Herdling

This game is one of those unusual titles where the ‘goal’ isn’t all that important – it’s the journey, the path and the transformation that matter. I must admit that games like this, where metaphysical elements and the purely artistic aspect come to the fore, are a welcome change… even if the rest is often rather mid, and this game is no different. While Okomotive makes really good games that excel in terms of visuals, audio and concept, the gameplay and story themselves can usually be described as absolutely average. Game is beautiful and has a great soundtrack and soundscape. The feeling of freedom and openness when you first reach the countryside is indescribable. The game also does a great job of capturing the bonds you form with the animals in your herd, as well as their personalities and behaviors. In my opinion, the story is average and doesn't really stand out from other similar games. I also get the impression that the developers should have spent more time fine-tuning the controls. K&M controls are janky, while the controller is only slightly better. The biggest drawback of this game is its price. Average playtime (about 4–5 hours) and virtually zero replay value neither justify nor excuse the $25 price tag. In my opinion, a launch price of around $15 would be more appropriate. Another downside is that the game completely fails to explain the main character’s motivations. The goal is sort of outlined somewhere, but it’s easy to miss the opening mural, and let’s be honest - it all feels pretty far-fetched. [b]Would I recommend it? Only if you buy it during sale. [/b] It’s an interesting artistic and philosophical experience, very much in the spirit of what’s known as “road movies”. Game prioritizes experiences, transformation, and the formation of bonds, pushing everything else into the background. It’s worth checking out, but not at current price. ✅[list] [*] Game is blending cel-shading with semi-realistic detailing to create locations that feels both real and dreamlike. Generally speaking, the colours of the environment are muted and faded, but our animals, their ornaments and the few paintings stand out in strong, vivid colours – blue, red and yellow. [*] A lovely soundtrack full of emotion; the music is a blend of tribal and orchestral sounds. It was composed by Joel Schoch. [*] Soundscape is well worth praising. Ambient sounds suit the individual biomes, the calicorns make distinctive noises that match the animals, and our character emphasises their commands with appropriate shouts and whistles. [*] Game places great emphasis on the aspect of travelling the world – the journey is both the destination and the means. We are both the protagonist and the spectator; we’re heading somewhere, but we’re not entirely sure why. [*] That feeling of freedom and space that washes over you the moment you step out into the vast, open countryside, and your herd begins to pick up speed, as if in response to it, is unmatched. [*] The herd behaves just like real animals; it has its quirks and you’ll generally grow fond of them quickly. Fortunately, they have their own basic AI, so you don’t need to worry about them falling off a cliff or straying where they shouldn’t. It’s worth noting, however, that the animals aren’t immortal, any serious mistake might cost you one of them [*] Generally speaking, each new region introduces a new mechanic or a new threat. You might feel as though you’re repeating the same actions over and over, but the gameplay remains quite varied. [*] An interesting aspect of the gameplay is that the spirits of lost calicorns may occasionally return at certain times or in specific locations. I like the fact that this element constantly serves as a reminder of the mistakes you’ve made and their consequences. [*] Game is just the right length. If it went on any longer, it would quickly become boring. [/list] 😐 [list][*] Story leaves a lot to be desired. It is told through an environmental narrative, but at the same time it is extremely vague and rather limited. [*] K&M controls are janky, situation is better while you’re using controller but there is still room for improvement. [*] One of the achievements is insanely hard to unlock, and to be honest, not worth the effort. [/list] ❌[list] [*] Price of the game is too high compared to what it offers. [*] Motivation and goal are vague at best. [*] Low replay value. [*] It does not allow you to backtrack; e.g. if you have crossed a river ford but decide to turn back, this will not be possible and you will have to load a previous save. [*] Game’s developers have added an auto-movement option to take the strain off the player’s hands. However, I never use it for one simple reason – it’s too imprecise and, to be honest, rather than making the game easier, it actually makes it harder. The character moves less smoothly and is harder to control. It’s a shame they didn’t include an option to toggle sprinting on and off instead. [/list]

虽然不知道要去哪里，但还是要出发。 身后的路被大雾遮挡，我们似乎无法回头；道旁的鲜花和壁画是旅途中的幸运和惊喜，我们获得了指引和力量；我们遇到同行者，便相互扶持、抵抗风雪；我们遇到黑暗，便点起篝火、玩耍小憩······ 我们走过悬崖、冰湖，经受了伤痛，也经历了离散；旅途让我们欣于所遇，不觉间便从秋走到冬、从春走到夏，全然不知老之将至；旅途也让我们满身风雪、满目萧然，看着忽聚忽散的云、或青或老的山，徒然生出颇多感慨······ 终于—— 我们化敌为友，我们散而复聚； 我们来到了花海，我们熬过了风雪； 我们遇到了仙人，我们见到了神迹； 啊······我们终于来到终点了吗？ 游戏结束了，我们好不容易走到的“终点”，似乎也是一个再平凡不过的休息处。 天高路远，山长水阔，俯仰之间，已为陈迹。 岁月见证了我们的成长，我们却忽视了岁月的流逝。 也许结束的只是游戏； 也许我们驻足之处便是终点。 “未到无为岸，空怜不系舟。东山白云意，岁晚尚悠悠。”——佛家偈语

