I played a handful of solid new games this year, from romping through the afflicted Living Lands in Avowed, to exploring myths and legends of the American South in South of Midnight, to traveling the stars and then some in The Outer Worlds 2. Before my personal Game of the Year pick came along, any of these titles could have made my top spot. Only then, there was Herdling. Spurred to play the game for myself after watching portions of it, Herdling is a beautiful, memorable, and poignant game. I don’t even know to what I’d compare it, because there’s simply nothing quite like it. (Or, if there is, I’d love to know!)

Wordless from start to finish, and with minimal controls, Herdling is the story of a journey. Players take on the role of a nameless protagonist who appears in a disgruntled, dirty city. One day they happen upon a strange, lost beast called a “calicorn,” along with a magical crook that can be used to guide the animal. With this new treasure in hand, the new-found shepherd sets off through the city with the calicorn. As they progress, the shepherd discovers more lost calicorns, and they join to form a small herd. The shepherd can interact with the calicorns, petting and cleaning them, as well as feed them items from especially colorful flora. Eventually, the herd finds a place to rest for the evening, gathering round a fire the shepherd has created from nearby bundles of wood. The next day, the herd wakes and the journey continues.

To say much more would be spoiling things—Herdling, short and sweet, is worth anyone’s weekend—but the game is about forming one’s herd and surviving. The journey is an ascent, and there are small puzzles along the way to solve, nearly all of which involve the calicorns in some manner. The journey is also, at times, perilous, scary, and fraught with obstacles. While there is always a way forward, it’s up to the players to find it and guide their calicorns in the necessary manner. There is a maximum number of calicorns to find throughout one’s travels in the game, and they can be lost, unfortunately, to certain dangers.  The compulsion to keep the calicorns safe while guiding them to their destination is more than enough to keep anyone glued to their screens and seats. When I watched a bit of Herdling for the first time and saw the player lose one of their calicorns, it was utterly devastating. I swore to myself that when I played, I would do everything I could to keep them all alive.  Doing so isn’t required for the sake of the game, but I was able to save the whole herd, and the results were so incredibly moving, just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.

I wrote about Herdling here a little while ago in regard to buying video games. The fact is, with Game Pass, a backlog, and favorites that I want to revisit, I don’t buy many games outright anymore. Though I played Herdling through Game Pass, I bought it directly as soon as I finished the game. I don’t know if it made any difference really, but I wanted to thank Herdling’s developers for making such an amazing game.  Someone once said that the best things come in small packages; that’s more than true for Herdling. It is overflowing with heart, imagination, and kindness. If you love the magic that video games can instill, do not miss this one. Herdling is not only my 2025 Game of the Year, it’s the most captivating game I’ve played in a very long time.

Lede image captured by author during Xbox gameplay of Herdling (© Okomotive).