About
Hedon Bloodrite is a commercial 20+ hour old-school first-person shooter built on a customised GZDoom engine fork, developed and self-published by solo developer Zan the Bonebreaker. Set in a dark fantasy world of orcs, demons, and ancient magic, it features multiple playable characters, extensive lore, and a gameplay loop that blends arena combat with exploration and RPG elements. Sold on both itch.io (DRM-free, includes native Linux build) and Steam, it is one of the most ambitious commercial GZDoom-engine games ever released.
Identity
Launch
- Binary
- hedon
- Needs files
- none beyond the binary
Runtime
- Runs as
- Native Linux
- Proton
- not needed
⚙ Setup notes
Native on BOTH stores: Hedon Bloodrite ships a native Linux binary — both on itch.io (DRM-free) and on Steam (App ID 1072150, which has a native Linux/SteamOS depot). On Steam Deck it runs natively, no Proton required; just install from Steam and launch. If you own the Steam copy, prefer the native build over forcing Proton.
itch.io install: Download Hedon … Linux 64-bit.zip from itch.io (zanthebonebreaker.itch.io/hedon), extract, and add the Linux binary as a non-Steam game in Desktop Mode.
Engine: The game runs on a GZDoom fork bundled with the executable — you do NOT need to install GZDoom separately; the bundled engine handles everything.
Controller: Full controller support is built in.
Length: The game is a 20+ hour adventure/FPS with RPG elements.
Steam version: The Steam release has a native Linux depot, so it runs without Proton on Deck. Forcing a Proton version is unnecessary and not recommended unless a future update breaks the native build.
The one thing to know
Paid game: ~$17 on itch.io; the Steam release (App ID 1072150) is often on sale.
Native Linux on both stores: Both the Steam and itch.io builds include a native Linux binary, so the game runs on Steam Deck without Proton. The itch.io build is additionally DRM-free.
Engine: The bundled GZDoom fork handles the engine; no separate GZDoom installation needed.
Proton not required: Because a native Linux depot exists, leave Proton off (Steam default for native titles). Only force a Proton version if a future update ever breaks the native build.
Controller: Full controller support built in.
Length: 20+ hours of content across the full Bloodrite campaign.
Community guides
Write-ups and threads from people who got this (or a similar) game running. deckport links to them — it doesn't reproduce them.
Get the artwork
deckport never hosts game images. Open this game on SteamGridDB, pick
the cover / hero / logo / icon you like, and drop them into the
game folder under .deckport-art/ before you push it to the
Deck. The importer files them under the right names automatically.
Run it on your Deck
Two files: the one-time importer (deckport.py) in your
Deck's home folder, and this game's install helper. Copy the game
into ~/Games and run the helper with Steam closed — it
writes the recipe (binary, launch options)
and registers the shortcut with artwork.