Herdy Gerdy / Game

Product Information

Even though it still has a fairly devoted cult following to this day, most casual gamers’ reactions when you mention Dark Chronicle will be that of confusion before asking you if it’s a novelisation of Dark Souls. Surpassing the dungeon-dwelling restrictions of its predecessor, Dark Cloud, to create a far more open experience, Chronicle sees you build villages and fight monsters with some of the most accomplished graphics you can fit on a PS2 disc. When a game that’s 13 years old can more than hold its own against the depth found in most modern sandbox adventures, you know you might be onto a good thing. Odd as it might sound, the herding aspects of Gerdy's gameplay are certainly the best ones. Core has created a genuinely impressive set of tools for building interesting puzzles, from the many different species of animals to the assortment of special herding tools to the different level themes and architectural elements. The learning curve is well-designed -- each time you enter a new area, there's some new item, animal, or environment that adds another kink to the basic challenge of moving animals from point A to point B -- and in the larger sense, Core has succeeded in its aim of creating a very basic artificial ecosystem. The behavior of each animal is governed by rules that direct how it reacts to Gerdy, the environment, and the other animal species, which forms a solid base for creating a lot of different tasks to complete.

Herdy Gerdy is a video game for the PlayStation 2 console released in 2002. Developed by Rebellion Developments Limited and published by SQUARE ENIX. It's a 3D 3rd person strategy game that involves herding animals, navigation, and solving puzzles. The player must travel throughout the island, meeting strange people, and collect a variety of herding tools that will help them in their journey. Herdy Gerdy is an action-adventure platforming strategy puzzle video game for the PlayStation 2 console, released in 2002. It is developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. The game involves herding animals, navigating obstacles, and solving puzzles. The player has to collect a variety of herding tools, and there are alternate pathways to reach the end.The PlayStation 2 is considered one of the most emblematic platforms in the history of video games. One of the most outstanding features of this platform is its wide catalog of games, including masterpieces such as Resident Evil 4, Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, and Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening.

Upon seeking the advice of the elder Yggdrasil, Gerdy learns that his father has been placed under a spell by the evil Sadorf. Sadorf knew Gerdy's father, Master Gedryn, was the only one who could defeat him at The Tournament. The winner of The Tournament is given an Acorn, which holds the source of all magic on the Island, something Sadorf wishes to have complete control of. Yggdrasil tasks Gerdy with taking his father's place in The Tournament. Drummer Ants: Small ants, which play a drum. They are only seen at Goldmine Gorge. They come in shades of red and orange. The Magic Flute must be played to herd them. They are not aggressive, but are necessary to lead Warrior Ants which are aggressive. A red Drummer Ant must be herded to herd red Warrior Ants and an orange Drummer Ant must be herded to herd orange Warrior Ants. They must also be herded to the correctly colored ant hill. They appear as red or orange dots on the mini-map. Many games have tried something similar to greater effect in recent years, which just goes to show that Herdy Gerdy was ahead of its time, but not exactly groundbreaking. The real charm in the 2002 release from Eidos comes from its art design and challenging puzzles. It paved the way for a cavalcade of farming sims, but sadly never really had the attention it deserved as it was released during the PS2’s infancy and was lost in a sea of Dreamcast ports. Interesting trivia bit to pull out and amaze your friends: deep in the mists of ancient time, when Herdy Gerdy was just an idea on the part of one of Core's designers, this was a Nintendo 64 game. Come a long way, haven't we? Technically, this isn't the equal of a lot of other PS2 games, but as always, a unique style will do as much for a game's looks as an awful lot of technical jiggery-pokery. Of all its ambitions tied to this game, the one Core has truly succeeded at is creating the 3D equivalent of a good Disney/Don Bluth animated feature. This is, as you may have caught onto by this point, a herding game. It's mixed up with more traditional 3D adventure and platforming elements, but the bulk of our hero's time is spent leading various species of animals into the appropriate pens. Why? Well, apparently, that's what one does on the magical island he lives on, so much so that it's the national sport -- the ultimate goal is to defeat the magical dictator Sadorf in the island-wide tournament of herding. Hey, could we make this up?

It's good to see developers finally trying something new with the platforming genre. There are only so many Super Mario 64 clones and collecting frenzies one can take. Core Design's latest project, Herdy Gerdy, steps outside the box and injects some refreshing ideas into the platforming genre. But technical limitations undermine the game's unique premise and impressive visuals to create a game that is far too frustrating to play. For a console that had approximately 2469 games developed for it, you would have to have Rain Man levels of intellect to be able to list all of the PlayStation 2 releases. It’s no surprise then that two PlayStation consoles later and the last game ever made for it, Pro Evolution Soccer 2014, releasing not all that long ago, people’s memories of the console are a little faded considering its long lifespan. From there, Gerdy must journey across the Island to get to The Tournament, learning how to herd various creatures along the way. The journey encompasses many biomes and sections of the Island, as Gerdy gathers magical herding instruments and articles of clothing along the way. The game begins with young Gerdy awakening in his home on the morning him and his father are set to depart for the great herding tournament. Gerdy springs out of bed, agitated that him and his father have overslept. However, he finds his father unable to wake up.