Sheep First Impression

In Sheep the player must herd a flock of sheep through a variety of environments while keeping them out of trouble. The game features four different herder characters, four types of sheep, and seven different worlds, each consisting of four levels full of obstacles, traps, and predators the sheep must avoid.

The game premise is humorous: the ancestors of modern sheep actually came from outer space and were sent to earth to pose as farm animals and study the habitat. Over the years these alien sheep forgot about their mission and became increasingly passive and stupid, eventually becoming domesticated by man. The alien sheep leaders have now returned to earth and must round up their fellow aliens, but must do so without attracting attention. Their solution is to brainwash some of the inhabitants of Earth to give them an irresistible urge to herd sheep.

Each of the four herder characters in the game has different strengths and weaknesses. Bo Peep and Adam Half Pint are both humans, one a rock star with a sweet demeanor, the other a private eye with tough love. Motley and Shep are both dogs; Motley has a problem with timidity, and Shep is getting slow and blind with age.

The four types of sheep include Modern Pastoral, the Modern Factoral, the Long Wool, and the Neo Genetics, all of which are stupid, and have behavioral traits unique to their breed. The worlds these sheep must pass through include a barn, a chocolate factory, a castle, a dinosaur word, a space world, and more, each featuring unique and humorous dangers to the sheep. Sheep might be sucked into ventilation ducts, swirled down into black holes, kicked by bulls, crushed by forklifts, and many other amusing and somewhat twisted events.

The player is rated according to the time it takes them to successfully herd a minimum number of sheep through the level, and bonus points are given for not losing any of the sheep. Empire Interactive plans to release Sheep at the end of 2000.