The Deer

About

The Deer is a single player and multiplayer action game with horror, mystery and violence themes. It was developed by Dodo Digital and was released on December 16, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Professional Bigfoot hunters Anthony Grant and Chad Foster embark on the ultimate expedition to the northern Minnesotan wilderness in search of evidence supporting the existence of Bigfoot.

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72%

Audience ScoreBased on 75 reviews

story4 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

The game has a unique and intriguing concept centered around hunting and survival with a cryptid, offering an atmospheric and suspenseful experience.
Despite its flaws, multiple reviewers enjoyed the story with its four different endings and found the exploration and horror elements engaging.
The voice acting of the character Chad and some of the visuals contribute to a creepy and sometimes amusing atmosphere, making it memorable for players.

The game suffers from numerous technical issues including frequent bugs, collision detection problems, and frequent player getting stuck that frustrate the gameplay experience.
There is no save feature or checkpoints, forcing players to restart from the beginning upon failure, which can lead to significant frustration.
Objectives and navigation are often unclear, with poorly designed maps and invisible barriers making it confusing and difficult to progress.

story
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
58%
18%
The story is generally described as odd, simple, and somewhat confusing, with many players feeling lost or uncertain about its meaning. It centers on a basic premise of searching for Bigfoot but incorporates spooky elements and four different endings that add some intrigue. While not deeply developed, the story provides a fun, suspenseful framework that complements the gameplay for those interested in its quirky, mysterious vibe.
- “The main story is about you and your buddy Chad looking for Bigfoot in the woods, but finding something far less trendy and a bit more murderous.”
- “Its suspenseful and what storyline that is there is very interesting, so props to the devs for making this. I'd definitely recommend playing through this as there are four different endings.”
- “The main story is the most entertaining part, as Origins is overly simplified in terms of the wire-thin plot and takes five to ten minutes to complete, and Rudolph's Revenge is a night-time scamper trying to avoid a killer-reindeer.”
- “No story or anything.”
- “There is no story even in the origin; it just kicks you into a deer stand then says shoot deer.”
- “Add the obtuse story, and you have a grade C horror kind-of game.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The graphics received mixed feedback, with some users appreciating the eerie visuals that enhance the horror atmosphere and immersion, while others criticized the overall quality as poor, repetitive, and performance-heavy. Despite not being top-tier, the visuals generally support the game's suspenseful experience.
- “The graphics and sound design effectively contribute to a sense of isolation and suspense, enhancing the overall immersive experience.”
- “Some of the visuals were eerie and helped build a horror atmosphere.”
- “The horror elements are experienced through sounds, visuals and atmosphere.”
- “Too much graphics and hard to run on a PC.”
- “The game feels interesting and has a lot of potential, if the graphics were better.”
- “The graphics are ugly, performance is bad, almost everything looks the same, it's short.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game excels in creating a captivating and eerie atmosphere through effective use of sound and visuals, contributing to its strong horror elements. While the atmosphere is praised for being immersive and occasionally delivering good scares, some players find it becomes less engaging over time. Overall, the unique and atmospheric design is a highlight, especially given the game's free-to-play nature.
- “The horror elements are experienced through sounds, visuals, and atmosphere.”
- “Atmospheric design: The Deer excels in creating a captivating and eerie atmosphere.”
- “The game's atmospheric charm and unique setting make it worth a try, especially considering its free-to-play status.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The gameplay is primarily focused on exploration and survival, offering a unique but somewhat basic experience akin to a walking simulator. While it has memorable moments, issues like clunky item management and lack of traditional game features such as menus and saves can hinder the overall enjoyment.
- “The Deer is a free-to-play game that offers an intriguing blend of exploration and survival mechanics.”
- “A memorable gameplay experience.”
- “Gameplay is very simple, pretty much a walking simulator but there is still a level of interactivity.”
- “Players might find themselves fumbling through their items at critical moments, which impacts the fluidity of gameplay.”
- “Gameplay: very simple, pretty much a walking simulator but there is still a level of interactiveness.”
- “I'll ignore the fact there is no menu, no saves, no continues, no interesting gameplay, no reason to play this game.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is a mixed but notable element, often stemming from its buggy nature, cheesy voice acting, and occasional comedic moments that balance its horror aspects. While some find it genuinely funny and scary simultaneously, others feel the humor is lacking or unintentional. Overall, the humor adds a quirky charm despite some shortcomings.
- “It's so buggy but also funny, not gonna lie.”
- “Funny and scary at the same time.”
- “The voice acting is just god awful, but so god awful that it is actually hilarious.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent glitches and invisible barriers that often force players to restart. These bugs detract from the experience and cause frustration, though some find the glitches amusing.
- “The game was hard to stay engaged with and experience what it had to offer due to frustration from starting over more than once because of glitches.”
- “It's very buggy with numerous glitches and invisible barriers throughout.”
- “The game is weird with quite a few glitches and invisible barriers everywhere.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Replayability is considered limited, with the game offering a basic premise and adequate art direction but lacking engaging or lasting appeal compared to alternatives like Skinwalker Hunt.
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music is praised for its quality soundtrack but is noted to lack humor, which some users feel could have enhanced the experience.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is poor, with unattractive graphics and bad performance leading to a lackluster experience. Additionally, the visual variety is minimal, contributing to an overall short and unimpressive gameplay.