Category: Gaming

The Callisto Protocol Revisited: How “Tango-Dance Combat” Saved the Experience for Me

Robert LohrLeave a comment

I can already hear the Pristine Decoder rattling in your heads, constructing the question “Of all games, why are you creating a review for this one?”

The simple answer is: because I’ve been trying to create a review for every game I finish since before this channel was a thing.

Your response to that is most likely: “Okay, let me rephrase that. Why’d you play this game in the first place?”

To which I’ll respond with: ‘cause it didn’t cost me anything.

But let’s be serious for a moment, since this is a dark game. Callisto Protocol was a free game in the Epic Games Store on Christmas 2025, and I’m sure you know the adage about the gift horse. Sharp tongues might say that a gift like this is the reason why nobody likes Tim Sweeney’s game store, but that’s besides the point. And believe me, I was also surprised that this commercial flop was presented as the December 24th Mystery Game.

But I didn’t care in that moment because it was undoubtedly a visual treat, even if it had disgusting ingredients. However, this wasn’t stopping me from taking a closer look at it for a Linux Gameplay Performance analysis. After all, Linux supposedly is immune to dangerous viruses and their mutations.

So I attempted a brief Let’s Play series on my German channel, as I need to play a game for testing anyway. One to two hours are usually required to get a sense of the expected performance profile, ideally a bit longer. And despite its flaws, or maybe because of them, it didn’t let me go. As it turns out, I completed the Let’s Play, and now I’ll tell you about my experience. Unsolicited, of course.

If you like or not, you’re now locked in my Gameslinger Prison, and I can perform all sorts of experime… Ey, ey, ey… just… a moment. Closing the tab doesn’t count.

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StarRupture: Linux Performance Analysis & First Impressions (CachyOS | Bazzite) | RX 9070 XT

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It’s time to look at yet another Unreal Engine 5 Game. And once more, it’s an Early Access title: StarRupture. As with any first look at unfinished games like this, we must keep that in mind. A lot can change over the course of the Early Access Period – content-wise and on the technical side.

But before we get into all of that, let me welcome you to another Linux Gameplay Performance Analysis.

I spent a bit over 15 hours in StarRupture, and what I found was a combination of factory automation, a first-person shooter, and open-world exploration, with some lore to find. Whether there’s actually a meaningful story in the game is not yet clear to me. In any case, as the player you’r a puppet of large corporations that continuously vie for more and more resources. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Regarding performance, the question is whether StarRupture is a typical Unreal 5 heavyweight. Does this game burn down your system, like the fiery in-game eruptions every hour? Or like all the Skynet AI data centers our world at some point?

Let’s find out.

I also have a German version of this video.

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Now with CachyOS: 4 Open-World Titles In Linux vs Windows Benchmark Battle | RX 9070 XT

Robert LohrLeave a comment

I recently took a look at four Open-World games in a benchmark battle between Bazzite Linux and Windows 11. Fifty percent of the results were as expected, and the other fifty percent turned out to be suboptimal for Linux. Since viewers often comment on my videos that they get better performance with a different distro, or ask whether I have checked out this or that distro, they eventually wore me down. I installed CachyOS and benchmarked the four titles from the previous blog post again, and we’ll briefly take a look at the results.

Three quarters are business as usual, and one quarter is actually interesting.

This is going to be a short affair without much fanfare, so let’s get to it.

I also have a German version of the video.

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Nioh 3 Linux Performance Analysis: Can CachyOS git gud? | RX 9070 XT

Robert LohrLeave a comment

Nioh 3 is highly anticipated by many gamers, and it looks like Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja are confident in the game’s quality, as they have released a demo on Steam and PlayStation. Kudos for doing that. I’m primarily interested for technical reasons. Team Ninja games usually have a, let’s call it, interesting performance-to-visuals ratio.

To save you time, let me say right up front that you can easily achieve 100 FPS or more with hardware similar to mine if you stick to the default presets. Let me repeat that because it’s an important detail: if you stick to the default presets. As you can see in the background, the FPS counter is essentially stuck at the 120 mark.

The visuals are attractive and serve their purpose, although nothing to write home about. More important in a fast-paced, combat-oriented Team Ninja game is how it feels to play. If you enjoy games like this, I think you won’t be disappointed.

But Nioh 3 is not without its idiosyncrasies. And I’m not talking about how quickly the story turns batshit crazy like a Jim Carrey performance.

If you’re interested, stay tuned.

I also have a German version of the video.

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Wall World 1 + 2 Review: From Addictive Gameplay to Mission-Based Storytelling

Robert LohrLeave a comment

Most gamers probably know that particular feeling that old games like the original Diablo series evoked in us. We always used to say: “just one more dungeon” or “just one more quest”.

