Herdy Gerdy

The game is best described as a virtual shepherd simulation, with some adventure and platform elements. The player must herd enough creatures into their pens to unlock areas and new levels. However, the various creatures have certain reactions and skills; some swim while some drown, for example. The levels themselves are difficult to negotiate, with pirate ships, winding caverns, and ruins blocking Gerdy's path.

The creatures are controlled by a complex but flawed artificial intelligence. They are prone to getting stuck, sometimes irretrievably, on objects in the environment owing to a lack of adequate collision detection.

The game begins with young Gerdy awakening in his home on the morning he and his father are set to depart for the great herding tournament. Gerdy springs out of bed, agitated that he and his father have overslept. However, he finds his father unable to wake up.

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.

Herdy Gerdy underwent development for several platforms before its eventual PlayStation 2 release. In February 1998, German magazine Sega Magazin reported that Core Design was developing the game in connection with Sega's forthcoming console, later released as the Dreamcast. A 2002 retrospective in The Tufts Daily reported that development had originally begun for the Nintendo 64 before moving to the Dreamcast and subsequently the PlayStation 2.

Herdy Gerdy received mixed to positive reviews from critics. It has an aggregate score of 69.93% on GameRankings and 69/100 on Metacritic.