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As the railway lines give way to vast rolling meadows filled with blue flowers, my flock takes the opportunity to break into a gallop, leaving me no choice but to run joyfully behind them, staff in hand. The gorgeous orchestral music surges through my headphones, oboes wailing with the glee of freedom to run. I almost miss my stop on the train, such is the euphoria of these moments in Herdling, the new game from Okomotive, the team behind Far Lone Sails and Far Changing Tides.
Thankfully, I don't miss my stop, but I do end up craving more of Herdling's particular brand of magic. It's a tale of a young homeless boy who ends up discovering a giant sheep of sorts with its head trapped in a cardboard box. A stick serves as a tool to free the Calihorn, as these creatures are known, and suddenly the boy has a friend - and a purpose.
In the disheveled city where the game begins, the boy finds a few more Calihorns in need of help - some trapped, some hurt, some just needing some guidance. You'll have to figure out how to make them feel safe to tame them, at which point you can give them a name and add them to your crew.
Before too long, I've got five to herd ahead of me - all thoughtfully named, of course - with the tool from earlier becoming a makeshift shepherd's crook that I can wave to guide them. A flick here sends them along a straight line, and later I can ask them to plough through thick brush or snow, or even pick up the pace into a joyful stampede - as long as they've got enough seemingly magical blue flowers to power them up. A double flick with your staff and a neat whistle gets them to stop, or holding it aloft gets them to slow the pace for slightly more careful navigation. There's just enough nuance on a few button combos to make you feel somewhat in control.
Flock off
But I love the fact that it's not always easy to herd them. They've got wonderful personalities, emphasized by the fact that they come in all sizes, with unique horns or funny little faces, and can even be adorned with colorful hanging ornaments and streamers as you find them on your journey. Feed them blue fruits and you'll become closer to them, even unlocking personality types like 'rascal' or 'brave' you can spot in your herd overview menu. I became obsessed with my evolving gang, and intensely protective of keeping them safe, fed, and clean. Taking pitstops in each chapter to build up and gather around a campfire to snuggle in for the night became a particular highlight, especially as I could guarantee that cheeky, playful Yili would always find a makeshift ball they'd want to play with before turning in for the night.
There's a kind of hierarchy that means they wander in a certain order, some getting adrift or attempting to dilly-dally just when you need the formation to be tight. You always have to be behind them to move them forward, so you need to be reactive to how they're walking to keep them on the straight and narrow, which is often very literal on this journey. Sometimes it feels like you're not fast enough to get the flock to turn, or they get a little stuck, but when it all works, it feels so zen.
Until it doesn't. For every music swelling, wide open space to roam, there's a space that's narrow, perilous, and makes me tense every muscle in my body. (I'll tell you now that it is possible to lose some of your flock, but thankfully, I've rolled credits with the "Herdcore" achievement for reaching the end without losing a Calicorn.) Whether it's jagged metal on the city outskirts, cracking ice holes in the mountains, or an absolute prick of a skeletal bird looking to chow down on some Calicorn hide, you'll need to be on it if you want to reach your mountaintop target without any casualties.
Don't let that put you off though, because although your journey with Herdling isn't long - my playthrough was only two and a half hours - it's incredibly poignant. Without a single word of dialogue or narrative, there's a peacefulness and tranquility to the narrative here.
If you've played either of the Far games, you'll know that Okomotive excels at this type of storytelling, making you feel deeply emotionally connected and intensely passionate about tasks that might be deemed insignificant.
At the end of it all it's just about moving forward and trying to find a new home, which feels particularly poignant when our hero starts the story without one altogether. Through dappled forests, crisp mountain passes, and more ravaged expanses, it's all just beautiful. There's a painterly quality to the art style here, with the mottled browns and greys of your Calihorns contrasting so well against the changing landscapes. I didn't want it to end.
Herdling isn't difficult to complete; it involves some light puzzle-solving and keeping your found family safe, but it will be difficult to forget.
Take a look at the upcoming indie games for 2025 and beyond for what's next!
