Herdling is an indie game that Panic hopes is the next Firewatch

This story is part of our Summer Gaming Marathon series.

Herdling, a charming new indie game where players have to guide creatures up a mountain, was revealed at Gamescom Opening Night Live. It’s developed by Okomotive, the game developer behind Far: Changing Tides and Far: Lone Sails, and published by Panic, the publisher behind Untitled Goose Game, Firewatch, and the Playdate handheld.

In Herdling, players guide a variety of unique-looking fantasy creatures called Calicorns up a mountain. It’s a single-player game in which the main challenge is herding and protecting the Calicorns players encounter as they solve puzzles and ascend the mountain. We see some of that in the game’s reveal trailer, in addition to stampede sequences with a greater sense of speed that will pop up throughout the adventure.

While it certainly looks atmospheric like the Far games, Okomotive co-founders admit in a press release that they wanted “to start a new kind of adventure, not only for the players, but also for us.” Game designer Fabio Baumgartner says the centerpiece of Herdling’s design was “this idea of moving as part of a herd of large, lovable, mystical creatures.” Meanwhile, Panic director of publishing Nick Suttner likened Herdling to Firewatch, Inside, and The Last Guardian in his comment, suggesting the publisher certainly has high hopes for the title.

“Herdling feels like a return to the scale and fidelity of something like Firewatch for us, so it’s really exciting to have it in our lineup,” Suttner said. “We’re huge fans of games like Inside and The Last Guardian — stirring solo adventures that really communicate a sense of awe, loneliness, and a particular brand of companionship. It feels like a bit of a lost art in the current games culture, so we were all-in on what Okomotive are doing with Herdling.”

Herdling is in development for PC and consoles and will be released sometime in 2025. Panic will also offer up a deeper look at the game during its showcase on August 27.