Deck.

As of right now, I can’t recommend Redfall. But, I would love nothing more than to come back to Redfall later down the line and be proved wrong.

All screenshots captured on Steam Deck. Review code provided by the publisher.| To learn more about our review policy click here. | Alternatively, click here to find out why you can trust me.