The Deer God Reviews

The Deer God is ranked in the 7th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
4.5 / 5.0
Mar 2, 2015

The Deer God takes a somewhat strange concept and turns it into one of the most enjoyably relaxing games on the market. It combines platforming skills with a touch of action and an unbelievable amount of atmosphere.

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Feb 26, 2015

While the inclusion of permadeath and the lack of handholding might be a deterrent for some, the beautifully crafted world of The Deer God is more than enough to warrant a look, especially for those with a penchant for exploration.

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8 / 10.0
Dec 8, 2014

This game is really fun to play, but it does have many issues. Nothing you would not expect from a Beta version of the game. Once they get this fixed, the game should do rather nicely.

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Jan 19, 2018

The Deer God is an interesting, successful pairing of genres that is well presented and fun to play. What it lacks in-depth it makes up for in character, keeping the adventure light and enjoyable regardless of your experience as a gamer. Right at home on the Switch, it’s a great title to unwind with at the end of a workday, or to spend a full afternoon with on the couch.

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7.4 / 10.0
Apr 8, 2015

Take simple, Pitfall-like platforming (minus the rope swinging), mix in a hint of Sword & Sworcery's art style, and then you have an overreaching X-meets-Y makeup of The Deer God. I feel like its motivations are far better than half-hearted; creatively and intentionally. But The Deer God keeps asking me to return to a life I find less and less interesting with each reincarnation.

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7.2 / 10.0
Feb 27, 2015

It's certainly worth playing - if only for the epic sense of journey that comes from crossing multiple procedurally environments - but the gameplay is sorely lacking.

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7 / 10
Sep 15, 2015

The Deer God can be a very absorbing experience. I found myself just running along the landscape exploring the world, and testing my powers on the creatures around me. It's not a tough game to master and it isn't long either once you have the basics in hand. The Deer God is a great looking game for what it is, and if you're looking for something to fill a couple of hours then this may do for you.

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7 / 10.0
Sep 9, 2015

The Deer God ultimately lacks in impact, beyond its calming visuals and music.

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7 / 10
Sep 1, 2015

With quite an unsatisfying combat system that sees you charging at enemies to headbutt them, you'll be tempted more often than not to flee

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7 / 10
Apr 25, 2017

Overall The Deer God is certainly an interesting game with some very good graphics. Due to the randomization and roguelike elements, this one has a lot of replay value. Other than the problem with some of the quests, which is not a deal-breaker, you should consider this one for your PS4 collection.

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6.7 / 10.0
May 2, 2016

The Deer God is visually stunning and creates a great environment but the game play has some bugs and isn't that engaging.

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6.7 / 10.0
May 3, 2017

I did enjoy this game but the longer I played the more bored I get. Running and jumping from platforms was fun but seeing the same platforms gets dull.

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6.5 / 10.0
Jan 10, 2018

The Deer God is an interesting take on the platforming genre. After an accident while out hunting, you are reincarnated as a deer and must now live out your life as one for as long as you can. With treacherous terrain, plenty of other wildlife that would eat you and more hunters that are out to shoot you, expect to restart as a fawn several times.

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6.1 / 10.0
May 2, 2017

The Deer God feels like a bit of a chore to play with simple missions and a lack of any interesting or varied level structure.

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6 / 10.0
Feb 27, 2015

I really do feel that there are some great ideas and potential here, though. I enjoyed running around the beautifully serene landscapes as a majestic deer, so if that's all you really expect from The Deer God, then you'll likely get some enjoyment out of it. Anyone looking for something more, however, might be left disappointed.

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May 2, 2015

The beautiful and mystical world of 'The Deer God' is unfortunately not without problems, including inescapable pits and problematic procedural generation.

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6 / 10.0
Apr 24, 2017

The Deer God is a solid statement against animal cruelty and even sport hunting, exploring an empathetic view from the eyes of a deer. While it features solid, simplistic gameplay, frequent hiccups and balance issues keep this from being a game worthy of the title's undertaking.

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Ken McKown
Top Critic
6 / 10.0
Sep 8, 2015

The Deer God mostly stumbles over its random nature and lack of explanation. It is the kind of game that is best enjoyed with a FAQ explaining all the systems and how to progress. Still, even with that the random nature really drags down some of the quests. Xbox One owners get to try it for free this month if they have a Gold subscription so definitely check it out, but just be prepared for the many issues the game will present along the way.

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60 / 100
Mar 11, 2015

[S]adly despite its lofty aims The Deer God doesn't gel, doesn't coalesce in any holistic way. Its disparate parts don't align toward the same end: the karma system doesn't mean anything here , just like the pixel art doesn't mean anything, and the roguelike bits don't mean anything. They're tangential to theme and subtext and meaning. They're words that don't string together into a coherent sentence. This is not in itself damning, but The Deer God could've been more than dumb fun, and it wants to be more than dumb fun.

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Gameplanet
Top Critic
5.5 / 10.0
Mar 5, 2015

The Deer God has some wonderful ideas and attention-grabbing presentation, but it's mechanically underdeveloped and repetitive.

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