Deer & Boy

I feel like Deer & Boy is literally JUST like one of those people that, from the outside, [i]looks[/i] like an "average" and "forgettable" person that you'd happen to stumble upon in life… Y'know, like a classmate NPC that you were forced shuffled to sit beside with just because the teacher wants the whole classroom to shut the phak up, a random group member NPC in college for your group assignments that you just went along with without any thoughts and/or deliberation just because you want to get those daunting group assignment over with quickly, or even a coworker NPC that you'd probably exchange a few sigh, boring work-related discussions here and there and that you two would be nothing more than a mere coworker whom you'd immediately forget of their existence in your brain during the after work hours... But, here's the thing: once you get to [i]really[/i] know them, you'd tend to realise that they often have a unique charm of their own that's quite rare to find in a sea of sooooo many peo- I mean, games… Granted, the biggest problem with being with an "average" person AND if you're the type of person who had been with sooooo many "exes" before, is that you'd probably tend to notice how you're experiencing many of the things that you've "done" before with your countless number of "exes"… Like how this ex "Arise" gives you this Disney-ish kind of vibes and PURE visual storytelling, or how this ex "Somerville" had given you an experience where you'd walk/utilise/eradicate this weird purple goop thingy, or how this other ex "GRIS" tease you away with the visual metaphors that paints the picture of the story, or how this ex "Inside" and "Limbo" gave you moments where you'd be hiding and running away from the "oh, so scary lights", the not that hard puzzle-platforming sections, and tons of quick-time running sequences, or even how these exes "Planet of Lana" and "Neva" had made you experienced this cute animal companion mechanic for the first time before… Which, in a way, SOUNDS like a huge problem: You've played these games before, you've experienced these moments before… And Deer & Boy does NOTHING all that "new" or "game changing" or even "revolutionary" that trumps over your countless "exes"… And that's exactly the point. They took all the best parts that the other "exes" had individually done before that MADE you remember them (Both good and bad, I guess) and merge them all into this one game complete with their own interpretation and additions to the gameplay like this one discount epic Temple Run-esque platforming sequence at the climax and this one squid game red light-green light gameplay but powered by dubstep sequence… And it is for THAT reason why I felt that my playthrough of this game doesn’t feel stale or boring. Yes, they're unoriginal, but at least they're doing something honest in their own right, at the very least. 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 these cute and heartwarming moments to then go to these sudden wtf/horror moments to then these sad/emotional/bittersweet moments especially at the climax and at the end... Though, I'll be honest, this isn't one of those games that [b][i]really[/i][/b] made me "cry" as gamer man, but I think its enjoyable for the most part. Well, for me at least. But speaking of cinematic platfomers and their stories, one thing that I really like about this game is how it pretty much tells the story without you NEEDING to find EVERY. SINGLE. secrets and/or collectibles or, even worse, requiring you to refer to a 1 hour-long video essay breaking down the story to fully understand the lore/story of the game… Everything is perfectly told and can be understood during your first gameplay. Which is a damn good thing, in my books. All in all, as a sucker for these cinematic platformers games and the likes, Deer & Boy is definitely another "should try" game if you're a person like me who's craving for more of these types of games… ESPECIALLY with its not so expensive asking price… Because, at the end of the day, not every game in life needs to be like this person who looks the fittest, be the smartest, or acts the most extroverted person in the room to leave an impression on you… Sometimes, the quiet, "average-looking" ones are the ones that unexpectedly stick around in your memories the longest. And honestly? I think Deer & Boy is [i]exactly[/i] that kind of person. 🙂‍↕️

i really like visual story telling games so this was exactly my kind of game, i love the grapgics and sound and the whole story behind it and i would recommend it to anyone who loves these kinds of games too.

Fun platformer that looks fantastic and really good story.

Very lovely game

Loved every minute of it. An amazing story rich game. Although the gameplay isn't very complex, it is still very fun to interact with the world and figure out how to navigate obsticles. I would absolutely recommend this game for anyone who wants a chiller but also tear-jerking experience

I love cinematic puzzle platformers so when i first heard of Deer & boy it became an immediate wishlist for me. Fast forward two years and the game is finally out for everyone to experience. It's my utmost pleasure to say that the wait was 100% worth it as Deer & boy is a must play for lovers of the genre or indie game enthusiasts in general. The game literally does everything well to the point that my only two complaints are minor nitpicks, more on that later. The biggest appeal is, as usual with cinematic puzzle platformers in the name; the cinematography or visuals. Deer & boy is an obviously beautiful game with lush vibrant environments and gorgeous lighting. The art direction is simply stellar which is why i gladly picked up the deluxe edition which included the art book as well as the soundtrack. Musically the game is excellent with a nice OST that suits the game very well, strenghtening the emotional moments when they happen. And happen they will as the story is really touching and did get to me in the end. I didn't cry but i did get chills at certain moments. The game's story is spoken without words so you can give meaning to it yourself but there's enough there to paint the picture. The pacing is also great where no single part drags on for too long, narratively but also in terms of gameplay. The game gradually builds upon the simple foundations of the deer & boy mechanics to make puzzles increasingly complex without ever becoming hard or convoluted. The final stretch near the end had a unique gameplay twist in a way that i did not expect and obviously won't spoil. Now for my nitpicks, which are once again only minor complaints but i would have really liked some collectibles to find and more sound options. The former is obvious but the later owes a bit more explanation. The game only has one master sound setting, no individual sliders for music, ambience, footsteps or regular SFX which is a shame. I'd have loved to turn up the music and ambient sfx a lot while lowering the regular SFX and especially the footsteps, which were strangely loud. Still though the sound effects were of great quality, as the whole game is to be honest. On a technical level as well with smooth fps, no crashes or bugs and seemless level transitions without loading screens, guaranteeing immersion. Please give this game a shot, it's worth it despite the moderately high asking price.

Весьма спокойная и приятная игра. Очень атмосферные виды природы и не только. Саунды умиротворяющи) Милейший оленёнок и его анимации при бездействии игрока/взаимодействии с ним. Довольно понятные и не сложные головоломки. Какого-то сильного сюжета нет, игра направлена скорее на атмосферу, в стиле лёгкого приключения, где герой преодолевает различные трудности на пути) О недостатках: Хоть в игре фишка идёт на кинематографичность, мне не хватило больших возможностей перемещения по локациям (не только вперёд-назад).

10/10 from cute puzzles to tugging on heart strings absolutely beautiful