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) | – | 52 | 14 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 65% | 63 | 239 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 100% | 97 | 0 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 1 reviews sampled · 1 total reviews in window · weighted 1 up / 0 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (43)
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.
- 40
“The Deer God aims high with its breathtaking visuals, sound, and narrative, but it's just not entertaining enough to actually make you want to pick up your Joy-Con controllers.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“Instead of being truly interesting and worth your time, however, each individual part falls flat, resulting in an disappointingly poor overall experience.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“The Deer God is, sadly, a mediocre game suffering from an identity crisis hiding inside of a grandiose shell.”
read full review ↗ - 72
“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.”
read full review ↗ - 45
“In the end The Deer God plays out as an odd collection of concepts that just aren’t working together in harmony. Blend this with a spiritual theme that generally seems to be discarded quickly aside from things like when you die with bad karma you can come back as something like a porcupine and it is hard to really put a finger on what the design goals and final messages for the game are. Perhaps it is meant to be profound and leave you to ponder the question yourself further? For me I just decided to move onto something else.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“The art style is beautiful and it makes for some nice shots of the locations, but other than that, there is really no need to delve into this endless-platformer.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“The Deer God will inevitably divide gamer's opinions. Some will love its pixelated art style and be carried away by its themes and the emotions it invokes, while others will find it a frustrating, boring trudge from left to right. There's no denying that there is potential here and there are some very touching moments, but the flaws are so game breaking that at times it's just not any fun to play.”
read full review ↗ - 30
“The Deer God may be a beautiful game, but behind its majestic facade lies a dull platformer that fails to challenge. All of the your adversaries are easily bypassed, and the lack of engaging stories or missions leaves this game as one of the worst things to come out of the forest since stinging nettles.”
read full review ↗ - 45
“The Deer God is a tough sell, its visuals and music can't help make this game any less frustrating. If you have a lot of time and more importantly a lot of patience maybe this game is good for you, but as it stands, I would stay clear.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“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.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“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.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“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.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Nintendo Life
Paste Magazine
VGChartz
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
Pure Xbox
Push Square
NintendoWorldReport
ZTGD
Chalgyr's Game Room
TheSixthAxis…and 31 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Another new update!Dec 18, 2015
- Another new update!Dec 18, 2015
- New Update.. Finally!Sep 10, 2015
- New Update.. Finally!Sep 10, 2015
- Beta 0.5 is Live!Jan 23, 2015
- Beta 0.5 is Live!Jan 23, 2015
- Beta 0.2 Update is out!!!Dec 18, 2014significant · resets scoring window
- Beta 0.2 Update is out!!!Dec 18, 2014