An ode to games the likes of Out of This World and Flashback, powered by visuals made sexy again thanks to Miami Hotline, Deer God is an interesting platformer that invests the gamers with choices and skills.Â


After your killed by a pack of wolves while trying to hunt deer, the Deer God himself forces you to live as a deer. Utilizing the friendly and aggressive people around you, as well as animals, you make the most of your new existence. Like Liam Neeson from Taken, you start with a “certain skills.” As time goes on however, your deer grows larger and you can jump farther. Your attacks eventually deliver more damage as well. Feeling like a side-scrolling Temple Run at times, the game can move pretty fast as times. If you haven’t acquired the proper skills, it could get quite difficult.Â


While there are side quests in Deer Hunter, the straight-ahead run through the game is where most of the venison is. It’s an enjoyable romp, even if it doesn’t stretch the genre or force you to think much. Simple and accessible, in spite of some mature language and content, it’s a great game for novices and kiddies to jump right into. Even older and more experienced gamers will like the solid gameplay and be able to take it for what it is, a quick adventure that tells a nice story and grabs you a few times lightly during your time together.Â


Although available on the Vita, the definitive version is on the PlayStation 4. Simply put, the pixelated sprites don’t have the same staying power on the smaller screen. Regardless, those looking for something new on the Vita could find Deer Hunter a good low-risk, high-reward experience of Sony’s fledgling handheld.Â


Thanks to simple gameplay and an engine that thrives in spite of a pretty linear story, Deer Hunter is a nifty little title that manages to entertain in short bursts.Â
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports.
Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders.
His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023.
Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief.
Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale.
Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.
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