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Needs test

Minitroid

Native Linux Metroidvania action-platformer 2021 love
Does it run on your Deck?

About

Minitroid is a tiny Metroid-inspired action-platformer made for LOWREZJAM 2021, rendered entirely on a 64x64 pixel grid. tducasse handled the code, music, and sound while Mauricet created the pixel art and animations.

Built with the LÖVE (Love2D) framework, it was released free on itch.io under a pay-what-you-want model, with the source code also published openly. It is a short game-jam title rather than a commercial release, which is why it is not sold on storefronts.

Identity

Developertducasse and Mauricet
Publishertducasse (self-published)
Released2021
GenreMetroidvania action-platformer
ModesSingle-player
Enginelove
TypeNative Linux
Aliasesminitroid

Launch

Binary
minitroid.exe
Needs files
none beyond the binary

Runtime

Runs as
Native Linux
Proton
not needed

⚙ Setup notes

What you actually download: the itch.io page only offers a Windows build (minitroid-windows.zip) and a browser/HTML5 version. There is no standalone .love and no Linux build published, so you start from the Windows zip and its fused minitroid.exe.

Native on Deck (recommended): install a LÖVE (Love2D) runtime (Flatpak: org.love2d.love2d, or an AppImage) and point it at the fused exe — love minitroid.exe. The LÖVE runtime loads a fused Windows build directly, so no extraction is needed. Steam launch option: love minitroid.exe # %command%.

Alternative: the fused exe is a plain zip; extract it to minitroid.love and run that with the same love runtime.

Fallback: run minitroid.exe under Proton.

The one thing to know

Fused Windows build: the only desktop download is minitroid-windows.zip; minitroid.exe inside it is a fused LÖVE build (loader stub + the .love archive, all zipped). The bare exe will not run natively on the Deck.

Native path (no extraction needed): install a love runtime on the Deck (Flatpak org.love2d.love2d or an AppImage) and run love minitroid.exe - LÖVE loads a fused Windows exe directly. Or extract the exe (it is a plain zip) to minitroid.love and run that.

No Linux build: itch.io has no native Linux/Mac download, so the love-runtime route is the simplest native option.

Fallback: otherwise use the Proton fallback noted above.

Exact exe name unconfirmed: minitroid.exe follows LÖVE's fused-build naming convention but was not independently verified, hence needs-test.

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.