Deer & Boy is a narrative platformer about a runaway boy who meets a — you guessed it — deer. Thrown together by circumstance, the pair journey through a cinematic world while evading adults, dangerous beasts, and an ominous force known as dark matter.
Built around a beautiful partnership, Deer & Boy kept me guessing right until the end while repeatedly yanking on my heartstrings. I won’t spoil the mystery, because uncovering it was one of the biggest reasons I kept playing. It’s reminiscent of Little Nightmares, just with considerably fewer nightmares. In reality, Don’t Nod’s Koira is probably the closest comparison.
Doe, A Deer
I do enjoy a good straightforward game now and then, and Deer & Boy definitely falls into this bucket. There are no collectables, no side quests — just one hidden room to find.
The platforming is easy to grasp, with simple mechanics that gradually evolve throughout the adventure. Your deer companion starts as a tiny fawn and gradually grows over the course of the story, unlocking new abilities along the way.
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Deer & Boy also does a great job of holding its cards close to its chest. I spent much of the game wondering what exactly the boy was running from. A foster home? An abusive situation? There’s an early scene tinged with nostalgia that hints at answers without giving them away. The more you play, the more questions emerge.
Along the way, you’ll encounter dark matter scattered throughout the world, which only your deer companion can combat. The deer also has its own trials and tribulations. In fact, I can sum up one section with a single word: Bambi. That’s all I’ll say.
Inner Peace
Visually, Deer & Boy is gorgeous. While the graphics options are fairly limited, the painterly environments still look fantastic.
The shadowy forests, abandoned structures, and natural landscapes are complemented beautifully by the game’s sound design. It also runs wonderfully on Steam Deck, which is always nice to see.
You can hear footsteps rustling nearby, streams flowing through forests, and subtle environmental sounds that make the world feel alive. Controller vibrations are used effectively too, particularly when activating abilities. Even the credits song feels carefully chosen and ties neatly into the story you’ve just experienced. Put together, it all made me feel at peace while playing the game.
The audio does a lot of work in selling the relationship between the boy and deer. It kept me tense while fleeing wolves, nervous while sneaking past people, and oddly lonely whenever my deer companion abandoned me temporarily to save its own skin. Thanks mate.
Some Thinking Required
Despite being tagged as an animated adventure, Deer & Boy includes a healthy amount of puzzle-solving. The deer helps you navigate a variety of environments, from farms and warehouses to mines and beyond.
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The puzzles start simply before gradually becoming more involved. A handful had me scratching my head for a few minutes without ever becoming frustrating, which is a sweet spot many puzzle games struggle to find.
The game also knows when to change things up. Just as I felt myself settling into a particular environment, a new location would appear.
Perspective shifts are used throughout the adventure as well, helping keep traversal interesting, even if they occasionally made me wish I could wrestle the camera into a better angle.
You can play using either a controller or keyboard and mouse, though the game steers you towards using a controller.
One I’ll Remember
Deer & Boy isn’t trying to reinvent the platforming genre, but rather, tell a heartfelt story about companionship, survival, and grief. Its simple platforming, clever puzzles, and beautiful presentation all serve one purpose: making you care deeply about a boy and his deer. If you’re the type to get attached to cute sidekicks, be prepared to become emotionally invested.
Quest Daily scores Deer & Boy:
8/10
Deer & Boy is coming to PC via Steam, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch.
A copy of Deer & Boy was supplied to Quest Daily for this review.
