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Herdling 2025
Herdling is a 2025 puzzle adventure video game released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The game was created by Okomotive and published by Panic. It centers on Via, a young girl residing in a dirty urban environment, who tends to unusual creatures called calicorns. These beings are described as furry and feathery. After leaving the city, players begin a journey through mountainous terrain where wounded calicorns are encountered along the way. The path includes forests, plateaus, valleys, and various environmental dangers. Players must navigate these obstacles using stealth since combat tools are not available. The goal is to guide all creatures safely to their natural habitat located at the mountain peak.
This marks Okomotive's biggest project so far and its first foray into three-dimensional gameplay. Panic collaborated with Okomotive beginning in August 2022. The audio was composed by Joel Schoch. Critics responded positively, highlighting the game’s visual design, soundtrack, and emotional bond with the calicorns. Some reviewers criticized the minimal narrative, brief duration, and control issues on the Switch version. In 2025, Herdling earned the SGDA Swiss Game Award for Best Entertainment Game. It also received nods in the Golden Joystick Awards, Deutscher Entwicklerpreis, Indie Game Awards, Unity Awards, and D.I.C.E. Awards.
Crew
- Director
- Don Schmocker, Goran Saric, Isabelle Roesch
- Designer
- Fabio Baumgartner, Philipp Stern, Denise Meier
- Programmer
- Lorenz Kleiser
- Music
- Joel Schoch
Details
- Developer
- Okomotive
- Publisher
- Panic
- Platforms
- Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
- Modes
- Single player
- Engine
- Unity
