Deer & Boy

“While I won’t spoil much of the story, since that's the point of these cinematic platformer games, all I can say is that it's a very good cinematic platformer game that perfectly executes going from cute and heartwarming moments to sudden horror to sad, emotional, bittersweet moments, especially at the climax and at the end.”

“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.”

“The gameplay is surprisingly varied, starting with simple stealth and evolving with puzzles involving your adorable deer fawn friend who gradually grows during the story. Early on, the fawn is defenseless and stays in your backpack to hold platforms and occasionally get in trouble. By the end, he becomes an invaluable asset that protects you from dangers, reaches faraway places for puzzle solving, and lifts you up platforms. The gameplay keeps evolving as the deer grows, culminating in a crescendo with an explosion of emotion and gameplay in the final stretch.”

“They took all the best parts from other similar games and merged them into this one, adding their own interpretation and new gameplay elements like an epic temple run-esque platforming sequence at the climax and a unique dubstep-powered 'red light-green light' sequence, making the playthrough feel fresh and never stale or boring.”

“The pacing is great; no single part drags on too long, both narratively and in terms of gameplay, which 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 ending song represents the game as a whole and every lyric makes you think back on the adventure, choices, and meaning behind everything.”

“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.”

“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.”