Herdling

Following FAR: Lone Sails and FAR: Changing Tides, Swiss game studio Okomotive has ventured into a new IP with the support of Panic. Their first 3D game, Herdling, is also something special: a grand alpine expedition involving a herd of beasts.

In Herdling, players guide a herd of mysterious creatures known as calicorns from an urban environment to a safer, more natural home. Players take on the role of a young, nameless shepherd who must guide the calicorns, care for them, and lead them safely through various dangers and obstacles, such as rivers, mountain passes, and winding paths. The gameplay is minimalist: simple controls are used to guide the herd, which sometimes requires precision when manoeuvring. Ultimately, the game is about completing the journey, overcoming environmental challenges and solving light environmental puzzles - without combat. Although the surroundings are not very interactive, there are dangers and the calicorns can be injured or killed by natural hazards or the occasional predator.

As the journey progresses, the herd grows as does the emotional bond with the animals, and their survival becomes increasingly dependent on working together, especially when difficult passages are mastered. Emphasis is also repeatedly placed on animals being individuals. It is an emotional, wordless tale of trust, survival and companionship during an incredible journey through a ruined world. Even without words, the impressive landscapes and soundtrack succeed in creating a gripping yet relaxed, almost meditatively gaming experience that is almost meditative. While a little more variety in the gameplay would have been welcome, the largely linear three- to four-hour journey remains memorable nonetheless. Much of it is reminiscent of Journey.

Okomotive was founded by Don Schmocker and Goran Saric, two game design students at Zurich University of the Arts. Having collaborated on several student projects, they developed Schmocker's final bachelor's degree prototype, FAR, into a complete game. After securing a deal with the German publisher Mixtvision shortly afterwards, Okomotive was officially established in 2017. Martina Hugentobler, Philipp Stern and Fabio Baumgartner, who were also students at the University of the Arts in Zurich, joined the project. In May 2018, FAR: Lone Sails was released on PC, followed by releases on consoles and mobile devices.

While adapting the game for other platforms, the team began developing their second title, FAR: Changing Tides, simultaneously. In late 2019, Okomotive signed a publishing agreement with the UK-based company Frontier Developments for this new project. To tackle the demands of larger-scale game production, the team expanded to nine members in August 2020. FAR: Changing Tides was released on 1 March 2022 across all major platforms. Subsequently, the team embarked on a new IP project called Herdling. This is Okomotive's largest game to date, as well as being their first fully featured 3D title. In late December 2022, Okomotive partnered with Panic, a US publisher of games such as Firewatch (2016) and the Untitled Goose Game (2019), as well as the Playdate handheld console. Next year, Big Walk is set to be launched, a cooperative online walker-talker from the creators of Untitled Goose Game. Before releasing Firewatch, Panic was best known for its macOS and iOS applications.

Herdling was released on 21 August 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5, Switch and Xbox Series X|S, priced at around €23.99. The game is also available on Xbox Game Pass.