Deer & Boy

Sometimes in reviewing video games, we come across games that are hidden gems – an emotional, cinematic story, an animal companion – what more do we need? The game Deer & Boy was released on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch consoles, and we played the PlayStation 5 version.

Behind the title Deer & Boy is the French independent development studio LifeLine Game Studio, and the publishers are Dear Villagers. Their goal was to create an intimate, artistic work that balances between a cinematic experience and an interactive video game. They spent years studying the behavior of deer in the wild to convey it as faithfully as possible in the game.

The narration in the game is minimalist. The story unfolds in silence. The characters say nothing, and the focus is on visual storytelling. The main character we control is a boy who runs away from home and encounters an abandoned fawn in the wild. Through their shared journey (it is never mentioned what their goal is, so we don’t know where they are going), their bond becomes stronger, and they become inseparable. The ending is touching, and we won’t spoil it for you, but it can be said that the story is metaphorical and leaves room for the player’s own interpretation.

Deer & Boy is a single-player game driven by story. However, the core of the gameplay lies in the cooperation between the boy and his companion deer. We can only control the boy. It is not possible to control the deer, and it should be noted that there is no cooperative multiplayer (whether this is a drawback or not depends solely on your gaming habits). The deer follows us and listens to our commands, and together we solve puzzles. The mechanics change as the deer grows: at first, the deer is small and timid, so we have to take care of it, and it helps us with smaller puzzles. When it grows up, it is strong and capable of carrying the boy on its back and jumping over huge chasms. On the PS5, the movement physics are very responsive, and it is especially worth mentioning the additional effects on the DualSense controller – we can feel the heartbeat of the frightened deer, the weight of steps when moving through difficult terrain, such as snow and mud.

This is not a difficult game like punishing players in Soulslike video games. However, do not expect everything to be simple. Many puzzles require a lot of time and many, many attempts. There are also plenty of stealth sections where we must sneak past NPCs unnoticed. Synchronization of both characters is always important. Sometimes it won’t be obvious what to do, so you just have to keep trying to get through a section in every possible way. For some puzzles, I really needed a lot of attempts, as the trick in most of them is to synchronize with our little Deer.

On the PlayStation 5, the game looks like a true work of art. The creators chose a beautiful, semi-stylized visual style (similar to oil paintings), which, combined with the powerful lighting of the console, creates incredible scenes. Graphically, the video game reminds me of REANIMAL, which I recently reviewed, but the style is not as dark.

The soundtrack is the heart and soul of this game. The music is orchestral, accompanied by string instruments with piano parts. The music aligns with the emotional state of the characters – when they are happy, the music is cheerful, and when they are sad, the music is somber.

Deer & Boy is definitely a future hit, and a well-made, emotional masterpiece. The only complaint is that there is no cooperative gameplay, where a teammate could control the deer. However, despite that, this is one of the best games I have played recently. The emotional, visual storytelling style, incredible graphic scenes, interaction with the deer that follows us... I played this in one breath.

Some may find the short duration of the game a drawback – 6-8 hours if you want to collect everything, 5 for a quick run. For me, that is definitely not a complaint; I believe the game lasts exactly as long as it should. The price of the game is 19.99 euros, which is also a great deal. However, for some, that might be too much for short gameplay. But, for around twenty euros, you get a game with phenomenal effects and a story that you can experience with family like a feature film.

Note: we received the game with a warning about some technical difficulties and bugs, but they are obviously resolved, as I did not encounter any issues. The playthrough went smoothly and without problems.

A copy of the PlayStation 5 version for review purposes was provided by the publisher Dear Villagers