Sheepscape

You, one dog, and a field full of sheep.

Sheepscape is a small, focused farming sim that pours all of its care into one thing: a flock of sheep, and the craft of raising them well. Take a handful of muddy ewes and build them into a prize-winning herd, one season at a time: a complete, satisfying loop you can see all the way through.

• Herd a real, flowing flock with a faithful Border Collie.
  
• Shear every sheep yourself in a satisfying, hands-on minigame.
  
• Sell the wool and breed a better flock, generation after generation.
  
• Watch the seasons turn and your farm quietly come to life.

Work the dog

Your flock won't pen itself. Walk your shepherd to the kennel, send the dog out, and watch the sheep break and flow. Read the herd, push from the right angle, and funnel them through the gate into the pen. As your farm grows, run more than one dog and sandwich the flock between them.

Shear them yourself

Get a wool-heavy ewe into the shed and the clippers come out. Shearing is a hands-on minigame: clip the fleece, watch it peel away in a cloud of dust, and chase a clean, high-grade cut. The finer the animal and the tidier your work, the more your wool is worth at market.

Build a better flock

Sell your wool, then put the money to work. Buy fresh stock at the livestock market, or breed your own; in autumn the rams go to work, and come spring the lambs arrive, trailing their mothers across the field. Nine breeds to raise, from classic Suffolks and piebald Jacobs to Herdwicks on the high fells, each with its own look and temperament. As the flock grows, the grind doesn't; shear them yourself when you want the craft, or let the shed and the troughs tick over so you can focus on the herd.

One thing, done well

All the depth of a working hill farm: herding, husbandry, wool, and the economy that ties them together, in a clean, minimalist top-down style. A complete, satisfying loop you can settle into for an evening, and truly master over a few.

From one field to the open hills

Start with five sheep on a Welsh smallholding and work your way north across four farms: Home Farm, Hill Farm and finally Borders Pasture. Each farm takes a chore off your hands, with piped water, hired shepherds and more dogs, and asks something new of you in return. Grow your flock to a hundred sheep to finish the game, then keep farming as long as you like.

Music

Sheepscape is scored by some brilliant folk bands. Please give them a listen:

• Breabach: "Knees Up" and "Prince's Strand". Find them on Bandcamp and Spotify.
  
• The Magpies: "Marigold's" and "Shuffle Set". Find them on Bandcamp and Spotify.
  
• The Trials of Cato: "Libanus" and "Difyrrwch", courtesy of Wipe Out Music. Find them on Spotify.

Sheepscape is made by a solo dev. Thank you for playing, and if you enjoy it, a review really helps.