Review

Herdling review: a magical journey that lacks highlights

21.8.2025

Translation: Patrik Stainbrook

In Swiss-made game Herdling, you drive a herd of buffalo-like creatures through a picturesque world. The journey has something meditative to it, but occasionally drifts into monotony.

A mute player character, a herd of fluffy hoofed animals and a deserted world to traverse. These are the central elements that make Herdling. The game from Swiss studio Okomotive dispenses with complex gameplay mechanics, instead taking you on a dreamlike journey. If you’re reminded of cult indie game hit Journey, you’re not far off. And although Herdling doesn’t offer quite as memorable a trip, it’s still worth picking up the shepherd’s crook.

Follow the herd

The game begins with a short tracking shot over a city, ending in an underpass next to a sleeping figure. Where I am, who I am or what I’m supposed to do isn’t explained. So, I steer my character through this deserted town, wrapped in a thick hoodie. There are no people anywhere. Instead, I come across a strange creature near a playground surrounded by tower blocks. It looks a bit like someone’s dressed up as a buffalo. The animal has large horns and presumably walks on two legs. I say «presumably» because its fur reaches down to the ground.

The metal bucket mounted on the head of this strange buffalo isn’t part of its biology, though. Animal friendly as I am, I free the creature with a nearby stick – and immediately domesticate it again. Feels a bit weird, but the animal doesn’t seem to mind. While taming it, I also find out it’s apparently a Calicorn. But before going any further, I have to give it a name – or generate one. I choose the latter, and am pleased with the fitting title: Apa. Avatar: The Last Airbender fans will love that.

After taming them, I can give my animals a name.
Source: Philipp Rüegg

With Apa, I move on through the strange urban environment, which reminds me strongly of City 17 from Half-Life 2. Minus the aliens and combat robots shooting at me, of course. It doesn’t take long before I come across more Calicorns. Sometimes I free them from locked enclosures, sometimes I convince them of my good intentions with some fruit I picked.

Calm animals, confusing controls

Controlling my growing herd takes some getting used to, especially at the start. We’re connected by an invisible line, but I can see it if I get close enough. If I move to the right, the line swivels to the left and the herd promptly moves in that direction. This way, I navigate the animals through the narrow urban canyons until, after a short time, we leave the city behind us and enter open plains. Now, the real game begins.

Starting off, my herd is still manageable.
Source: Philipp Rüegg

Herdling is a linear game. The world seems open at first, but I usually only progress in one direction. At most, I can decide whether to go left or right around a small hill. Only once do I walk in circles several times. There’s no visual indicators, and I don’t know where to go or what to do.

I have access to various commands to drive my herd. In addition to normal driving, I can let them slow down and stop them completely if I want to explore something without them. Occasionally, I can even let them gallop. Through certain fields and bushes, this is even necessary to make progress.

I drive my fluffy friends through a picturesque steppe landscape that reminds me of documentaries about Mongolia. My task is to bring these animals safely to their destination. No idea what that is, but both my shepherd and the Calicorns seem to rely on the fact that a beautiful spot awaits them at the end of the journey.

We simply follow our intuition.
Source: Philipp Rüegg

Shallow gameplay

I occasionally activate wooden constructs with my shepherd’s crook. Sometimes they’re by the side of the path, sometimes I have to climb a few steps to get to them. Every now and then, a little Calicorn even helps me by offering its back as a climbing aid. Once I’ve activated all the necessary wooden structures, I can interact with a stone wall. Sometimes it’s a door that unlocks or a bridge that opens the way for me.

Again and again, I navigate the herd through winding passages with sharp pieces of metal at the edges. I have to watch out that the animals don’t injure themselves there. If this does happen, I can heal them up again with fruit. Still, there’s no cure for falling into a crevasse as I try to climb a windy mountain peak. I can only watch as one of my furballs plummets into the depths. RIP Apa.

Even though they look really cuddly, I haven’t managed to build a close bond with these animals.
Source: Okomotive

I accept what’s really supposed to be an emotional moment with a simple shrug. The short playing time of around four hours isn’t enough to craft a real bond for me. I can pet the animals, decorate them with bangles I find along the way and play ball with them. But for me, that’s still not enough to shed a tear.

Maybe it would’ve helped if I’d seen the faces of my herd animals more. The camera is usually too far away for that, and the level of visual detail is too low. Instead, the only thing going through my head is the thought that I can no longer manage a perfect run. With minimal gameplay elements and, apart from a few pics around the campfire, no story at all, an intimate relationship with the animals would’ve made the experience more gripping.

Tension rarely flares up. Only when huge birds gaze down on us from the rocks, for example. If I trample through too many of their nests or whatever those egg-shaped wooden art pieces are supposed to be, they attack us. The only thing that helps then is running like the wind. While the birds swoop down trying to decimate my flock, I navigate them through a barren mountain range with no shelter. The music swells menacingly. With the last of our strength, we reach a cave that saves us and catch our breath. Moments like these liven up the gameplay, which gets a little too shallow at times.

The herd has to watch out for these huge, cranky creatures.
Source: Okomotive

While the music impressed me right from the start with its harmonious tones that perfectly match the picturesque world, the graphics didn’t fully impress me. Similar to FAR: Lone Sails, another game by Okomotive, it’s relatively low in detail and does without bright colours. On the one hand, this makes for a natural look – but a little more colour play wouldn’t have hurt when trying to create locations as memorable as Journey’s.

The Calicorns look unique, but their fur often feels like a graphical error.
Source: Okomotive

I’m also torn about the Calicorns. At first glance, their fur looks like a graphical error or as if someone has sharpened it too aggressively. On the other hand, it also looks nice and fluffy, and the ability to change its colour gives the animals a bit of pizzazz. I can’t deny that the game has certain memorable visuals.

Herdling will be available from 21 August for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass and Switch. The PC version was provided to me by Okomotive.

In a nutshell

Meditative and monotonous – two sides of the same coin

In Herdling, the focus is squarely on experience, not gameplay. Navigating your herd through the enchanted landscape captivates with visuals and sound instead of complex mechanics. The game doesn’t offer much more than occasionally dodging obstacles and minimal switch puzzles.

A comparison with cult hit Journey is appropriate. But while numerous moments there burned themselves into my memory, Herdling lacks highlights. Visually, it does feature a unique design, but it could’ve done with more wow moments, such as when leaving the city or climbing to the summit.

The audio, on the other hand, perfectly accompanies the journey with your lovable Calicorns. Too bad the game doesn’t manage to craft a stronger bond with them. If it did, the tragic scenes would certainly leave a lasting impression.

Still, Herdling took me on an atmospheric journey, which I was happy to embark on despite the occasional lull.

Pro

Magical world
Atmospheric soundtrack
Good length

Contra

Lacks highlights
Sometimes lacking clues as to where to go next

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Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.

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