By Lately, I’ve been diving deep into the Early Access catalog, looking for that next hidden gem to play on the go. That search led me to Morbid Metal, a game that completely took me by surprise. When I first booted it up on my Deck, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. But after spending some quality time slicing and dicing my way through its intense combat encounters, I’ve got some thoughts to share. Today, I want to break down my personal experience with the game, how it performs on our favorite handheld, and the exact settings I use to get the smoothest gameplay possible.
The FSR 1.0 Dilemma
Let’s address the elephant in the room right away: the upscaling tech. My biggest issue with Morbid Metal in its current Early Access state is that it only supports FSR 1. In today’s handheld gaming landscape, we’ve grown accustomed to the magic of FSR 2 and, more recently, FSR 3. If this game supported FSR 3, I genuinely believe we would see significantly better native performance. FSR 1 tends to be a bit dated, often introducing visual artifacts that newer iterations have largely smoothed out.
Despite this limitation, the game actually runs surprisingly well if you know how to tweak it. When I initially tested the game without any third-party software, I set everything to the Low preset and bumped FSR to Performance mode. With these settings, you can squeeze out a pretty decent frame rate. During exploration or quieter moments, it hovers beautifully around 60 FPS. However, the moment you jump into an intense, effects-heavy battle—which happens a lot—the frame rate dips down to the 40 to 50 FPS range. It’s definitely playable, but for a game that demands precision, those frame drops can be slightly jarring.
Now, the game does offer an Ultra Performance FSR option, which technically keeps the game running closer to that coveted 50 to 60 FPS mark during combat. But honestly? I don’t recommend it. I found that dropping the resolution scale that low makes the image far too grainy. It completely washes out the sharp, metallic aesthetic that makes the game look so cool in the first place.
Finding the Sweet Spot: Lossless Scaling
Another slight bummer is the lack of native frame generation. But as a seasoned handheld tinkerer, I wasn’t about to let that stop me. This is where a third-party tool like Lossless Scaling comes into play, and let me tell you, it completely transforms the experience.
By enabling Lossless Scaling, I was able to ditch the Low preset entirely. I bumped the in-game graphics up to the Medium preset, kept the base resolution reasonable, and let the software work its magic. The result? A remarkably consistent 60 FPS across the board, even when the screen is filled with enemies and flashy combat effects. This has quickly become my absolute preferred route to play Morbid Metal.
I know what some of you might be thinking: ‘What about input lag?’ It’s a valid concern. For a game this fast-paced and intense, latency can be a total dealbreaker. If your character doesn’t react the exact millisecond you press the dodge button, you’re toast. I am happy to report that I haven’t experienced any noticeable latency issues while using Lossless Scaling. The combat feels snappy, responsive, and incredibly fluid. It bridges the gap perfectly between visual fidelity and performance, giving me the medium-quality graphics I want with the 60 FPS smoothness I need.
Gameplay Impressions: Channeling My Inner Ninja
Tech specs aside, how is the actual game? In a word: fantastic. I honestly didn’t expect to have as much fun with Morbid Metal as I am having. The combat is incredibly satisfying, blending fast-paced hack-and-slash mechanics with a really cool shape-shifting twist. It heavily reminds me of classic action titles like Ninja Gaiden. There’s that same sense of weight, speed, and brutal difficulty.
And speaking of difficulty, consider this a fair warning: you can die very easily. The game does not hold your hand. You need to master your dodges, understand enemy attack patterns, and know exactly when to strike. But that challenge is exactly what makes it so rewarding when you finally clear a tough room of enemies.
Final Thoughts
If you are a fan of high-octane action games and you don’t mind the Early Access tag, I highly recommend picking this one up. As of writing this, it’s currently on sale for less than $15, which feels like an absolute steal for the amount of fun I’ve been having. Even if you don’t want to mess around with third-party apps like Lossless Scaling, it is still entirely playable at 40-50 FPS on low settings without native frame generation.
For me, Morbid Metal is a shining example of why I love testing Early Access games on my Deck. It’s rough around the edges technically, but the core gameplay loop is pure gold. Grab your handheld, tweak those settings, and get ready for a challenge. You were made for this.