It’s this feeling wanting to continue a game no matter how long you already spent in front of the tube or how low the sun is on the horizon. It’s this feeling of slicing through hordes of enemies with a friend, hunting for the next level-up, finishing a quest, or just enjoying the gameplay because it’s hell-a-fun.

It’s this feeling… that barely any game could elicit in me recently.

I’m not saying I didn’t have no fun in any game. That’s not the case, and it wouldn’t be fair to any of the titles I’ve finished. However, only a tiny number was so captivating that I couldn’t stop playing or wait to get back to the living cable box.

After all this prologue, you can probably guess where this is going. And you’re correct. But before I get to that, I need to tell you how I ended up playing Wall World in the first place.

😅

The answer is YouTube, of course. One of the two gaming creators I follow started playing around the day of Wall World 2’s release. I saw it as nice white-noise programming while I was doing other things. But the more I took in through osmosis, the louder “this feeling” came back, knocking. As a consequence, I picked up Wall World 1 and 2 during the Steam Christmas sale and also added the Deep Threat DLC after beating the first title.

I also have a German version of this video.

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Marvel Rivals Benchmarks: AI Super Villain or Open Source Hero | Windows vs. Linux | RX 9070 XT

Robert LohrLeave a comment

Marvel Rivals is published by NetEase, the same company that also publishes Where Winds Meet. Unlike its sibling, Marvel Rivals uses Unreal Engine 5. And as we all know, this piece of software can be as volatile as Deadpool. So, let’s have a look at how the hero-shooter performs on Linux and Windows.

Welcome back to a new benchmark battle between these two operating systems. Today, we answer the question of whether the proprietary AI-Super Villain or the Open-Source hero comes out victorious.

As I’ve done more often recently, I compared the beloved 🤭 Windows 11 to Bazzite’s Steam Gaming Mode and its KDE-Wayland session. Let’s go and find out which operating system has a field day in Marvel Rivals.

To do that, we grab Thor’s Hammer – don’t worry, no sleezy jokes today – and hope we can prevent Windows from sprinting ahead with a few well-placed lightning strikes.

I actually have no idea if Thor’s even in this game, but let’s just ignore that.

I also have a German version of this video.

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4 Open-World Titles In Linux vs Windows Benchmark Battle (ACShadows, BLands4, HFW, WWM) | RX 9070 XT

Robert LohrLeave a comment

I had a few games in my sweaty grasp this year that ran rather meh on Linux. In the last game I analyzed, I found out that the Mangohud performance overlay can negatively impact a game’s performance. Hogwarts Legacy stuttered heavily in my first test when I explored the world. This is a behavior that you wouldn’t encounter when just playing the game. I only ran into this issue because I always show the Mangohud performance metrics for my analysis videos.

That sparked a desire to retest a few games. I was already planning to benchmark Borderlands 4 a second time since Gearbox supposedly tuned the transmission for better performance. It so turned out that Borderlands 4 was joined by the robo-dinosaur-tamer Aloy, the two mass murderers Naoe and Yasuke, and the dude who fights with a baby in his arms.

And with that, I welcome you to another Linux versus Windows benchmark battle. This time, with four games instead of just one.

I don’t want to waste any more time beating around the FPS, so let’s get right to it.

I also have a German version of this video.

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Pragmata: The RE Engine Delivers! | RX 9070 XT Linux Performance & Impressions (Bazzite 43)

Robert LohrLeave a comment

(World Premiere)

Alright, alright. I admit, I’m exaggerating here. It is true for me, however. The unique thing about Pragmata is its use of the RE-Engine, which is like venturing into new territory for me. I have avoided the Resident Evil games and, by extension, the RE Engine because I’m officially in the scaredy-cat camp when it comes to horror games. As a result, Pragmata shines among the many Unreal-based stars in outer space.

And with that, hello and welcome to a Linux Gameplay Performance blog post.

The Pragmata demo was announced at The Game Awards 2025, and the game is slated for release in April 2026.

Will Pragmata’s launch into the Linux universe be soft, or will the trek to orbit be a rocky one?

Here’s a German version of the video.

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Total War: Three Kingdoms Benchmark-Battle Linux & Windows | RX 9070 XT (Bazzite 43)

Robert LohrLeave a comment

If you regularly watch Gamers Nexus benchmark videos or are just a strategy game enthusiast, Total War may be a name you recognize. It has been quiet as far as “Mystery Games” go in the Epic Games Store, but at the end of the year, Tim Sweeney handed out a household name in the strategy space for free. I took this opportunity by the hand to check out Total War for myself and, of course, also benchmark it.

And with that, I welcome you back to another Linux versus Windows benchmark battle.

