Deer & Boy Review: A Silent Tale That Touches You Right in the Heart According to GameBlog

For its first title, Deer & Boy, the French studio LifeLine Games falls in line with the likes of Limbo, Inside or Planet of Lana: this is a narrative and cinematic platformer, where the game plays as much on emotions as on its mechanics. We get to know a boy on the run and a fragile fawn, a silent duo whose bond is nonetheless woven over the course of a poetic journey that will last only around three hours. And now that the scene is set, let's see what the GameBlog journalist really thinks of it.

The controls are deliberately stripped-down, he tells us; walking, jumping, pushing, pulling, solving small environmental puzzles, getting through stealth sections: that's more or less the entire range of skills available to the player. The pace remains steady and almost contemplative, yet LifeLine Games works to bring diversity to the situations as the relationship between the child and the animal grows stronger. The protagonists don't exchange a single line of dialogue; it's up to the player to replace speech by observing their reactions, their hesitations, and their fears.

In terms of art direction, Deer & Boy is a slap in the face for any fan of illustrated atmospheres. The environments follow one another like so many animated paintings: pastel forests drowned in mist, scorched fields, colder industrial ruins. The camera constantly plays with depth of field and contrast, expressing the duo's vulnerability in the face of threatening silhouettes, as evidenced by the sequence of the chance encounter with a herd of deer. On PS5, the quality of the textures and the lighting sometimes give the impression of playing an interactive animated film.

The absence of dialogue calls for, to make up for it, a very weighty soundtrack, and that's another point in its favor according to GameBlog. The music, discreet yet direct, accommodates a gradual rise in tension with numerous moments of grace, without tipping into heavy-handed pathos. The sound effects—the crackling of branches, the breath of the wind, hurried footsteps—contribute to this sense of a sensory journey. On the other hand, the short length and the lack of proper replayability (aside from hunting for secrets) may leave players with a slight taste of wanting more, despite an ending that stays with you.