The extra work needed is probably quite offputting for average gamer. I have detailed steps below if you want to try!
have to download java, write a small script and set up one symlink but once done it runs perfectly in game mode.
mapped some keyboard keys to gamepad - see below
Game refuses to launch after a fresh install due to Java errors, this requires a fair bit of tinking but is totally playable in game mode with the following steps:
boot into desktop mode and download the latest linux 64bit Java release from Oracle (https://www.java.com/en/download/linux_manual.jsp). It should give you a tar.gz file
extract this tar.gz file into your /home/deck/ directory and put it in a folder called java (so it should look like /home/deck/java)
browse to the games install directory (/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Reveal The Deep) and rename rtd.exe to something else I named it OGrtd.exe so i'd remember its the original one if i ever needed it.
create a new text file in the same directory as the .exe file and call it rtd.sh then right click this file and go to properties>permissions and tick the box that says "Is executable"
open rtd.sh with the text editor of your choice and enter the following 2 lines, then save:
#!/bin/bash
/home/deck/Java/bin/java -jar "/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Reveal The Deep/Linux/rtd.jar"
try to run rtd.sh by double clicking on it. it should load up the main menu of the game however it may have a strange aspect ratio - this is fine it will look normal in game mode. if it doesnt load up the game, check the text again and make sure there are no mistakes with the directories. try running the script from konsole if you want, that may give you some error messages to check.
if it worked, open up a Konsole session and create a symlink using the following command: ln -s "/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Reveal The Deep/rtd.sh" "/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Reveal The Deep/rtd.exe" this is telling the steam deck to create a shortcut to our earlier script and it will call that shortcut rtd.exe
open steam while still in desktop mode and launch the game. it should work, but it will still have a weird aspect ratio thats all squashed.
reboot into game mode and try to launch the game. it should work and it should be in the correct aspect ratio.
finally press the steam button and configure your controls to your own taste. Up/Down/Left/Right arrow keys = movement Space = flashlight Right Shift = interact Esc = menu
enjoy the cool spooky underwater game.
When running the game I get a popup that says: The application requires a Java Runtime Environment 1.7.0 (32-bit)
Not sure how to fix this, would probably require that the installer made sure to install a proper Java Runtime, since it's a pre-requisite for the game to run.
Wont load
About 1 to 2 seconds after hitting 'play' the game crashes