Herdling

Written by Jason Dailey on 8/21/2025 for PS5  

I woke up under a dilapidated freeway overpass, seemingly homeless, perhaps on the run from something, though it was unclear what that something was—a post-apocalyptic event, a natural disaster, or a war, perhaps. Nevertheless, it was time to go, so off I went into the mysterious world of Herdling, a lengthy escort mission (at least in terms of escort missions) that is gorgeous both inside and out.

Not long after waking up, I encountered a strange creature that resembled an oversized gerbil-sheep-thing. It had horns, piercing red eyes, and was covered in thick fur. If I didn’t know the premise of Herdling, I would have mistaken it for an enemy at first glance. These Calicorns, as they’re called, are far from your enemy, however. Like you, they’re lost in this world and in need of your shepherding to guide them safely to their destination.

After approaching and taming a Calicorn, you get the opportunity to name them or give them a random name if you prefer. My herd consisted of Loma, Ainush, Thambileyo, Gian, Simon, Durachd, Muvel, Yili, Toe, Eunja, Isa, and Zaya. Sadly, over the course of our four hours together, Loma and Isa passed away, though they remained with the herd in spirit. Loma was the first Calicorn that I rescued before escaping the city at the beginning of the game, and her loss was felt deeply. That’s the kind of game Herdling is—an emotional journey about survival, companionship and, sometimes, loss.

Guiding your herd is simple and mostly intuitive. Assuming command at the rear of the herd, you use the left stick to aim and right trigger to initiate movement. Double pressing the Circle button (or your platform equivalent) stops the herd on a dime, or conversely, holding the right trigger and releasing charges up a stampede. There are also times when you need to take greater care maneuvering around an obstacle or trap, which is when you’ll want to hold the Circle button to have your Calicorns move at a snail’s pace, rather than a Calicorn’s pace.

Using your newfound shepherd skills, you’ll navigate various environmental puzzles and potential dangers during your journey, from crumbling cities to snow-capped mountains. At times it is as simple as having a few Calicorns help you push a boulder out of the way. But occasionally a stealth-sequence requires you to take greater care avoiding a predator as you sneak through an area, though the controls can be a tiny bit finicky on these occasions.

Along the way, it’s important that you care for your herd too, like any good shepherd would. They need to be fed if they get injured or run out of stamina. If they charge through a thicket of brush, you’ll need to pick the branches out of their lush fur. Or sometimes you just need to give them some love, and for that, a nice petting session will do. If you take care of your Calicorns, they’ll take care of you. Over its short runtime, it’s amazing how quickly I became attached to the furry beasts.

In a world without words, Herdling’s art style and musical score perform a heavy lift, though perhaps not as heavy as the herd itself. Its striking, painterly style looks like a watercolor painting brought to life through the magic of video games. The care afforded to its visual style parallels the care I gave my herd, in some strange way. Without this kind of art direction, I don’t know that Herdling would hit the same.

Likewise, without its wonderful music, I think it would also fall flat. Its subtle yet dramatic tribal riffs do a wonderful job of portraying the mood, as well as highlighting big setpiece moments. The music, perhaps most of all, is the primary narrative engine here. It made me feel sad, anxious, thrilled, and joyful at various times. Its cinematic quality reminded me of a Pixar movie, and that might be the biggest compliment I can give it.

But for as much as I adored my short time with Herdling and my loveable bunch of Calicorns, it does need an optimization update on PlayStation 5. The performance isn’t up to par, with persistent framerate issues lingering throughout the entire game. It’s not a taxing game at all, so I’m confident the developers can get it ironed out. Regardless, it did not keep me from enjoying the journey.

Herdling is a journey that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. I love little games like this that don’t need dialogue to tell you a story or convey emotions. In a way, that takes more skill as a storyteller to do, but it also makes way for the art and music to affect you more deeply. In the end, I did my best to shepherd my beloved Calicorns to their destination, and I think they did the same for me. By the conclusion of our travels, we had created a bond, a sense of togetherness, a family, if you will. Herdling is a beautiful little game, from the inside out.