Thanks to the awesome folks at Renaissance PR, I got my hands on an early access copy of Capes. Although the actual game won't be out until May 29th, I could dive right in and see how Capes functions on this incredible portable powerhouse.
Default Performance Check: Running Very Well
Capes runs surprisingly well on the Deck. It's clear the developers put some effort into optimization. However, there's always room for tweaking, especially when it comes to balancing the graphic, frame rate and battery life.
Maxing out the Graphics Settings
Performance drops significantly after enabling the screen space global illumination and unlocking the FPS setting to the maximum. Roughly around 40–50 frames per second is all you can get with this setting, even in basic gameplay. However, you will be pleased with the stunning visual graphics. Some cutscenes in the game can be rendered at 60 frames per second, which is wonderful. After all, this setting is strongly recommended if you want to enjoy the best visuals while ignoring the frame rate. Since the gameplay is not fast-paced, it should not affect your gaming experience too much.
With the above settings, your steam deck will consume 22 Watt, especially if you lock the FPS to 30 or 40, giving you for 3-4 hours use for the battery life.
Custom Tweaks
First of all, you set the frame rate to 60 fps. Simply by adjusting this setting, it can increase the battery life. Set all graphic settings to high and in 90% resolution. Go to the advanced graphics tab and turn off the screen space global illumination.
With these settings, you don't always get 60 fps flat, but it does maintain that frame rate stable around that number. You can experience higher frame rates between 50 and 60 more constantly than with the previous maximum settings. Of course, in intense scenes with lots of animations, the frame rate can drop easily to 40. However, you don’t have to worry about this since it is not really noticeable.
If you want to save battery life for longer duration of use, you can lock the graphics to 30 or 40 fps. You won't notice much of a difference in visuals or gameplay, but you'll be able to play for longer periods of time without having to connect your device to the charger.
Conclusion
If you're a graphics fanatic who doesn't mind sacrificing battery life, you can crank everything to the maximum and get a stable 40 fps. Just be prepared for shorter play sessions (3-4 hours). But for those who prioritize a smooth experience over bleeding-edge visuals, here's what I can recommend:
Lock it in: Head over to the display settings and lock the frame rate at a solid 60 FPS. Trust me, the difference is noticeable.
Lighten the load: Under Graphics, keep the resolution at 90% but ditch the screen space global illumination. It might not be a night-and-day difference visually, but your frame rate will thank you.
With these tweaks, I was cruising in a sweet 50-60 fps most of the time, with only occasional dips to 40 fps during intense moments. Battery life stays around the 22W mark, which is pretty good for a visually stunning game like Capes.