It’s a Bethesda RPG in space. If you’re looking for No Man’s Sky, it isn’t that. If you’re looking for Elite Dangerous, it isn’t that. But it is a BSG RPG, just like I’ve been playing since Morrowind, and it really scratches that itch. I like the characters I’ve met, I’ve enjoyed exploring, and I’m starting to get into the lore and history. The weapons feel great and the gunplay is good. I tried the ship building and was pleased with how smooth a process that is.
I’ve seen a few graphical glitches, but this really is the least buggy-at-launch BSG RPG I’ve played. It’s definitely made for a controller, but that’s fine, that’s how I prefer to play these days.
I’m waiting until a patch comes along that addresses performance on the steam deck. I am pretty flexible when it comes to graphics quality and frame rates and such, but the current reviews are not looking playable.
As a point of reference, I played hundreds of hours of Daggerfall with all the joys of getting stuck in a wall only to be killed by guards, and jumping over a pit in a dungeon only to fall into the Abyss Between Worlds. I’m a TES fan from the early days and I know how bad they can be on release. I just have a lot more to do in BG3 before I feel pressure to try something new.
There is a modded Low ini available on Nexusmods that helps on Steamdeck. Hope that the performance gets better over time though.