Left 4 Dead co-developer Turtle Rock Studios releases Leap Sheep! for iPhone

Indie darling Turtle Rock Studios, the esteemed co-developer of PC and Xbox 360 classics Counter-Strike and Left 4 Dead, has opened a subsidiary studio dedicated to casual and experimental games.

"The team here at Turtle Rock Studios is constantly coming up with fantastic little game ideas ... It would be a shame to throw these ideas out just because they're not part of a big project," says Phil Robb, the company's art director.

"Turtle Rock is dedicated to creating fun, high quality games, plain and simple. A couple of our guys have been able to create a great product in short order, with more on the way. We started Turtle Rock Garage to give games like these a place to become reality."

Turtle Rock Garage’s first project is Leap Sheep!, a game which clearly demonstrates its diverse ambitions. Cute, simplistic, and sporting an overtly cheerful palette, the game couldn’t be further from the company's usual output.

Allowing players to compare scores using Plus+, gameplay consists of helping your flock leap the fence (not the actions of a responsible shepherd, granted). Whilst in the air, tapping the (as yet unprocessed) jumpers will make them do tricks, earning you rams, which can then be used to clear backlogs.

If too many sheep crowd against the fence, it’s Game Over.

Whilst we wish the game had been called Left 4 Dip, Leap Sheep! looks to be a fun way to get to sleep, if nothing else. It's available now on the App Store for £1.19 ($1.99, €1.59).