Hello, and welcome to my next entry in the "Have you..." series. This time, I want to introduce you to a massively overlooked game (for some valid reasons unrelated to the gameplay itself), which kept me entertained for hours on end. That game is Herdy Gerdy for the PS2.
-The pecking order sucks, yeah?
Released in 2002, Herdy Gerdy is developed by Core Design Ltd., which is most notable for their Tomb Raider franchise. It basically tells the story of the unfortunately named Gerdy who's mission is to herd animals into various pens. His father, a world-renowned herder (yes, those apparently exist), has been magicallyentranced by a rival herder, leaving Gerdy all alone in the lush world he lives in. To save his father from his plight, he must become a master herder and fight the rival herder, Sadorf, in the national herding contest. Are you tired of hearing the word "herd"? It ain't over yet!
-Ah, I remember the days in my youth when collecting floating bells was the rage.
Of course, the bizarre story gives way to very interesting gameplay mechanics. There are a large number of different animals to herd, and they all need to be herded in different ways and into different pens. The most basic are led to their pens by simply spurring them on by walking in their direction. Others are trickier, for instance, you'll need to play magic flutes and employ other unique tactics to get to your goal. Gromps of are a meaner kind, they'll chase you by just looking at you, but are incredibly dumb. All that has to be done to trap them is get them to a small specific square which, when pushed, will trigger a small fence barely a centimeter tall, which will effectively stop the Gromp. These gromps can also eat other animals, so getting rid of them is a priority. Once you herd a specific amount of animals, you can proceed. This is the basic game mechanic, but it's really far more complex, and far more fun, than it seems.
-Iceland in video games!
You may have noticed just how beautiful this game is. It really is a work of art visually. It's incredibly detailed, warm and fun to look at. It bears a lot of charm and, more importantly, variety. Snowy mountains, calm countrysides, cobbled streets in a dark city; blend this with surprisingly good voicework and you've got a PS2 game that really makes use of the console's latent potential.
It's always a joy to find something new in this game, to explore and discover. You are, in some ways, limited by the mission, you have to herd all the creatures or do the level over. The game is also annoyingly difficult at times,you often need pinpoint accuracy and trial-and-error to pass any given stage. But once you get used to the mechanics, everything magically clicks into place. It's also suitably long, so it's a worthwhile investment indeed.
-Your fathers a drinker, kid, what do you expect?
It goes to show that Herdy Gerdy was not a commercial success, and for a number of reasons. Firstly, the name. Herdy Gerdy? Seriously? That is NOT a name you should go for if you want a game to sell. Lame rhyming has never been cool, Awesome Possum and Punky the Skunk never did good in the box office. Secondly, the box art. It simply proves once again the importance of presentation. A pink furby being stalked by a creepy kid, being supposedly attacked by what can only be described as a pink yeti. Ooh, interesting. Finally, this is a game about herding. Only the truly eccentric would think that would turn out well without any further inspection. So even despite the game being made by the makers of Tomb Raider, and being moderately successful among critics (with a 70% Gamerankings score), it fell into the dust of forgotten games.
Now, you might ask: isn't the average user score for this game 5.6 on GS? Read most of the reviews. They suck. I'll just leave it to the readers to examine the low-score reviews. But the crux of the matter is: you have to give the game time. You must learn its nuances, its intricacies, its deepest secrets. If you do, you'll be rewarded with a satisfying, beautiful experience overladen with innovation and smarts. If you should ever stumble upon this game, it should barely cost more than $10. And for me, it's more than worth it.
My (old) review: 8.0
GS review: 6.8
-Calvinsora