To put it blunt and to the point, Herding Dog is absolutely abysmal. This is one of the worst games I've ever played, not only on Steam but on any platform whatsoever. It's incredibly obvious that no true love or dedication went into this game on the part of the developer. This game is nothing but a cash grab that boasts itself as "relaxational" and "casual". What Herding Dog truly is, is broken and unfinished. That being said, I do give the artist some kudos.
The game looks like a mobile port, or that it is laid out to be a mobile/touch screen game. It has various bubble style pop-ups that are exceedingly annoying. These pop-ups act as tutorials, however they not only pop in the middle of your screen, right over what you're doing, but they also appear in the top portion of the screen. I do not understand why these "tutorials" must show themselves twice each time, or why the developer would choose to put them right in the middle of the screen; generally when this happens in other titles, the game play is paused for a brief period, but not here.
From the beginning, I had no clue what I was doing except for running around, chasing away birds and collecting dog food. It wasn't until the 3rd or 4th level while herding that the aforementioned obnoxious "tutorials" told me that I could bark to help herd an animal in the right direction. Even then, it told me after I'd herded the animals without the use of the bark mechanic. You can herd various animals, such as goats, chickens, pigs, piglets and sheep, and each of them are supposed to react differently, although I saw no difference. The animals habitually got stuck up against rocks and trees, or in the corner of the map as I was herding them, which caused the game to become immensely frustrating. Another frustrating factor is you never know exactly where you should herd the animals to, it's not indicated anywhere except on a specific spot on the level. There's no map or guide system to point you in the right direction, and herding an animal is already bothersome enough without having to chase it all over the map to finally find the "safe zone" it should stay in. As I said earlier, this game is anything but "relaxational".
Glitches, this game is full of them. In fact, as I was playing the last level I was tasked to scare birds, herd animals and fight wolves. Well, I managed to scare away the birds, as I attempted to herd an animal they glitched out with the wolves and disappeared from the entire map, rendering the entire level broken and it forced me to restart. The achievements unlock in the game, but they don't even stay unlocked after you exit the game. I have no idea how that happens, but it does, and it's the first time I've ever seen anything like it.
The Steam store states "Herding Dog is a delightfully fun game which is guaranteed to make you have a barking good time!" If there were ever a case to sue for false advertising, it would be here. This game is frustrating, annoying, broken beyond belief, unfinished, unpolished and abysmally amateurish. The repetitive music even gets irritating. Stay as far away from Herding Dog as you possibly can. If a friend gifts it to you, unfriend them. Play Bad Rats instead. Watch paint dry. Whatever you do, just do not support this wretched, unfinished title. I've asked for a refund of this game.
PATCH UPDATE:
Fine, fine. You people just like to see me in misery.
+ Herding still sucks, but doesn't suck as bad. Not as frustrating.
+ Achievements finally unlock.
+ No more annoying tutorial pop-ups mid screen.
- No tutorial pop-ups whatsoever. Couldn't fix it I guess, so just removed it.
- Still glitchy. Beating level 3 takes you back to level 1, and it still says "Scare the Birds" but you're catching bunnies.
- Still the same damn music track for the entire damn game.
- What new sound effects? One I could count, when the animal you're herding is being selected. Which doesn't always work.
- The "danger cam" is nice, but it doesn't indicate where the danger IS. You have to still find the fox/wolf.
- Level 21 is still broken beyond belief. I collected apples, the animals disappeared.
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