- Sheepy: A Short Adventure is a 2D platformer made by YouTuber MrSuicideSheep that was released recently and is available for free on Steam.
- The game immerses you into a musical journey and pixelated presentation of post-apocalyptic unknowns.
- Despite being a short playthrough, some hidden content will ask for more time from the player in return for pleasant achievements and satisfaction.
Every day, I see so many games popping up, and all I can wonder is, “So much to play, so little time.” However, if I’m honest, even if I had it, I’m very selective with what I play. But when I heard that my favorite YouTuber, @MrSuicideSheep, had created a game, I was over the moon.
While most of you might not know MrSheep, their game was originally revealed two years ago through an announcement trailer. After waiting for what seemed like a lifetime, the game finally dropped on Steam recently, and I have been on its case since then. However, rather than spilling it all here, I want to unravel this journey with you below. So, with that, let me tell you why you should jump right into the little nightmares of Sheepy: A Short Adventure.
Music and Presentation: The Soul of Sheepy
Before we dive into the story, let’s discuss the origins. Sheepy is made by MrSuicideSheep, a music creator with over 12.8 million subscribers on YouTube. For those unaware, MrSheep is known for hosting some of the best soul-hitting and serene tunes out there. As such, I was expecting Sheepy to come with the same magic, and it did not disappoint.
As soon as the game began, the menu music hit me, and I found myself in a trance. It was akin to the clock striking 3 AM and me thinking about my life. Even scrolling down the menu buttons felt like a beautiful symphony of melancholy.
But the main magic starts when you begin your journey. The music has been created by Seeking Blue artists Yoe Mase, Hahlweg, and Tal Richards. A light visually showcases these beautiful compositions and becomes what is the soul of Sheepy.
It is a solid presentation of music merged with a pixelated art style. While a lot of times the music reminded me of Ori or Alto’s Adventure, Sheepy never felt repetitive. Especially when you skip cutscenes, cool VHS-style audio-visuals make it feel refreshing.
You not only get musical brilliance with visual depiction but even find easter eggs related to it. The calls from other lost survivors or the vinyl you find through the game are not just there to keep you engaged. These little tidbits show the variety of background music Sheepy is all about. So, if you are into good music and pixel art synced to perfection, Sheepy will be the experience of a lifetime for you.
The Story: Something Happened Here
Spoiler Warning: The story section has a lot of spoilers for those who haven’t played it yet. So, if you want to enjoy this rich tale for yourself, skip this part.
The story, without spoiling much for our readers, is short and sweet. You play as Sheepy, a plushie stuck in a post-apocalyptic nightmare. A guiding light resurrects you to discover what happened in this broken and forgotten world. Referencing stories like Little Nightmares or Limbo, Sheepy drags you down to a place full of unexpected horrors.
The world is full of uncertain discoveries that will make you wander around and find your way out. You might encounter some friends or even some enemies. Just remember, you are not the only plushie brought back to life.
Along the way, you will find environmental obstacles too that will try to stop you in your tracks. While it is a bumpy road, the light will always show you the path. Do not forget, you are a sheep, so ‘you cannot fly’ (or maybe you can).
Just run and baa-unce around the platforms to survive till you locate all the vinyl and easter eggs while you find the exit. Yes, hidden content is also a part of the story. But only if you want to discover what actually happened here.
Gameplay: Simple and Hard at Once
While the game itself does an excellent job in presentation, Sheepy hasn’t left out the thrills and horrors it needs as a 2D platformer. MrSheep has found the perfect balance of things here. Whether it is elements like finding out if you should jump into the void or not, the creator put a lot of thought behind the sequences.
What seems like simple gameplay will keep piquing your interest as you progress. My eyes opened when I first received the ‘It’s a Hard One‘ achievement. It made me realize the game is not your typical 2-dimensional jump and run. Luckily, even if it gets a bit hard at times, Sheepy comes with power-ups to make your job easier. These unlock your potential to conquer the levels and find the exit.
While there is little combat or action sequences, the haunting boss encounter is hard to ignore. You might sweat your hands while running away from your beloved friend (or enemy). Whatever it may be, figuring out things by clicking the right buttons at the right time is worth your time. The final sequence of the gameplay is what I call picture-perfect for a 2D platformer.
Performance: Works Quite Well
Along with the musical presentation, the game is visually glitch-free, thanks to the creator constantly taking notes of bugs and patching them on the go. I played the game on my go-to gaming rig, and the performance was exceptional. There were zero hiccups, and it even allowed me to play using a keyboard, even though the game says a controller is recommended.
There is also a low graphics mode for the low-end devices. I tried the game on my broken Pentium laptop, and it still gave a similar experience but with a little less visual quality. Although 2D platformers do not require many graphical resources, Sheepy has many more elements that could make the game heavy if it is not properly optimized. Overall, the performance on presentation was quite exceptional for a creator’s first game ever.
Conclusion: A Captivating and Free Magical Journey
In this era of AAA or Ubisoft’s ways of ‘AAAA’ games, we barely get a good story even after shelling out $70. This makes us settle with the mediocrity of games like Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, where the story doesn’t even dive into proper character development, or games like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, where we just pop in for the nostalgia of comic book characters but end up with no direction whatsoever.
Sheepy is a rich story you can experience without spending a single dime. Yes, Sheepy might be a short adventure, but it is free-to-play and a unique experience. All you have to invest is your time, attention (and some tears if you are sensitive).
MrSuicideSheep makes sure a weird yet captivating magic happens in the game. As a gamer dead tired of boring experiences and soul-killing times, Sheepy packed the exact vibe I was seeking in a 2D platformer.
Even after you’re done, Sheepy offers a lot of replayability. First-timers will most likely miss a lot of hidden content. This includes a bunch of unique achievements that you would love to get under your belt. Yes, even the achievements are so creative, it’s a refreshing reoccurrence. Despite Sheepy being super short at just 45 minutes, you will miss many things on the first run.
So, if you are free this weekend and want to try something unique from a game, Sheepy: A Short Adventure awaits you. You can play the game from Steam, where it opened to an ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ reception.
Once you have completed your adventure, let us know about your experience in the comments below!
Play Sheepy: A Short Adventure (Free)
