LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW RePOP: How to Get Stable FPS and Decent Visuals on Steam Deck

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For Steam Deck Users! Let’s get your copy of Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP looking and running smooth!

Contains both simple/easy changes for 30FPS and more complex and advanced changes for those wanting to target higher performance and visuals. Do what you’re comfortable doing.

 

Before We Begin…

Some of the changes I list are more complex. I start with the simple things that just about any user can easily do without having to do anything beyond the most basic built in changes possible. I make note of the more complex game file changes you can make at the end.

DO WHAT YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE DOING!

If you don’t feel comfortable going and changing the information in the settings file, do not feel the need to do so. You CAN get the game running at 60FPS locked with a decent amount of consistency, but it will require changes to the file I mention in that section. If you can be OK with 30FPS and sub 720p graphics, then do only the starting portion of this guide. If you want to fine tune the visuals and performance, do more.

If you want the basic level of changes, do the Steam and Hardware Settings changes and the In-Game Settings Changes. For more fine tuned changes, manually change the file for the game’s settings and get it dialed in to your liking.

I provide screenshots taken from my time in game using only the 30FPS locked settings. I think they are comparable to the original level of detail the game had a decade ago and I’m happy playing it that way. As I said, do what you feel fine with. The information on what to change is here to reference to get to that spot.

Most importantly though, enjoy the game!

Steam and Hardware Settings

Change the following settings in Steam:

While in-game, hit the triple dot ( … ) button on the lower right of the Steam Deck above the right speaker. Navigate to the circle with the lightning bolt and select the Per Game setting and set the slider to Frame Limit 30 FPS (30 Hz)


In the Steam settings for the game, select the cog wheel on the right most side of the game’s home page and navigate down to Launch Options.


Type the following as shown in the picture below.


These settings changes will launch the game with Direct X 11 rather than Direct X 12 and lock the game to 30 FPS maximum.

Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP In-Game Settings

While in-game, change the settings by doing the following:

Select Options from the Main Menu.


On Options Page 3/4, make sure QTE Assist is set to Auto.


On Options Page 4/4, make sure to set the game to 1024 X 576.


The game does not run well at 720p by default. You can play it, but frame rates are frequently lower than 30FPS, often sub-20FPS. Make the more in depth changes to get stable 720p or use the 1024×576 and have a slightly lower resolution at a locked 30FPS.

Settings in the Game’s Files

You can also edit the file for the game’s graphics manually if you so wish. The location may not be the same for you, check if it is, and if it isn’t, locate YOUR saved location in the compatdata folder with the App ID # 2658450.

The location should be by default on the internal drive of the Steam Deck, but there are means of storing these files on a Micro SD Card via symlinking. This is not something that happens without manual input. If you have not done any changes to your Deck like that, it should be in the location shown in the following image.


Understand that the lower the number, the worse the setting. Set this to your personal taste, this is what I happened to go with for some later testing I was doing. I preferred the visuals I listed in the guide at 30FPS as it felt more consistent to me. As with all things, back up this file for yourself to make sure you can revert any changes you make.

I’ve put an easier to read version here of what is in the image and a very simple explanation of what each line relates to. These are VERY simple explanations, do not take them as being perfect 1 to 1 of what they literally are.

ResolutionQuality=100 (I advise leaving this at 100 as that’s 100% of the set resolution.)
ViewDistanceQuality= X (Distance of objects to be visible)
AntiAliasingQuality= X (General smoothness of the graphics)
ShadowQuality= X (The crisp or blur of shadows)
GlobalIlluminationQuality= X (Lighting quality)
ReflectionQuality= X (Quality of the reflections on shiny or wet objects)
PostProcessQuality= X (General quality of the displayed image)
TextureQuality= X (How detailed models will be)
EffectsQuality= X (Quality and amount of particles and flashy effects)
FoliageQuality= X (The detail of trees, grass, etc)
ShadingQuality= X (Quality of the shading details on the models)

These are more ‘advanced’ changes I would say and if you don’t feel comfortable with doing these, I personally think the prior changes just using the game’s own settings and what Steam offers for FPS locking is passable. Make the choice that’s right for you as these are subjective changes for your personal taste in visuals and performance.

Conclusion

Note that the game will have some hitches during some cutscenes and not in others. This seems to be an issue with Linux/Steam OS and not with the graphics themselves. You cna try changing the settings file of the game manually as the game has no Graphics Options to change yourself, but this will not fix this issue.

The QTEs are currently very broken at anything other than 60FPS, so Auto is needed to progress the game at all during critical QTEs.

Visually, the game is passable IMO. Due to the small screen of the Deck, the lower resolution is hidden rather well and the consistent FPS makes this a passable experience.

the following reference images are spoiler/context free and taken from early in the game to display the visuals as this will display them. I do not advise using 1280 X 120 as this will no longer allow the stable 30FPS.

Please note that on any display that is larger than a Steam Deck has, these images look very bad. If you want to see how they would look on your Steam Deck, view this guide on your phone or on a device with a small screen or view the guide on the Deck.


(The above image was taken while my Steam Deck was connected to an external display. Resolution is the same as the other images, but the screenshot included black bars to the sides. I don’t know what is going on with the FPS in this image.)


(The above image has a clear 25FPS in the top left. The cutscenes for this game are inconsistent with frame rates. Visually, it’s not too bad on a small screen with lower resolution graphics, but it is noticeable.)

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