The Deer God

So far this game has been enjoyable, but to be honest there are some features (or issues) that have made gameplay irritating, I'll start off with the good bits- the pixal art, the music and the story. The scenery is gorgeous, it's been a long time since I've played a game that put this much thought into a pixel art game. The music and the sound effects are very good, there's been a pretty decent mix of relaxing music and more complex/energetic tunes. And the story has been entertaining, who wouldn't love to play a deer? So far, I have enjoyed the story but with just 2 hours of gameplay I haven't made much progress.
As far as complaints go, mine aren't very harsh. Gameplay with the controller is good - intuitive and fluid. Later, I played with a keyboard and mouse for awhile and the controls were awful (weird key assignments and awkward movements). A menu screen to change key assignments would be very helpful. My other chief complaint is the learning system, there is essentially no guidance for this game at all. Attibutes menus and rules are not explained, I was 40 minutes into the game before I realized you could assign fireballs to the antlers. Just a " press Y to open attributes menu" would have been nice.
Also,the permadeath, I hate it. I'm not hardcore enough for permadeath so the ability to save would be an improvement. I'd rather see permadeath as a hardcore setting instead of the default. But you probably shouldn't listen to me, I'm too old to be a gamer nowadays. I better stop typing and get my fish oil and prune juice for the day.

The Deer God is a relaxing and sometimes puzzling survival platformer with an emphasis on exploring bountiful natural landscapes presented in a most beautiful and crisp pixel style, a combination reminiscent of beloved indie gems like Fez or Sword and Sworcery. Guiding you through each of the different seasons and themed areas is the warm synth, moody piano and nostalgic blips of their respective soundscapes shifting and evolving with each subtle change of the environment around you.
This is already a gorgeous game by the time the title screen appears, the serene and peaceful imagery eases your vision yet the ominous teetering of the strange hymn that plays tells you not everything is as peaceful as it seems. It is a story of the hunter and the hunted of natural order and balance of life, but who is there to put mankind in our place when we attempt to throw that balance off and cause unnecessary death?
The game starts you off assuming the role of a small and feeble baby deer in a lush world of natural wonder and danger, your health and attack power in this infantile state are minimum so you begin your survival by scouring the land ahead for food and nourishment while avoiding the dangers of the wild.
On top of the elements of survival and growing your deer through the gathering of resources, the game plays like a roguelite. This means the level layout is randomized with each playthrough and when you die, you die for good. Fortunately in a continued effort to emulate life in the wild you can mate with does to produce offspring, which act as very crucial checkpoints becoming the new host for your soul should you perish.
The wilderness around you is shrouded in mystery, the deeper you travel into this meditative setting of seasonal meadows and swamps the stranger the entities you'll come across; An old hermit greets me in an isolated hut giving a small task. Groups of brutish hunters hang around cabins awaiting their prize shot and threatening the surrounding wildlife.
Various wise and elder deer appear before me periodically throughout the journey to bestow knowledge and sometimes new powers to help clear the path ahead as well as hidden paths that were previously untraversable in an almost metroidvania-like fashion. Ancient statues appear after tasks have been completed and task you with a block puzzle. Fitting the relics to their correct places grants you with the story advancing skills you need.
Players must use the scavenged items of your surroundings wisely in order to help the various struggling souls of the wild and repay their debt to mother nature. In the end traveling far and wide becomes more than rewarding when you're dashing through the deepest of caves crushing rocks with your hooves and hurling balls of fire from your antlers.
A whole lot of heart and soul have clearly been put into The Deer God, it's a game for people who love and respect the animal kingdom and even if you don't it could be the game that makes you care. It's a story about honoring all life around you, and seeking to mend the hardship-filled lives of other creatures we share the planet with.
This is an experience of many sights, sounds, and colorful characters and one I feel should be experienced by all, even if just for the message. With fantastically detailed pixel art and a challenging permadeath adventure of heavy natural exploration, The Deer God is one of those rare breeds in the indie scene that stands not only a work of art but a really damn fun and addictive game.

A little repetitive after some time, but the ambient and graphics are really good, totally worth it if it is on sale.

ENG:
The game is visually appealing and a great idea! Action game, the player is only supposed to eat the food to grow, so can not exceed the new barriers. Player can open environment in order to move forward platformer like manner, in which fields in the game change every time you play.
The game ends and starts from the beginning that after death, but you can compare the performance of growth or the distance to justify to you. Referral! :3
FIN:
Peli on visuaalisesti ja ideana loistava! Toiminnaltaan pelissä pelaajan on vain tarkoitus syödä ruokaa kasvaakseen, jotta voi ylittää uusia esteitä. Pelaaja pääsee avaamaan ympäristöä siinä edetäkseen tasoloikka maisesti, jossa pelin kentät vaihtuvat joka peli kerralla.
Peli loppuu ja alkaa alusta joka kuoleman jälkeen, mutta voit verrata suoritustasti kasvun tai etäisyyden perustella mihin pääset. Suositteluni! :3

This game is very simple and to the point, but it has a beautiful sort of depth to it. The lighting is very homey and the music is relaxing. I have eagerly awaited this game's release and I was not disappointed. There's a variety of things to do, and I know it's in early release, which means it's only going to get better.
It's nice to play when stressed out, and it makes a good addition to my steam library.

The Deer God is a beautiful game but its not without its wrinkles. (Video Review Below)
Its obviously a gorgeous, and beautiful game. With a musical score and sound effects to match. Truly enveloping you in nature. Giving you the perspective of animals living in nature. The wrinkles lie in its procedurally generated nature. While the game does have a story, puzzles, and plenty of power ups and items. Its all muddled and confused as you continue to move forward. Never sure if you are making any progress, because everything ends up just being random. I believe a more linear experience would've benefited this gorgeous adventure game. Taking that wonderful pixel-art and laying out a cohesive story, puzzles and events.
Also as you get deeper into the game, the tone of the game shifts. From this serene forest with the backdrop of a very real issue of human encroachment and survival. To fighting the undead and giant snapping turtles. Not that they are a challenge cause you shoot fireballs from your antlers. Too much emphasis is put on the combat system which ends up being slightly repetitive and silly at times.
In all The Deer God is a hard book to judge by its cover. If you can accept the game and all that comes with it. You will enjoy this strange adventure game.
I made a video review to show off some of the features and gameplay of this game!
I hope you enjoy!
Martyr

You start as a hunter, staying up late and looking for a deer to shoot for an easy meal; two come along, a big stag and a young fawn, and you line up your shot! Unfortunately for you, wolves attack and lightning strikes you at the same time and the baby fawn is shot instead. You definitely died; but the next time your eyes open it’s directly into the floating form of The Deer God, and they look pretty miffed. Appalled by your accidental cruelty, they reincarnate you as a baby deer and the only way to become human again is to redeem yourself. Good luck?
3-7 hour pixel platform side-scrolling adventure game where you play as a deer. Start as a baby and stumble your way to adulthood, complete easy push puzzles to gain various power ups; and use them and your platforming skills to beat some simple bosses. There is a karma system in place, if you’re good other deer will assist you in fights and follow you, but if you murder too many bunny rabbits you get reincarnated as one next time you die. I didn’t experience any bugs, and while the game is pretty easy, you could still die in a moment of carelessness. The only thing “unbalanced” is the Hail skill, where you have a Hail AOE that lasts a couple seconds you can actually stack/spam; I recommend it against one of the last flying bosses. Overall, The Deer God is a fantastic game and I don’t understand why the current reviews are mixed.