When you first boot up Okomotive’s latest game, Herdling, it may seem like the mystical vistas you encounter are something out of fantasy. But that’s not the case. The development team drew inspiration from hikes they took while creating the game.
“We went on a few hikes in the Swiss mountains, before and while developing Herdling,“ Herdling creative director Don Schmocker tells GameSpot via email. „From Medels to the Suretta Lakes, three picturesque mountain lakes located close to the Swiss and Italian border, or up one of the better-known Swiss mountains, Mount Rigi. They were always inspiring and got us away from our computers for a bit.“
Hikes along the Suretta Lakes and up Mount Rigi inspired Herdling, a magical adventure where players guide strange, mythical creatures across magical mountain landscapes. The team’s goal was to capture the feeling of wandering and exploring while herding–and to make it feel natural rather than mechanical.