Although the PC GOG re-release of Breath of Fire IV is intended to be played on Windows 10 and 11, there is a way to get it running on your Steam Deck! Here’s a guide for setting it up.

Please note there are other methods for getting the GOG version of Breath of Fire IV up and running on your Steam Deck (such as via Heroic Games Launcher), but the configuration outlined below is Dragnier’s preferred method. This guide will ensure:

  1. The game runs in both the Steam Deck desktop mode and gaming mode with the opening animation playing back correctly.
  2. The game, when launched from a Steam shortcut, will utilize the Steam Deck’s controls through Steam Input.
  3. With GOG Galaxy installed and running in tandem, cloud saves will continue to work when played on Steam Deck.

If there is a method you prefer and works for you, please do share it in the comments below.

Table of Contents
  1. 1. Install GE-Proton9-27
  2. 2. Install GOG Galaxy via Lutris
  3. 3. Install Breath of Fire IV and configure compatibility
  4. 4. Controller Setup (Steam Deck)
  5. 5. Graphics Setup (Steam Deck)
  6. 6. Save Data
  7. Sources

1. Install GE-Proton9-27

First, you’ll need to install GE-Proton (also known as Proton-GE). GE-Proton is a compatibility layer to run Windows games on Linux platforms like SteamOS / Steam Deck that can sometimes give you better game compatibility than Valve’s official Proton.

In Breath of Fire IV’s case, running the game in compatibility with GE-Proton9-27 will ensure the game’s animated intro FMV will play correctly.

Before proceeding, it’s strongly recommended to connect a wireless mouse and keyboard to your Steam Deck. Setup will require you to go into Desktop mode, which is much easier to use with a mouse and keyboard.

  1. Power on your Steam Deck.
  2. Press the Steam button, then go to Power > Switch to Desktop
  3. Click the bottom-left icon in the taskbar to bring up a search.
  4. Search for “Discover” and open it.
  5. Within Discover, use the search bar to search for an app called “ProtonUp-Qt”. Select the Install button to download and install it.
  6. Once it’s installed, you can launch it from inside Discover. It will also be in the bottom-left app menu within “Utilities”.
  7. From the drop-down section at the top, make sure Steam is selected if it isn’t already, then select the “Add version” button to bring up another window.
  8. For compatibility tool, select “GE-Proton” from the drop-down menu, and for version, select “GE-Proton9-27” (alternatively called “Proton GE 9-27”) then select “Install”.
  9. After installation, shut down Steam within Desktop mode and relaunch it.

2. Install GOG Galaxy via Lutris

By installing an older, compatible GOG Galaxy client on your Steam Deck, you’ll be able to continue to take advantage of cloud saves for Breath of Fire IV. You can also utilize GOG Galaxy on your Steam Deck to download the installer for Breath of Fire IV, instead of having to copy the installer from your computer to your Steam Deck via USB drive. You’ll also be able to keep Breath of Fire IV up to date in the event GOG updates it with more hotfixes.

If you already have a working setup for GOG Galaxy on Steam Deck that allows you to install and play GOG games with cloud saves, do not update GOG Galaxy if you are prompted. GOG Galaxy version 2.0.80 Beta and beyond have stopped working with Steam Deck. According to this GOG forum post, the last known working version of the GOG Galaxy client on Steam Deck is GOG Galaxy 2.0.77.22.

In this guide, we will use Lutris to install GOG Galaxy on the Steam Deck. Lutris is a handy application that can force Windows applications and games to install and run properly on Linux systems, such as the Steam Deck.

There are other methods for getting Breath of Fire IV to run correctly on Steam Deck, such as using Heroic Games Launcher instead, but Lutris is the option we used.

  1. Open up a web browser and download the GOG Galaxy 2.0.77.22 installer to your Steam Deck.
  2. From Desktop mode, open the Discover app.
  3. Within Discover, use the search bar to search for an app called “Lutris”. Select the Install button to download and install it.
  4. Once installed, you can launch Lutris from the Discover app or your applications section.
  5. Select the + sign at the top left of the screen, above Library.
  6. Choose the bottom option with the + sign: “Add a locally installed game”.
  7. In the Name section, type in the name of the app (GOG Galaxy). In the Runner section, use the drop-down menu and select the bottom option: “Wine (runs windows games)”
  8. In the Game options tab, select the setup_galaxy_2.0.77.22.exe you downloaded and select “Save”.
  9. Launch and install GOG Galaxy. Take note of the installation location.
  10. After installation, don’t run GOG Galaxy just yet. Go back to Configure and in the Executable field, specify the path to the GalaxyClient.exe file (this is the installed GOG Galaxy launcher) then select “Save”.
    • i.e. “/home/user/Games/Lutris/gog-galaxy/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/GOG Galaxy/GalaxyClient.exe”
  11. Launch GOG Galaxy from Lutris and log into your GOG account. Do not update GOG Galaxy if prompted; this can break compatibility with Steam Deck.

3. Install Breath of Fire IV and configure compatibility

  1. Purchase Breath of Fire IV on GOG if you haven’t yet.
  2. Install Breath of Fire IV within the GOG Galaxy client running on your Steam Deck in desktop mode. Take note of the location where you installed the game.
  3. In your Steam client, under your library list, there’s a “+ Add a Game” option. Select this, followed by “Add a Non-Steam game…”
  4. Navigate to where you installed Breath of Fire IV. Add BOF4.exe to Steam. A shortcut will be created in your Library list.
  5. Right-click on the shortcut, followed by Properties > Compatibility
  6. Check off the box for “Force The Use of a specific Steam Play Compatibility Tool”
  7. In the compatibility drop-down, select Proton GE 9-27.
  8. Under launch options, add the following string:
    • WINEDLLOVERRIDES=”dinput8,dinput,ddraw=n,b” %command%
  9. Save and confirm your settings.

