Oh Dear – Is This Game Worth it?

The basic premise and gameplay mechanics of the Oh Dear is fun although repetitive with some room for improvement. With a healthy amount of polish, some tweaks to gameplay, new features and other improvements, this could be a very enjoyable game to play with a group of friends.

Oh Dear is the second game from the 2 indie developers at Cozy Cabin Studios and it can be described as a simple “hide and seek” multiplayer game that has recently come out of early access.

---

---

System Requirements

---

Oh Dear Gameplay Overview

Oh Deer is a multiplayer hide-and-seek game where one player plays as a hunter and up to four others play as deer. You are either a hunter that is supposed to kill the imposter deer, or you are a deer trying to blend in with its environment in hopes of survival.

Hunter Role: The hunter’s role is to use sound, gadgets, and your prowess with a bow and arrow to locate and eliminate the other deer players hiding amongst the “real” deers before nightfall. You will also have a camera that can detect if any unsuspecting “deer” is doing anything out of the ordinary.

Deer Role: The Deer’s role is to hide from the hunter by blending in with a handful of “AI “real” deers scattered around the map. Eating food will sustain a deer’s hunger meter thus it is a priority for the deers even though they will alert the hunter of their general direction. Hence improper timing when eating could mean the difference between life and death. Additionally, watch out for bear traps and mines laid out by the hunter, they tend to hurt quite a bit.

---

Pros of Oh Dear

Fun gameplay mechanics is at the core of Oh Dear and it is what makes the game enjoyable. The game is a constant mind game between the Hunter and the Deers that creates memorable moments for the players. A moment like when the hunter really clutches up and fires a headshot at a dashing dear to seal the game, Or when everything being so peaceful suddenly turns into a race against terrors as the unsuspecting "deers" turn into 7-feet-tall monsters.

• Fun casual mechanic: The game has enjoyable and simple gameplay mechanics that anyone can pick up and have a go immediately, perfect for a group’s game. The gameplay loop is solid with short matches so there’s no real commitment. Additionally, the game’s voice chat is an easy win facilitating hilarious interaction.

• Reasonable pricing: The game is currently on Steam for 10$ which could be a little lower but still very reasonable. Considering it is a fun little game but relatively basic and repetitive.

---

Cons of Oh Dear

Balance issue: The default settings in terms of the speed at which the hunter’s sanity and deer’s hunger bars decrease are arguably a little unbalanced: As is, It generally seems skewed in favor of the deer winning. In reality, hunters making it to the hut is actually their only real win condition, simply because it just seems to be impossible to kill a full lobby of deer. These balance issues can be expressed as below:

• Wendigos’ dominance: Their movement speed and the lack of a stamina bar for the Wendigos make it impossible for the hunter to run and dodge forever. To the extent that the hunter has to rely on the Wendigos bumping into obstacles or they simply won’t make it to the cabin in time. Furthermore, since the wendigos get the hunter’s cabin highlighted, they can just camp it if they happen to be closer.
• Hunter’s aiming: The movement and aim are somewhat janky, particularly the aim for the bow. This combined with the low reload time of the hunter plus the limited, slowly-regenerating arrow supply are further ways this game is skewed against the hunter.
• Hunter’s win: The hunter in a match might find himself killed most of the time when trying to run away and even if they do manage to survive, nothing special happens. There are no bonus points for surviving or perhaps being able to try and kill the Wendigos again, it match simply ends. Thus it can be said that the hunter’s win is quite underwhelming.

Lack of depth: Oh Dear is a simplistic with no unlockables or customization yet. There are currently three game modes and 7 maps set in Forests, Plateau, Basin, Crystalized, Gold Field, Hilltop and Ruin Valley. Although the game is still being worked on and getting updates. Further additions to the game like more areas, more colorful landscapes, more seasons and weather, a time of day system and even a customizable hunter loadout could be neat.

Small players base: any multiplayer match-making game would rely on a decent active players count to maintain a healthy number of active lobbies. As a new indie game, Oh Dear player base is relatively small but definitely growing. Just don’t expect to get a full lobby with good ping immediately. Hence it might be a good idea to get the game along with your friends for you all to enjoy.

Poor optimization: Those technical requirements of the game is substantial for a small game. Arguably, such a simple game just should not ask for 12 Gigabytes of RAM and an i7 CPU processor, realistically. Even if you meet these requirements, do expect the FPS to still drop when there are many deers on your screen or too much camera movement.

---

Is Oh Dear Worth it?

Oh Dear is a “Cops and Robbers” style game that is great if you just want some casual gameplay with comical interaction with friends or in an online match. Although lacking in depth, the game is well-crafted, straightforward and fun. As long as the development team continues to update and add features, this game could become a go-to for casual and fun group play.