Most of us hear the term "counting sheep" and immediately think about the mental activity a person engages in while lying in bed, trying to fall asleep. The people at Brainfruit Studio are not most people, apparently, because they seem to have thought, "Well, someone should finally make a game about counting sheep that keeps people awake for a change."
Sheeps is what they came up with, because "sheep" immediately becomes a hilarious title with that extraneous "S" tacked onto the end.
Founded in 2025, Brainfruit Studio comprises veterans of late-night television writers' rooms and powerhouse software companies, to hear the press release tell the story. The focus is on fun and feeling, two things the creative team believes are major components of a memorable experience. I would have to agree.
Today's press release describes the game as a "pixel art rouguelike" that turns sheep-counting into a fiendishly difficult exercise, complete with health mechanics and upgrades befitting a proper roguelike. Apparently, there is also a "story-rich narrative" involving alien portals of some kind, for those of you who were wondering: "Why do you exist, sheep?"
Credit: Brainfruit Studio
According to the same press release, Sheeps introduces a cast of characters that includes a crafty spider, a sarcastic crow, a dye-obsessed chameleon, and "a suspicious number of business llamas offering help." Never trust llamas in business suits. They're almost certainly up to no good.
As you continue counting and finding success, the game will introduce other hazards, including gusty wind, wolves in sheep's clothing, and more.
"With Sheeps, we at Brainfruit feel we have finally solved wakefulness," said Emmy-winning writer Rob Dubbin (The Colbert Show, The Late Show), who also co-directed the game. "Think of all the hours you weren’t counting sheep before, because it would have been disastrous to fall asleep at your job, or in mid-conversation. Thanks to the high-octane counting action of Sheeps, that problem will soon be a thing of the past."
Sheeps features solo and couch co-op modes, complete with mini-games and a musical score from composer and producer Nick Sylvester (Channel Tres, Mø). The sound transitions from soothing lullabies to frantic breakbeats that should be enough to pull you out of your daze, unless you've stayed up playing the game much too late... in which case falling asleep probably wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
Sheeps is due to arrive on PC, Mac, and Linux at an unspecified date in 2027. There has been no word of a console release at this time.
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