4. Controller Setup (Steam Deck)

Before launching Breath of Fire IV after following steps 1 – 3 above, it’s important to map 3 keys to your Steam Deck controls: Esc, F1, and F9. Esc will allow you to exit the Options menu correctly, F1 will be used as a Start / Tutorial button, and F9 will allow you to exit back to the title screen and the game entirely.

It’s also important to note, for whatever reason, the only button that will let you get through the title screen is R3 (clicking in the right analog stick). For additional in-game control-related configuration, visit the Controller Setup (PC) section in the Breath of Fire IV PC (GOG) Setup Guide.

As far as Dragnier is aware, there doesn’t seem to be a way to retain rumble / vibration support for Breath of Fire IV on Steam Deck.

  1. While still in desktop mode, go into your Steam client and right-click on the game’s non-Steam game shortcut and select “Properties” > “Controller” > “Override for Breath of Fire IV” > “Enable Steam Input”
  2. Tap the “Controller Configurator” hyperlink.
  3. Under Quick Settings, Enable Back Grip Buttons.
  4. Highlight one of the back grip buttons (L4, L5, R4, or R5) and confirm to be given the option to bind a key to that button.
  5. Select the following keys and bind them to your preferred backgrip buttons: F1, F9, Esc.

5. Graphics Setup (Steam Deck)

  1. Launch GOG Galaxy via Lutris.
  2. Select Breath of Fire IV in your library. click the “More” button to the right of “Play” > “Additional executables” > “DirectX Settings”
  3. The DirectX configuration wrapper window will launch. From here, you can configure visual settings.
  4. Here are Dragnier’s recommended settings:
    • General Settings
      • Display Mode: Think of this setting as your “canvas” for which the game’s display will show on. Set this to the Steam Deck’s resolution or, if docked, the monitor/screen’s resolution. You can select “Same as desktop (Default)” or specifically select your resolution and refresh rate:
        • If playing on Steam Deck, select 1280×800.
        • If your Steam Deck is docked to a 1080p screen, select 1920×1080 along with the appropriate refresh rate (Hz) your monitor supports.
        • If docked to a 1440p monitor, select 2560×1440.
        • If docked to a 4K screen, select 3840×2160.
        • If you’re unsure of the resolution or refresh rate, go to your Steam Deck’s Settings > Display and confirm the resolution and Hz there.
      • Presentation: Select “Full Screen” or “Windowed” depending on your preference.
      • Aspect ratio correction: Select “Enabled (Default)”.
      • Scaling Method: Select “Integer scaling”. This way, you can pick an in-game resolution that best matches your tastes and it will scale appropriately based on your above display mode selection.
      • Vertical synchronization: If you experience screen tearing while playing, set this to “Enabled”. Otherwise, “Set by application (Default”) should be fine.
      • Gamma correction: Keep it at 1.0 (Default).
    • Enhancements
      • Texture filtering
        • Set by application (Default): This will have the game’s inherent bilinear smoothing filter applied to the 2D sprites and 3D environment.
        • Point sampled: This will force the game to use point sampling to give the 2D sprites a sharp, pixellated look reminiscent of the original PlayStation version. Dragnier recommends this setting.
          • See Aspect Ratio and Filtering Comparisons.
          • Note: If you used an outdated dgVoodoo2 external wrapper method for forcing point sampling, make sure to remove any files associated with that wrapper.
        • Bilinear: This is the same setting as “Set by application (Default)” above.
        • Anisotropic filtering (2x, 4x, 8x, 16x): This option intends to make distant objects in games look sharper. In our experience, we did not notice any discernible changes, so we recommend not using it.
      • Antialiasing: This option intends to smooth jagged edges on curves and diagonal lines, however in our findings we found it messed with the game’s environmental lighting, with some parts of the environment being darker than they should be. We recommend keeping it at “Set by application (Default)”.
  5. Save your settings and exit the DirectX wrapper.
  6. Launch Breath of Fire IV from either the Steam client in desktop mode, or game mode.
  7. From the title screen, press in the right analog stick (aka ‘R3’), (Enter on a keyboard, ‘Options’ on a PS5/PS4 controller, ‘Menu’ on an Xbox controller, or + on a Switch Pro controller) and go to Options.
  8. Under “Screen”, select your game resolution. This will be the resolution which will be integer scaled to fit on your display. For the Steam Deck’s screen, the following options are recommended:
    • 640x480x32 (2X Scale)
    • 800x600x32 (2.5X Scale)
    • 1024x768x32 (3.2X Scale)

6. Save Data

Save data will be stored on your Steam Deck in the location you decided to install Breath of Fire IV.

We’re happy to report that save data from the original PC release of Breath of Fire IV works just fine in the GOG re-release. Not only that, but cloud saves are supported through GOG Galaxy.

CD-ROM Save File Default Location: \Program Files (x86)\Capcom\Bof4
CD-ROM Save File Naming Scheme: BOF4-##.DAT (## being numbered from 01 to 15)
GOG Save File Location: \Breath of Fire IV\SAV\
GOG Save File Naming Scheme: ##.DAT (## being numbered from 01 to 15)

Sources

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