The world of Kickstarter is allowing for some truly unique games that would be otherwise impossible to make, and one of them is Crescent Moon Games’ Deer God, a 3D pixel art game that is purported to be a true test of one’s platforming and religion skills.
The premise of the game is that the player is a hunter who has had an unfortunate mishap that transport consciousness into that of the very animal he was hunting, a deer. At that point the goal of the game is to simply survive and accomplish various achievements such as “Becoming an elder deer, unlocking all of the statues, surviving longer than your friends [and] reaching a divine balance of karma.”
Deer God takes its gameplay cues from classic platformers like Metroid, Ecco the Dolphin and Kid Icarus. As the deer, players will be able to run, jump, and ram enemies. Various powerups can be collected, such as a Razor Hoof that allows players to destroy enemies by jumping on them and Divine Antlers that allow communication with other deers for aid.
The game will also incorporate a Karma system that is affected by the types of powers players employ. Using destructive powers on the game world’s denizens will attract the ire of the Deer God itself, who might reincarnate the player as a hapless plant that will be promptly eaten by a rabbit. In other words, players will have to start all over again.
Speaking of reincarnation, Deer God has a rather unique respawning system in which players must find female deer to mate with and create offspring. These offspring will follow the player around and, should the player be killed, act as hosts for the player to begin life anew.
Visually, the game employs its pixel world to stunning effect. The game world will be randomly generated, ensuring no two playthroughs will be identical. A day and night cycle will also be in effect, bringing out different wildlife depending on the time of day.
Multiplayer is also planned, allowing for two players to frolic in the woods together to see who survives longer.
Two days into their Kickstarter run, Crescent Moon Games have accumulated $6,654 in funding from 96 backers. $26,000 will be needed to achieve a successful run, so it looks like the game is on target to meet at least that. Stretch goals include new deer types and powers, as well as deer customization and, at the very highest level, support for Oculus Rift.
The game is being developed for the PC, Mac and Linux, and is projected to be released on January next year.