The FAR: Lone Sails studio returns with Herdling, a game where you herd a group of ‘mystical’ animals

The folks behind the FAR games have announced Herdling, where you herd a group of strange beasts across various biomes as you make for a distant mountaintop. Developer Okomotive showcased the game today during Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024 with a trailer and a 2025 release window.

Okomotive has a penchant for chill, atmospheric games set in a suggested post-apocalyptic landscape. The studio tasked you with maintaining lumbering machines as you ventured to parts unknown in FAR: Lone Sails and FAR: Changing Tides. Okomotive plans to continue the theme with Herdling, but with lovable creatures instead of a loveable, fuel-guzzling vehicle.

“With Herdling we wanted to start a new kind of adventure, not only for the players, but also for us,”
said co-founders Don Schmocker and Goran Saric. “To create the herd of beasts and their mountainous
world was an ambitious challenge for us and we enjoyed every step of that journey.”

No longer a solo adventure

Herdling looks to embrace the contemplative, atmospheric journey of a person traveling to a destination of some importance. There are some differences, of course. Herdling is a third-person adventure, placing you in the shoes and red hoodie of a herder guiding strange but gentle creatures called Calicorns to the top of a far-flung mountain. The FAR games were famous for their oppressive feeling of isolation and loneliness. Herdling may still emphasize the former, but at least you won’t be alone.

The trip still won’t be an easy one. In FAR, Okomotive sprinkled light puzzle challenges and occasional threats throughout, and that won’t change here. Herdling takes you through forests and valleys, tasking you to keep your herd safe while weathering fog and chilling snow.

“This idea of moving as part of a herd of large, lovable, mystical creatures was at the center of our design
process and we can’t wait to see players immerse themselves in the experience we have created,” said
Fabio Baumgartner, game designer, programmer, and sound designer of Herdling.

Herdling doesn’t have a release date yet, but it is slated for a launch in 2025. More about the game will be revealed during the Panic Games Showcase, held by the game’s publisher Panic, on August 27.