Herding is in, apparently. Between this year’s Endless Ocean Luminous, Flock, and Summerhill (which still isn’t confirmed to launch this year but a girl can dream), I didn’t expect to see the announcement of another game about the joy of getting a bunch of little animals to follow you around, but here we are. During today’s Gamescom Opening Night Live, developer Okomotive announced Herdling, an adventure game all about shepherding a herd of majestic beasts across an atmospheric landscape.
Herdling is being published by Panic, publisher of Firewatch and creator of the Playdate handheld, and developed by the studio behind Far: Changing Tides and Lone Sails. It’s one of the more mysterious projects to show up at Opening Night Live, with not much to go on but a compelling trailer. From what’s been shown off so far, it’s clear that your goal in Herdling will be to guide your herd of Calicorns — which look something like a mix between the Muppets’ Snuffleupagus and one of the titular Wild Things from Where the Wild Things Are. The trailer features a hoodie-wearing child leading the Calicorns through environments from plains and caves to a breathtaking mountain, all set to a wonderfully whimsical soundtrack.
With Herdling, Okomotive is trying to tell “an emotional, wordless tale of trust, survival, and companionship,” according to a press release. The game is set to feature “light environmental puzzles,” but its reveal suggests that it’s more about the feeling of spending time with your fuzzy companions in a stunning world than it is about any kind of mechanical mastery. Gameplay looks to be focused on clearing the way for your herd to progress to wherever it is they’re off to.
“This idea of moving as part of a herd of large, lovable, mystical creatures was at the center of our design process,” game designer Fabio Baumgartner said. “We can’t wait to see players immerse themselves in the experience we have created.”
Herdling’s trailer immediately brings to mind games like last year’s Jusant, where movement itself is the core challenge, rather than any traditional puzzles. Panic also has some touchstones for the game that seem to solidify the idea of the game as a moody, meditative exploration of the bond between your character and their herd.
“Herdling feels like a return to the scale and fidelity of something like Firewatch for us, so it’s really exciting to have it in our lineup,” said Nick Suttner, director of publishing at Panic. “We’re huge fans of games like Inside and The Last Guardian — stirring, solo adventures that really communicate a sense of awe, loneliness, and a particular brand of companionship.”
On the Gamescom stage usually more populated by already well-known names and familiar formulas, Herdling stands out as an ideal representative of the more low-key, personal stories video games can tell — though its gorgeous environments Okomotive’s promise of “exhilarating stampede sequences” in the final game could make it just as much of a crowd-pleaser.
If Herdling’s trailer left you wanting to know a bit more about the game, a good place to start might be Okomotive’s Far series. They both sport a similarly melancholy vibe and are packed with environmental puzzles based on getting from Point A to Point B, though on a handmade boat rather than at the side of a herd of mystical beasts. Herdling is also set to appear at PAX West this year, and in Panic’s own publisher showcase airing on August 27. Between those two upcoming appearances, we could be learning a lot more about this enigmatic Gamescom highlight before long.
