Herdy Gerdy Retrospective

Herdy Gerdy is a gem of a game, it’s beautiful, charming and you’ve probably never heard of it. To be honest I had my doubts about Herdy Gerdy at first, the premise of the game is somewhat simplistic and has you play as Gerdy, a young boy who wants to be a famous shepherd. As far as ambitions go, that seems to be as exciting as road sweeper but it grows on you and this title has tremendous animations, character designs and voice acting to grease the wheels.

Gerdy awakens one morning to find that not only is he going to be late for his island’s annual shepherding competition, but that his father, the great shepherd Gedryn, has been placed in a deep sleep by the evil wizard Sadorf. On your adventure you unlock new areas by herding various creatures into pens. The twist is that each type of creature has unique talents and traits that require you to do a spot of puzzle-solving as well as good old platforming.

Your creature knowledge will be tested as some species are somewhat carnivorous and will eat smaller animals should they be haphazardly herded towards them. Gerdy is also set upon by various beasts such as the huge pink sloth-like creature featured on the boxart.

Think of Banjo-Kazooie via Disney and you’ll be close to the visuals of Herdy Gerdy. I must say the art style is wonderfully idyllic. Golden fields, dark forests and deep valleys seem painted onto the screen and a host of loveable characters litter the quaint villages and flagstoned towns. The movies in this game are a sight to behold as Gerdy and friends are animated in a silky smooth fashion, again, not too far removed from classic Disney films. The end result is a game world that springs to life and seems full of interesting locales and people.

As previously mentioned, the voice acting in Herdy Gerdy is worth pointing out. It’s all well and good making such well crafted characters but bad voice acting can ruin any experience. Thankfully Gerdy and friends are voiced by a host of talented voice actors who portray quaint accents and endearing inflections in a way that feels natural and honest, bravo!

Well there’s not much left to say really, Herdy Gerdy is a delightful little title that I found second hand and played on a whim. I was pleasantly surprised at what I found; a charming adventure title with challenging puzzles that proves a strong aesthetic can turn a good game into a great one.