I dug into my Steam wishlist to check, but I’ve had Deer & Boy from Lifeline Games on my wishlist for almost two years now. I honestly can’t remember which Summer showcase it was part of back in 2024, but that’s neither here nor there. What I do remember is the charm, the tiny deer, and the little boy who carried the deer in his backpack.
Almost two years after that wishlist moment, we have a demo, and even better, the full game is coming very soon. The demo itself is short but impactful, offering just enough of a glimpse into how the game plays without revealing too much of its story. If you’re like me, born in the 80s and having grown up watching Disney movies like Bambi or The Rescuers Down Under, you’ll find yourself thinking about those movies as you play this.
The game doesn’t feature dialogue, making the music, art direction, and overall presentation all the more important. Deer & Boy’s musical score is stunning, and the art direction even turns something like a factory into a character in itself, transforming what could have been an ordinary setting into something imposing and alive. (Towards the end, I was on the edge of my seat playing through that area.)
Much of the demo revolves around the relationship between the boy and deer (there’s even a dedicated button for hugging the deer!), with the boy being able to give the deer commands to help navigate obstacles and progress through the environment. The puzzles are simple in the demo, but they do a good job of establishing the bond between the pair while teaching the game’s mechanics.
That’s not to say I didn’t have a few issues. Sometimes, it was rather difficult to figure out what you could and couldn’t interact with, leaving me feeling stranded in a few spots when I initially played on my Steam Deck. Overall, the game felt good with a controller, but there were times when I would issue a command to the deer, and it would just stop when I was almost at the object I was telling the deer to do something with. (Though, full disclosure, I was playing with a Candy Con controller and that may have been the culprit.)
So, should you play the demo? If you’re a fan of cinematic adventure games like the Planet of Lana series, Neva, or the Ori games, absolutely. After waiting nearly two years for a chance to play it, Deer & Boy left me even more excited for its full release.
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