Editor’s Note: This review was updated 08/22/2025 to accurately explain post-game save access.
As the sun rises, vehicles clatter across the overpass above your head. You get up from a bare mattress and make your way out into the city. An unusual sight greets you: a large, horned animal meanders aimlessly in an empty lot, colliding into obstacles as it struggles with a bucket on its head. After prying the offending object from its face, you raise your hand to the creature, and it bends down to you with trust. This is how you meet your first Calicorn in Herdling.
Herdling
Developer: Okomotive
Price: $24.99
Platform: PC (reviewed), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch
MonsterVine was supplied with a Steam code for review
Known for its vehicle-centric Far games, Swiss studio Okomotive’s latest release has you adventuring on foot. You play as an androgynous youth named Via, who makes an impromptu bond with a mysterious creature and journeys out of the city and into the wider world, accompanied by a continuously growing herd. Via takes on the role of trusted protector, traveling with the Calicorns to a destination deep in the mountains.
In its short runtime, Herdling captured my heart. I befriended an array of peculiar, shaggy beasts against a backdrop of gorgeous vistas and stirring music as I wended my way across various landscapes, at times guiding my herd through perilous circumstances. When we reached our final destination, I was moved to tears.
Herdling’s Calicorns are furry, horned creatures with red eyes, which somewhat resemble yaks at their largest and sheep or goats in their more diminutive incarnations. At times, the shades of brown, black and white in their fur give way to splashes of red, blue and yellow, hinting at their magical nature. Each Calicorn possesses a pair of curved horns, which variously resemble the horns of animal species including longhorn cattle, bighorn rams, kudu antelopes and Hebridean sheep. The Calicorns’ coat patterns and horns are randomly generated, meaning that each player’s herd will differ from one game to the next.
The game’s mechanics are not complex. Befriending a Calicorn is as simple as the press of a button. Though some individuals require additional assistance or coaxing before you’re prompted to tame them, their needs are straightforward and clearly telegraphed. Once tamed, each Calicorn can be named, either manually or via a randomizer. Using the randomizer, I named the first members of my herd Tanea, Drithi, Yara and Jungius.
In contrast to commonly deployed follow mechanics, Via steers the Calicorns from behind, as you’d expect of a shepherd. As a result, you must always look ahead of the herd, aided by a guideline that’s accentuated by flowers that grow along your path. To navigate, you can ask the Calicorns to go forward or stop, as well as to move slowly or break into a run. Traveling with the herd can be joyous — after leaving the city, the game introduces its stampede mechanic, in which your motley group lets loose across an open plain accompanied by energetic and uplifting music composed by Joel Schoch.
There is no dialogue in the game, nor written content. The only words you’ll read are button prompts, menu options and your companions’ names. Via never speaks, instead giving direction to the herd with whistles and gestures. For their part, the Calicorns make a variety of noises, primarily guttural grunts. Amusingly, as the herd grows, so does the audible evidence of their — shall we say — gaseous emissions.
Similarly, there is no quest menu or map included in the game. All cues are provided by the environment, with additional hints given by magically-activated murals and prophetic dreams. Even when spaces seem more expansive, the way forward is clear, and I never lost my bearings. The Calicorns don’t always directly cross your path, but they’re hard to miss, and I easily collected all 12 potential companions along the course of my journey.
Immersion in the game’s story is assisted by its smooth performance. In my time playing the game, a Calicorn only glitched and got stuck once. After waiting for a short time, it extricated itself, and I was able to move forward with the herd. I experienced some screen tearing, but my laptop’s outdated graphics card was certainly to blame. Once I adjusted the graphics settings, the issue was reduced.
Herdling is not without peril. Jagged metal or clusters of thorns can injure Calicorns, or a cliff face can give way, leaving animals at risk of falling to their deaths. And danger is not isolated to the environment: to my dismay, in the forest I encountered a large, moon-faced creature, which I unofficially began calling a “harpy.” These winged predators menace you from their perches as you navigate tight mazes of stacked stones. Knock over too many, and you may get attacked.
While it is easy to recover from mistakes — you can pull a fallen Calicorn to safety, and there are bushes that grow fruit that heals wounds — you may have to travel for a time before you can resolve an injury. Threats are not difficult to navigate overall, but the story includes unavoidable confrontation. Although you can toggle an accessibility setting to turn on “Calicorn immortality,” there is no way to prevent the animals from experiencing harm, whether via player error or moments that are baked into the plot. Some players may find the endangerment of Calicorns upsetting, but the game’s emotional highs would be impossible without its periods of tension.
Herdling provides respite by alternating between more treacherous sections and calmer ones that feature light environmental puzzles that won’t elevate your heart rate. It is well-paced, and its 4-6 hour runtime means that it can be played in one marathon sitting, should you so choose.
After credits roll, the game menu no longer prompts you to continue, carrying the implication that in order to resume your journey, you must begin anew. However, should you desire to revisit your herd to make your goodbyes once more, the final save from just prior to the credits is still accessible to you. The game allows for up to four save slots, if you wish to make repeat journeys but are sentimental about past companions.
Perhaps sometime soon, I will return to the city, gather my friends, and travel into the mountains once more.
The Final Word
Herdling tells a poignant tale using simple mechanics, alternating light environmental puzzles with more treacherous gameplay. Some players may find the potential for animal harm in the game upsetting, but the emotional core of its story would ring hollow without adversity.
MonsterVine Rating: 5 out of 5 – Excellent
