speed · logic · 1–3 minutes
Herd
Sort a mixed crowd into pens by a rule before time runs out.
Start at
> Level 1: Two pens, one feature, a crowd of 10 to 14
No runs yet
- small
- big
How to play
- 01A queue of characters waits to be sorted. The one at the front steps up.
- 02Every pen is labeled with what it takes: big, small, round, square, gray, and so on.
- 03Send the character at the front to its pen. Tap the pen, or use the number keys, or the arrows and Space.
- 04The queue keeps moving whether you were right or not. Three misses end the level.
- 05Sort the whole crowd before the clock runs out. A crowd sorted without a single miss is perfect.
- 06Later levels add pens, put two features on each pen, and change features that don't matter at all — that's the noise you have to see past.
- 07You have three lives. Three misses, or running out of time, costs one and brings a fresh crowd at the same level.
Levels
- 1–20 · Beginner
- Two pens, one feature, a crowd of 10 to 14
- 21–40 · Focused
- Three pens by shade, sizes as noise
- 41–60 · Sharp (Plus)
- Four pens on two features, faster
- 61–80 · Expert (Plus)
- Four pens, more noise, crowds up to 24
- 81+ · Master (Plus)
- Four pens on any two features, up to 28, fastest
About
Herd is a speed game about seeing one feature and ignoring the rest. The labels never lie, so nothing is hidden: the pressure is entirely in how fast you can read a character and commit.
Two pens sorted by size become three by shade, then four on two features at once. Meanwhile the characters start varying in ways that mean nothing, which is the real test.
Crowds grow from 10 to 28, and the time per character falls from about 1.7 seconds to under 1.
Tips
- > Read the pens once at the start, then keep your eyes on the queue.
- > Say the rule to yourself: "big left, small right". Rhythm beats care here.
- > When pens use two features, check the one that splits the pens fastest first.
- > Noise features are there to slow you down. If a feature isn't on a label, it doesn't matter.
- > A miss isn't the end. Two more are allowed, and the queue keeps moving.
FAQ
Does a miss stop the queue?
No. The character goes into the pen you picked, marked wrong, and the next one steps up. Three misses end the level.
Can a character belong to two pens?
Never. Every crowd is checked so each character fits exactly one pen, and so no pen takes four in a row.
Why do characters face different ways?
From level 61 they do, and it means nothing. It's noise, like size or shade when they're not on a label.
Is it free?
Yes. Every level is free to play in your browser, with no account and nothing to download.