I usually prefer to do a Gameplay Performance first, before diving into the benchmarks. However, I’m sad to say that Total War: Three Kingdoms just isn’t my cup of tea. Therefore, I spent only as much time in the game as I needed to record some B-roll and get the testing done.

But enough foreplay. Let’s get to the climax and the question of who’s packing more heat.

Yes, you heard that right. And there’s plenty more where that came from.

(German version of the video)

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My Year In Video Gaming 2025 – Game Of The Year And More

Robert LohrLeave a comment

Hello everyone.

This blog continues what I started in 2021. I cannot believe this baby is celebrating its fifth birthday.

This blog also exists as an English and a German YouTube Video.

2025 has been a challenging year for me from a health perspective. I’ve never had so many unpleasant, long-lasting issues at once. Don’t worry, I will not go into detail here. As a result, I didn’t have as much energy for gaming or working out as I would have liked to spend. Nevertheless, my enthusiasm for video games never faltered. It is much greater than for watching TV shows or movies. For example, I never finished the Fallout TV series, although I had no issues with it. I just didn’t care enough.

Video games were a different beast, though. I preferred watching streams or Let’s Play series over standard TV. I love the medium, and I envy everyone who has been able to turn this great hobby into their job or even just a viable second income stream. I’ve been drawn to voice my feelings about games on my mostly coding-focused blog, the-codeslinger.com. And while I always enjoyed the process of writing, it became less and less fulfilling over time. Even though you do hobbies for yourself, if it’s something creative like this, you still would like people to engage with it.

So, I’ve been thinking about whether and how to continue, and if it would make sense to finally separate the coding content from the gaming. And this led me to start a YouTube channel as a creative outlet. I love this visual medium so much. My channel focuses on Linux gaming, testing Linux gaming performance, and comparing Linux and Windows in benchmarks on my hardware. I’m not limiting myself to just Linux gaming, but it’s the niche I’m trying to occupy alongside other major gaming and benchmarking channels.

It just feels great to render a video that matches my idea of what I wanted to discuss. And I couldn’t be happier about the reception. Now, the content isn’t pushing crazy numbers or anything like that. But there are viewers, and for now, the process of making the videos and seeing the result is rewarding enough. It’s the total opposite of my day job and the perfect release valve for my (admittedly barely) creative side.

But that’s enough intro-talk. Let’s move on to what really matters.

You’re probably only interested if Expedition 33 is my Game Of The Year anyway.

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South of Midnight Benchmarks & Critique (Linux vs. Windows)

Robert Lohr1 Comment

Compulsion Games and striking art might as well be synonyms in dictionaries. South of Midnight’s visual identity is unmistakable, but it does not stop there. The game is more than just artsy graphics.

But before I briefly share my opinion on the game, let me talk about the technical side of things, which is central to this blog post. The primary focus is how South of Midnight performs on Linux and Windows, how difficult it was to get working, and things I noticed while playing on both platforms.

The Nerdy Bits

I purchased the game on Steam, and as one has come to expect, it just worked. I did not force any Proton version and let Steam do its thing instead. Throughout my playtime, I did not have any issues whatsoever. South of Midnight felt like it belonged.

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Star Wars Outlaws Benchmarks & Critique (Linux vs. Windows)

Robert Lohr1 Comment

Star Wars Outlaws is Ubisoft’s take on a Star Wars game working within the framework of their established Open-World formula. Although Massive Entertainment worked to avoid the checklist-like map design full of question marks, it still ended up being a checklist, just not on the map. And underneath all that busywork is a heist story along the lines of Ocean’s 11. With a twist.

But before I briefly share my opinions on the game itself, let me talk about the technical side of things, which is at the center of this blog post. The main focus is how Star Wars Outlaws performs on Linux and Windows, how difficult it was to get working, and things I noticed while playing on both platforms.

The Nerdy Bits

Let me start with the installation. I purchased the game on Ubisoft’s platform instead of Steam, so I had to resort to Lutris for the first step. After I installed the Ubisoft Connect launcher via this handy script, the procedure was the same as on Windows: select the game to install, the install location, and start the download.

In Lutris’ settings, I chose Proton-GE as the runtime, but I also tried Wine and Proton Experimental. Since I noticed no differences, I stuck with what I tested last, which was Proton-GE.

Benchmarking Preamble

I tested on my AMD Ryzen 7600 with 32 GB of DDR5 6000 Mt/s memory and an AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT. Windows 11 was on version 24H2 as of the end of March. My Linux installation was a regular Fedora 41 Workstation with Gnome Shell on Wayland running kernel version 6.13.8. Since I play at 1440p, that was the only resolution I tested. For graphics settings, I limited myself to Ultra and High, each at native resolution and upscaling with FSR Ultra Quality.

