|
dkirschner's Herdling (PC)
|
| [January 19, 2026 07:45:09 PM]
|
I really enjoyed Okomotive's first game, Far: Lone Sails, but then really disliked the sequel, Changing Tides. So I decided to give this one a chance. I wasn't sure based on the reviews, but I saw a lot of them saying that it was more like Lone Sails than Changing Tides. Turns out to be true. Herdling is another atmospheric game about a journey that revolves around one core mechanic, herding creatures that look kind of like yaks. You are a kid and you find some kind of magical herding stick that lets you control where the yak-things go, and then for whatever reason, you start herding the yak-things toward a distant, snowy mountain.
The herding mechanic is simple. You press RT to command the yak-things to move ahead, and the direction they move is based on where you are in relation to the herd. They move 180 degrees in front of where you are facing (so straight ahead). That means if you want the herd to go left, you need to move behind them to the right, and vice versa. That's pretty much it. You will guide them through various levels and environments, avoid obstacles, solve the occasional easy puzzle, and proceed toward the mountain.
On the way, you find and tame more of the creatures. I really liked doing this because the game encourages building a connection with each one, firstly, because you can name them. So of course I named them after the dog we are fostering (Noodle), our cats (Baby and Teddy), Sasha's mom's dogs, my mom's cat, my stepmom's cat, and some of our friends' pets. It turns out that the creatures can be killed, so there was a Teddy II in my herd (and the ghost, it turns out, of original Teddy, stuck around). You can feed them, clean them, pet them, play fetch with them, and adorn their antlers with trinkets. It's all very cute.
The "bad guys" are these fierce owl creatures that are feared on the mountain (according to the cave art), and they occasionally harass your herd. Your herd can die from owls, falling off cliffs, falling into chasms, and probably a couple more ways. Teddy is the only one of mine who died, so I feel like a pretty successful herder.
The story is...? Maybe examining the wall art would reveal more, but it's one of those wordless journeys. You take the herd to the mountain and...everyone lives happily ever after? You fulfill the prophecy? The herd lives to graze another season? Who knows. There's not much of a climax, but the moment-to-moment gameplay was thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable. Not a necessary game to play, even if you are into these kinds of experiences, but managing the herd was calming. Oh, and "stampeding" is fun and can put you in a flow state. The game breaks out into these wide open spaces where the herd can run. Move them through fields of blue flowers and they can stampede, going really fast, so finding the winding paths through bunches of blue flowers, hearing the music swell, watching the pretty landscapes go past, was engrossing.
I saw that their next game is a pinball deckbuilding roguelite. Iiiiiinteresting!
add a comment 
|
|
|
 |
dkirschner's Herdling (PC)
|
|
Current Status: Finished playing
GameLog started on: Sunday 18 January, 2026
GameLog closed on: Sunday 18 January, 2026 |
 |
| other GameLogs for this Game |
|
This is the only GameLog for Herdling. |
|
