Breathedge & Clash: Artifacts of Chaos + 2 More - Steam Deck Tested | Aug 29
Kia ora Everyone!
This week’s been a bit of a slow slog. I’ve been updating tutorials and writing a couple of new ones, which takes a lot of time and isn’t all that fun. The other job I’ve been dragging my feet on is a video tutorial to go with each one. I’ve got the footage sitting there, I just need to psych myself up to edit it, record a voiceover and get them published. Video isn’t my forte and it takes me forever, but I will get it done. I’ve put it off long enough.
Other than that, not much to report. I got my car back and she’s looking pretty good. The rear bumper and tailgate have been fully replaced, so it’s all shiny and new. It’s so nice having her back, not that we go anywhere with how busy work is, but it’s nice to have the option.
On the gaming front, Eben is still making his way through Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration. I’ve been getting my nightly fill of Spray Paint Simulator, thanks to last week’s Amazon Luna (Prime Gaming) giveaway, and dipping in and out of Caravan SandWitch. Clash: Artifacts of Chaos might join the rotation this week too. That one got me straight away and I’m looking forward to playing more of it.
Current System Setup
- Junk Store Pro: v3.2.0.0 (Stable Channel)
- Junk Store Plugin: v1.1.13 (Main/Default)
- Decky Loader: v3.2.8-pre1 (Pre-release)
- Proton: GE-Proton 11.1
- SteamOS: v3.8.16 (Stable)
This Week’s Featured Games View Full List →
Epic Games Giveaway
This week featuring Breathedge, Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition.
Epic gave this one away a while back, so this was a retest, and it still works out of the box. I'd forgotten the old fashioned humour and the angry robots at the start. My first run didn't go too well, let's just say I picked 'Spit' one too many times. My second go was better, but I've still got a bit to learn about the mechanics. It looks like a decent crafting game as you explore your wrecked spaceship with a chicken sidekick. Reviews on Epic aren't great though, so go in with modest expectations.
View compatibility details →
Worked out of the box with no issues, and it ran smoothly on the Steam Deck. Sadly this is one sim that didn't grab me. I'm not a fan of horse racing, so it was always going to be a no from me. I gave it a full hour, but there was too much to keep on top of between upgrading the homestead, running the stalls, and training and breeding horses. Nothing wrong with the game, it just isn't my sort of thing.
View compatibility details →Amazon Prime Gaming
This week featuring Clash: Artifacts of Chaos, Havendock.
I was looking forward to testing this one and it didn't disappoint, it drew me in straight away. I don't know much about it or the games that share its universe (Zeno Clash and Zeno Clash II), but I'm keen to explore this world and have a change of pace in my nightly session. It's a weird and interesting looking place with all sorts of creatures to fight or befriend. I'll have to show Eben, he might be interested once he's finished with Rise of the Tomb Raider.
View compatibility details →
Another one that's been given away on Epic before. I remember getting sucked into it for a few days before I could tear myself away. It's a colony sim where you build out platforms in the middle of the ocean, gathering supplies from debris floating past while new settlers sail up and ask to stay and help. I've still got it installed on my Deck, though I think I might carry on with it on my laptop.
View compatibility details →Looking Forward
Next up on the free games front:
Epic Games: Epic’s got Alone With You coming this week. Some of you may already have it from an itch bundle a while back. I’ve tested the itch version and it works, but I can’t remember much about it, so this will be a fresh test for me.
Amazon Prime Gaming: We’re heading into a new month, so we’ll have to wait and see what Amazon Luna (Prime Gaming) puts up. Fingers crossed it’s something off one of my wishlists, since it lands on Friday here in NZ and that’s my birthday.
What did you make of this week’s giveaways? I’d love to hear how you get on if you give any of them a go.
For game-specific issues, feedback, or just a chat, you'll still find us on Discord or Reddit.
As always we hope you’ve had an awesome weekend,
Annie & Eben (aka The Junk Store Team)