Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 78 | 72 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 94% | 88 | 218 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 97% | 92 | 101 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Jul 17, 2026) · 101 reviews sampled · 81 total reviews in window · weighted 46.8 up / 1.5 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (36)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 80
“Deer and Boy is a rare example of handcrafted work, made with immense love for details and characters. The simple puzzles and fairy-tale story might put some people off, but it is still one of the coziest games of 2026.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“A charming and touching platformer that may seem formulaic and basic from the outside, but in fact turns out to be quite original and memorable.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“A beautifully crafted cinematic adventure whose heartfelt storytelling, gorgeous presentation and lovable central duo overcome a handful of familiar genre conventions and an uneven final act.”
read full review ↗ - 73
“Deer & Boy is an experience that relies more on feelings than explanations. Its silent narrative, the relationship built between the protagonists, and the excellent sound design create a journey capable of conveying emotions without resorting to dialogue or lengthy expository scenes. However, the experience ends up being hampered by a problem that is difficult to ignore: the way its puzzles are presented.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“A beautiful journey that treads familiar ground. Deer & Boy is a short but beautiful narrative platformer with a charming deer companion, strong atmosphere, and polished visuals. The linear design, familiar ideas, vague storytelling, and a few frustrating platforming moments keep it from standing out.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“What a joy to discover when a game goes places you did not expect. From the outset, I thought this game would be an unassuming, cozy adventure about a young kid learning about nature. Oh, how I am glad to be wrong.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Deer & Boy is the latest example of an excellent side-scrolling puzzle-platformer. It blends a beautiful art style with unique deer based puzzles and a silent story that will pull on your heart strings.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Deer & Boy is, for fans of the genre at least, a wonderful audiovisual experience but otherwise it remains a regrettably mediocre, yet sympathetic, story of loss and recovery.”
read full review ↗ - 86
“Deer & Boy that call out for a level of precision that is a little bit higher than what the rest of the game is capable of achieving in terms of accessibility. Readability of certain interactive elements is sometimes an issue. In its ambiguous conclusion, several threads are left hanging in the air, and depending on how much you like that sort of thing, you may find the ending to be poetic or unsatisfyingly vague.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Deer and Boy offers a short yet touching journey built around visuals and music, successfully creating a beautiful bond between the child and the deer in a unique adventure. Despite some issues with controls, stealth, and technical performance, its artistic identity makes it an experience worth playing, especially for fans of calm, narrative-driven games.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Deer & Boy is a beautifully crafted cinematic experience about two unlikely friends who find each other in their greatest time of need.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“With beautiful visuals, engaging gameplay that evolves throughout, and excellent sound design and music, Deer & Boy is a fantastic and polished cinematic platformer with a huge heart, but what impressed me most was how much it surprised me. What starts with the gentle, almost peaceful energy of a timid fawn grows to a crescendo as powerful and majestic as a fully grown stag, carrying its message of companionship and healing proudly upon its back.”
read full review ↗
GameMAG
3DNews
Jump Dash Roll
Pizza Fria
Life is Xbox
Pixel Byte
Pure Dead Gaming
KonsoliFIN
GamesCreed
Just Play it
Checkpoint Gaming
Gamer Social Club…and 24 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Patch #4 - Deer & Boy Full gameAug 4, 2026
- Patch #3 - Deer & Boy Full gameJul 17, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Patch #2 - Deer & Boy Full GameJul 1, 2026
- Patch #1 - Deer & Boy Full GameJun 25, 2026
- Hotfix Demo 🛠️Jun 16, 2026
- Demo Patch #1Jun 2, 2026