I ran every benchmark pass three times in one go instead of performing three separate runs and averaging the numbers. I am lazy, and I also assume that the result would be the same.

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A Plague Tale: Innocence Review (PC Linux)

Robert Lohr1 Comment

A Plague Tale: Innocence is a stark contrast to Asobo Studio’s prior work, which includes titles based on family-friendly movies such as WALL-E, Toy Story, or Garfield. Even contemporary games could not be more different. Today, Asobo Studio is best known for the A Plague Tale games and Microsoft Flight Simulator. What sets A Plague Tale: Innocence apart from the rest of the lineup is its extremely dark and gritty medieval fantasy setting. The game does not hold back on heartbreaking moments and gory visuals. But it is not a horror game at heart. A Plague Tale: Innocence is a linear, story-driven adventure with a focus on stealth and occasional combat. It borrows elements from survival horror titles, such as exploring the world for supplies to aid in your journey. The major difference is that resources are plenty enough to get you through all situations. If a puzzle requires a certain amount of crafting materials, you can generally find them near its location. This design choice makes the game very approachable, and the primary reward for exploration is a healthy surplus of resources for lavish use and upgrading the main character’s gear.

A Plague Tale: Innocence’s game design is a puzzle at its core. But it does not present itself as a puzzler. Your journey through the 17 chapters confronts you with carefully crafted areas populated with enemies of varying types. Depending on the enemy and the gear you have unlocked, you can take out your foe or, most of the time, distract them to sneak past. After all, the main protagonist is a fifteen-year-old girl usually accompanied by even younger children, her five-year-old brother in particular. One hit instantly spells game over. A slow and methodical approach is typically the key. When you combine the dark story and atmosphere, the game creates a suspense-packed gameplay experience.

For the most part, A Plague Tale: Innocence is not very difficult. Because of its linear structure and limited size, the solution to crossing an area is usually not difficult to deduce. Only in the later chapters does the number of enemies in a particular location provide a challenge. Until then, A Plague Tale: Innocence is more about engrossing you in its story, world, and characters. The successor, A Plague Tale: Requiem changes that and unleashes you into larger, much more challenging places. But that does not mean that A Plague Tale: Innocence is a walking simulator. There is enough gameplay here to make it a proper and exciting game. Asobo Studio created a very focused adventure without unnecessary fluff and monetization crap.

(Stay away from the Coats of Arms DLC, though. From what I saw, this is a pack of “outfits” that merely change the color of the base outfit, which you’ll never see again after the second or third chapter.)

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My Year In Video Gaming 2024 – Game Of The Year And More

Robert LohrLeave a comment

2024 was just like all the other years regarding my game selection. Barely any of the titles I played were released in 2024. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the only new game, and Horizon Forbidden West on PC was just a re-release on a different platform. I was debating whether to continue this series, especially since the end of the year was not the best time health-wise. Motivation to play or write was nonexistent.

Before trying to squeeze any more semi-interesting words out of my fingers and waste everybody’s time, let me summarize the games I played.

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Why Buy An Xbox When Games Are Released On PlayStation? Here’s A Thought.

Robert LohrLeave a comment

Xbox has changed its strategy and started releasing games on other platforms previously exclusive to the Xbox. These moves have caused some unrest among Xbox fans, who have voiced their dissatisfaction on social media. This has been especially true since the announcement of the Indiana Jones game, which is a major upcoming title for Xbox. My exposure to all of this is all hearsay through podcasts and reports in YouTube videos. In these discussions, very few people can (or want to?) find a convincing reason that answers why you should still buy an Xbox. I have a few ideas.

But before I share them, I would like to briefly rant about the notion of being disappointed and now questioning the point of owning an Xbox. So, please stay a while and listen.

(Or rudely skip ahead to the “Pro Xbox” section.)

PlayStation Envy

I am baffled by any outrage because of this. Shouldn’t we gamers be happy for each other? Now, more players can also enjoy the great games that have only existed on an Xbox (not all, of course). The idea of being a fan of a brand, a.k.a. a giant corporation accountable to shareholders, is beyond me. How can it be so simple to shake this loyalty? Is it a form of schadenfreude that turns people into Xbox fans because they know that PlayStation owners do not get access to certain games, like Halo, Gears of War, and other exclusives? Is it jealousy, as the other platforms will soon have more games available to them?

What made people choose an Xbox over a PlayStation in the first place? Was it only the games? The pull of the Xbox exclusives must have been stronger than Sony’s portfolio. If so, it’s not like releasing more titles on Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Switch removes them from the Xbox platform. And if games weren’t the reason, the other arguments favoring an Xbox would not change. Right?

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