Platforms:
Xbox One, PS4, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Released:
July 16, 2024
Publisher:
Annapurna Interactive
Developer:
Hollow Ponds
From the creative minds at Hollow Ponds, the studio behind titles like I Am Dead and Wilmot’s Warehouse, comes Flock, an imaginative co-op game that invites players to sore a colourful world of interesting creatures. Published by Annapurna Interactive, Flock aims to captivate with its enchanting visuals, engaging mechanics, and cooperative gameplay.
Exploring the skies with friends
In Flock, you are a flying shepherd tasked with nurturing and guiding a herd of airborne creatures. The narrative begins with an introduction to Aunt Jane and Uncle Reg, who set the stage for the quest. Aunt Jane is an avid zoologist fascinated by the diverse species of the uplands. She tasks you with collecting and cataloguing these creatures, helping her compile a comprehensive Creature Guide. This guide serves as a record of progress and the biodiversity of the game world.
Uncle Reg, on the other hand, is a shepherd whose naughty sheep have escaped and scattered. Your mission is to find these lost sheep, name them something cute, and encourage them to eat the mounds of grass that conceal the thieving Burgling Bewls. This mischievous type has stolen all of Aunt Jane’s precious whistles, which are crucial for attracting and communicating with new species. Guiding your flock of hover-sheep and colourful animal-things towards fresh pastures, you’ll uncover lost items and new areas. Lowering the clouds to unlock more biomes is a key part of your journey to recover these items and find rare creatures.
The story is simple but engaging, providing a modest backdrop to the core gameplay of exploration and discovery. The interactions with Aunt Jane and Uncle Reg add a charming touch, connecting your tasks to a larger purpose. As you progress, the bonds formed and the discoveries made create a sense of wonder and fulfilment driving you forward.
Broken wing
Flock’s gameplay is a blend of multiplayer and peaceful solo fun. The main progression mechanic involves dropping sheep off at patches of meadow grass to uncover stolen items from the thieving Bewls, unlocking new whistles, cosmetic items, and upgrades for your flock.
The gameplay cycle is flying to a new area, identifying as many species as possible to populate the Creature Guide, and completing tasks for Aunt Jane. You’ll occasionally bump into a colleague who is relaxing on a perch somewhere out in the wild and they’ll provide a point of interest to investigate or side hustle to complete. Without a minimap, you’re encouraged to venture out and discover unique landmarks and secrets alone. It’s not complicated, often relaxing, and tranquil.
One area that could use improvement is the cosmetic unlocks. You’re able to find new clothes that are purchasable using wool collected from the sheep. However, there isn’t an exhaustive list and there’s not much in the way of unlocking options for the bird mount, either. The game’s whimsical nature would benefit from even more imaginative cosmetic rewards to keep players motivated.
“…venture out and discover unique landmarks and secrets alone. It’s not complicated, often relaxing, and tranquil.”
There can be moments of monotony when searches come up empty. Finding some creatures might require a keen ear and a bit of searching while others can feel like a stroke of luck. During these times of exploration, moving slowly across the large map can become a bit of a drag, despite the ability to speed up briefly. The slower pace is meant to let players immerse themselves in the environment, yet there comes a point when the eagerness to collect items and advance to new areas takes over.
To capture a creature, you enter a minigame where precision and timing are key, getting close enough to the creature and whistling without spooking it. This requires maintaining the right distance and timing a call correctly. While this mechanic is a light challenge to catch a specific creature you have your eye on, it can become repetitive and somewhat annoying over time. NPCs often request capturing the same five standard Bewls for rewards, which can feel tedious. The minigame’s simplicity is both its strength and weakness: it’s a neat little feature when used sparingly, but it lacks depth and can become dull if overused. Even with these bothers, the sense of adventure in finding new places and adding to your group keeps the game’s allure alive.
The multiplayer aspects of Flock enhance the joy of exploration and discovery. Invite friends to join you to fly around and chill together, rather than running into random players online like in Journey. Flying alongside friends, sharing the excitement of finding new creatures, and nurturing your flocks together add a welcome social element to the game. However, a notable drawback is the limitation on accessing areas. If you’re playing with someone further into the game, their advanced areas remain covered by clouds and inaccessible. This restricts the shared experience and can leave you feeling left behind.
Colourful skies
Visually, Flock is a feast for the eyes. Its vibrant and colourful art style perfectly complements the playful and cosy nature of the game. Each creature has an adorable design, but they aren’t as distinct as they could be. Identifying new creatures can sometimes be confusing, as their appearances might not always align with their descriptions. For example, the Frogmouth Gleeb looks more like the description of a Drupe. However, the game doesn’t penalise you for misidentifying creatures so it’s nothing more than an oversight in writing.
The audio design is impressive, with every species boasting its distinctive call. The sound effects are not only endearing but also integral to the gameplay, as new whistles learned by your flock add a layer of interaction and discovery. There’s also a minimalist score which draws emphasis to the soundscape of the creatures and environment, allowing you to soak in the sounds around.
Playing Flock with a controller on PC is recommended, as it feels the most intuitive for the game’s fluid flight mechanics. However, we encountered some issues with button presses and menu selections, occasionally disrupting the otherwise smooth menus. Hopefully, these minor hiccups will be addressed in future updates.
7
Good
Positive:
- Relaxing and charming adventure
- Colourful world to explore and creatures to discover
- Co-op creates lighthearted fun
Negative:
- Monotonous exploration at times
- Not enough interesting rewards for progression
- Repetitive catching mechanic
Flock is a delightful game that celebrates the joy of flight and discovery, but it doesn’t quite soar to the greatest heights. Its charming narrative, relaxing gameplay, and vibrant style make it a pleasure to play. The whimsical world and serene flying are noteworthy, yet they are occasionally overshadowed by moments of monotonous exploration and occasional gameplay lulls.
