Deer & Boy

“A very touching, beautiful family cinematic video game that comes to my heart and brings back the boyhood dream.”

“This game is an absolute triumph of indie storytelling, a fragile and beautiful interactive animation that turns a personal, heartbreaking journey into something transcendent.”

“The game delivers its story with no dialogue but still manages to tug at the heartstrings and deliver a touching message of overcoming grief.”

“Surprisingly varied, it starts off simple enough with stealth, then it evolves with puzzles involving your adorable deer fawn friend which will gradually grow up during the story and that will bring new mechanics to the table: if at the start of the story the fawn is defenseless and can only stay in your little backpack (cute) to hold a platform and occasionally get in trouble, by the end he'll be an invaluable asset that will go out of his way to protect you from dangers, get to far away places for puzzle solving and lift you up platforms, the gameplay is simple but it keeps evolving as the deer grows, like a crescendo that culminates in the final stretch that has an outright explosion of emotion and gameplay.”

“But enough of that and let's focus on the actual gameplay - for me it all worked seamlessly without glitches or bugs which given how early I played after release says a lot about the amount of testing that must have gone on.”

“To achieve this, the gameplay constantly refreshes itself through stealth, intense chases, puzzles, and exploration.”

“Quite stellar, it has a cinematic angle and the vistas and locations feature a beautiful cell shaded art style that is pleasing on the eyes with a lighting engine that is fantastic with deep and strong dynamic shadows that dart around the levels and interact with lights.”

“The visuals are absolutely stunning.”

“Deer & boy offers what almost feels like an evolved take on the low-poly art style, combining detailed environments with lighting, particles, and visual effects that bring every scene to life.”

“The music is downright phenomenal; if Corentin Brasart's “The Words I’d Wish to Say” track doesn't make you cry, you're completely heartless.”

“When you finally reach the credits, the incredible soundtrack washes over you like a warm embrace, leaving behind a beautiful, resounding stillness.”

“A wonderfully enjoyable soundtrack wraps emotional moments in a tight hug, with all the design elements coming together to create the perfect tear-jerking moments.”

“The soundtrack and environmental sound effects work hand in hand with the game's gorgeous visuals to create an immersive atmosphere, often helping to carry moments where the gameplay itself isn't quite as engaging.”

“The simple character design of the deer and his boy only heightens the visual depth of the detailed backgrounds and environments, with vivid colours and atmospheric lighting.”

“In my opinion, the visuals and atmosphere are a big part of why this game works as well as it does, doing much of the heavy lifting when it comes to creating an emotional and memorable experience.”

“There has been no bug, no performance drop, no issue whatsoever, only good things.”

“At first glance, the character designs may not scream 'expressive,' but the combined efforts of everyone behind the game led to something that surpasses big AAA productions in many ways.”

“The simple character design of the deer and his boy only heightens the visual depth of the detailed backgrounds and environments, with vivid colours and atmospheric lighting.”