This is the two hundred thirtieth entry in the Scratching That Itch series, wherein I randomly select and write about one of the 1741 games and game-related things included in the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. The Bundle raised $8,149,829.66 split evenly between the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and Community Bail Fund, but don’t worry if you missed it. There are plenty of ways you can help support the vital cause of racial justice; try here for a start. Lastly, as always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

Our two hundred thirtieth random selection from the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality is chasing us around the meadow, barking excitedly. It’s Disobedient Sheep, by sicklydove, and its tagline in the bundle reads:

A lighthearted sheep herd’em’up.

You heard them. It’s time to herd.

Disobedient sheep casts players as sheepdogs, in a circular meadow with a flock of sheep. Run towards the sheep and they’ll clear away from you, making it intuitive to herd them into a particular part of the meadow. Press the single action button to bark, sending an arcing soundwave outwards that rapidly disperses sheep. Hold the button to charge up a louder bark that affects a larger area. At first I was curious where I was supposed to be herding the sheep, until I spied a warning icon appear on the ground. I kept the sheep clear, and sure enough, a massive ship anchor soon fell onto that very spot from the heavens. Goodness. Later, anvils and bombs joined in, as well as the occasional boulder that crashed through the bushes and rolled all over my precious grazing area, flattening any sheep that happened to be in its path.

The goal, naturally, is to protect as many sheep as possible within the time limit, although there’s also an endless mode that just tests how long the flock can survive. The challenges are simple enough that they don’t stay compelling for long, however; it’s clear that the true focus of Disobedient Sheep lies in the local multiplayer modes. Up to four players can participate, either cooperatively for the survival modes, or competitively. There are three competitive modes, the first of which is the same survival mode as in single-player or coop, except each player has their own color-coded flock of sheep. Players must protect their own sheep while driving their opponents’ flocks into danger. Then there’s the King of the Hill mode, in which players are trying to keep more of their own sheep within the central area than the others, in order to score points. Lastly there’s Sheepball, in which all players go after a single flock and try to drive the sheep into their own wagons.

I did try to play a few of these competitive modes, but without a second player I was awkwardly trying to control two dogs myself (bringing back memories of my ill-fated attempts to play Bumper Boss, way back in the beginning of Scratching That Itch). It seems two players is the maximum allowed on the same keyboard, but I assume plugging in a couple of gamepads would allow for two more to join. Two was plenty to try to control by myself, however, and it did at least give me a glimpse of what the modes would be like.

In short: I think this would be pretty fun in multiplayer! Its simplicity is a boon here, as players can immediately grasp the concept and controls, and I must give credit to sicklydove for what must have been a lot of tuning of sheep behavior. Their responses to the dogs is immediately believable and simply feels right. That means it’s easy to jump in, pick a dog, and let the hijinks ensue. Disobedient Sheep also looks nice, with a low poly, flat shaded 3D cartoony look that makes it funny, rather than awful, when a sheep is squashed. I can imagine a lot of laughter when a group gets together to play this.

Without a group on hand, however, I wasn’t compelled to play for long. Dosobedient Sheep lacks any type of online multiplayer, so players will want to get a group together in person to get the most out of it. If you do have such a group, this could be a lot of fun. If you missed it in the bundle, Disobedient Sheep is sold for a minimum price of $2.99, including Windows, Mac and Linux versions.

That’s 230 down, and only 1511 to go!