Some games you play for 9 hours but it feels like 3 hours. Some you play for 3 hours, but feel like 9. Idk, I didn't really know what to expect but this one didn't land for me. its a beautiful world for sure, but I didn't really feel any connection with the heard of Calicorns. Not every game needs to have impressive gameplay elements and an interesting story, but any game should probably be trying to have one or the other... Heardling doesn't really seem to even try. its just moderately interesting world building with no real story or gameplay. kinda felt more like a really impressive student project than an actual game. And maybe one could even let that slide, for maybe $5, not ~$30.

Apart from the music, which is almost as incredible as the FAR series, it's heartbreaking that this game is so highly disappointing. It's not necessarily a bad game, but it's terribly lacking on every aspect. The gameplay is very bland and doesn't evolve, the visuals aren't that interesting (this might be due to Okomotive's art style being more 2.5D oriented), there's mechanics that are just irrelevant (Calicorn personality traits for exemple), the story isn't engaging at all, there's no real risk as the dangers can be totally avoided (and even if not, you almost everytime get the opportunity to fully heal your Calicorns right after a dangerous path), and apart from obstacles you can just avoid, there's no gameplay hurdle. Despite not being that much shorter than FAR games, it feels very short since it's so empty. Even the herding mechanic the game is centered around is bare-bones and is constantly in conflict with the Calicorn AI being very capricious. I'm still confident Okomotive can make another incredible game, but this was far from it.

История про малолетнего бомжа, который украл овец и ушёл в горы. Симулятор Кавказца

Общая оценка: 9/10 + Не скажу, что мир прям очень красивый, но картинка приятная. + Мне понравился дизайн всех местных животных. Кудряшки почему-то мне напоминают огромных послушных хомячков с рогами - миленько) И птицы тоже приглянулись: выглядят мрачно, и мне это очень понравилось. +/- Управление средненькое. К управлению кудряхами ещё можно привыкнуть, но вот "ускорение" и "остановка" работают словно кривовато. Нужно прямо натыкивать кнопки, чтобы сработала команда. Хотя это вроде как добавляет сложности и реалистичности, особенно когда надо резко затормозить стадо, а оно не сразу слушает... Но да ладно, не критично) - Сюжет. Цель вроде бы ясна, но всё равно не до конца понятно, кем ты играешь, зачем этому персонажу нужно данное приключение и что это за странный мир, где город соседствует со сказочным миром. В конце на душе остаётся какая-то пустота... Итог: неплохая игра для отдыха на один-два вечера.

Primero de todo y antes de nada buenas tardes;, me gustaría destacar de manera fehaciente que este es un juego muy complejo, y con complejo me refiero a que he tenido que hacer un máster en psicología bovina y un doctorado en cómo evitar que tu rebaño suicide, no solo el tema de los puzzles (que son tan sencillos que hasta un calicornio los podría resolver), sino a nivel de historia, si de verdad te gusta comerte la cabeza pensando en teorías sobre absolutamente nada este es tu juego En verdad nos pone en muchas situaciones que te hacen pensar; ¿estoy en los alpes o en taipei?, ¿la ciudad abandonada es real o es un decorado de IKEA?, ¿estos animales peludos están vivos o son alucinaciones de un niño que ha comido setas?, o algunos temas más delicados de tratar como; ¿por qué este calicornio se llama "ranmzes" y parece que tiene un problema con tiktok? Lo mejor de este juego en mi humilde opinión es que tú mismo puedes ir desarrollando tus propias teorías sobre él; mi gran teoría es que el niño pastor en realidad es un adulto en coma, los calicornios son sus sueños y el pico de la montaña es en realidad el despertador; tiene un gameplay el cual te dejara pegado a la pantalla en el cual pasaras horas y horas (bueno en verdad 3 horitas tampoco flipemos) intentando aprender a jugar, básicamente son dos botones (ve y para), para al fin conseguir terminar el juego pero no solo eso después te pondrás a pensar sobre el y seguirás pensando; ¿De verdad he pagado 25 pavos por un simulador de pastoreo? (mamerto lo hace free) Si le das una oportunidad a este título yo estoy seguro de que no te arrepentirán, la verdad es que he desarrollado un vínculo emocional con unas cabras digitales10/10, volvería a perder a Dianavaquera otra vez a ese bicho le mola lo duro

Beautiful game. Excellent story telling. Even though there is no dialog it managed to bring out an array of emotional responses in me. I almost cried at the end.