Screenshot by Bonus Action
When first getting started in Flock, the first impression it offers is imagery right out of a children’s picture book. Beautiful colors, adorable character designs, and whimsical creatures all paint an intriguing world.
Flock is described as a co-op creature collector, where players can team up together to find and recruit the flying critters inhabiting the world. While the mechanics are fun and addictive, the multiplayer is a bit disappointing, with player interactions limited to just a few options.
Key Details
- Developer: Hollow Ponds/Richard Hogg
- Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
- Price: $19.99
- Review Copy Provided: Yes
Flock Nails Adorable Creature Designs
Everything in Flock is adorable. Every creature boasts saturated colors, a comical body shape, and empty eyes. It is clear there are absolutely no thoughts happening behind those cute stares.
Every creature has a ridiculous name, like the Cosmets, which closely resemble Anglefish. While it would be easy to lose the colorful critters in the equally vibrant landscape, the devs did a good job of placing specific species in environments where they would stand out. They have also been given animations and special markings that make spotting them from a distance relatively easy.
Players can claim these creatures for their flock by collecting the correct species Whistle, and then playing it in the correct time to the preferred sound patterns. This minigame takes some practice but is relatively simple once mastered.
One creature I wasn’t prepared for was the Sheep. These adorable little babies eat up grass, can be nicknamed, and are honestly the best creatures in the game.
Flight in Flock is Stunning But Dizzying
All gameplay in Flock is done on the back of your bird. While soaring across landscapes is delightful, the bird is difficult to control. Flight patterns are locked close to the ground unless players find wind tunnels inside of rocks, or updrafts in craters.
If the player steers off into the cloud cover, the flight will speed up dramatically, zipping the character and their bird back to the safety of revealed land. This process can be jarring and motion sickness-inducing to those who struggle with turbulent visuals.
I also found myself constantly wanting the option to steer upward when trying to look at important objects or phenomena, and not having the ability became quite frustrating. The option to increase altitude would be a welcome addition to controls if it were added at a later time.
Multiplayer In Flock Isn’t A Co-Op Experience
One of the options I was most excited about when jumping in Flock was multiplayer co-op. Early trailers showing players collecting creatures together teased a delightful gameplay experience to share with friends.
Unfortunately, it seems the co-op functionality of Flock is very limited. In our co-op world, we all took the story on at our own pace. We each had to complete the same quests and follow the same tutorial. Despite occasionally flying past each other, there was little incentive to interact.
After getting past the tutorial, players can perch on a tree to team up. However, this loops the players into a massive, flying circus of birds and collected creatures that only one player can control at a time.
It would be interesting to see a true co-op mode introduced to Flock in the future. A game mode that skips the tutorial and offers challenges for players to complete together would make this feel more like a multiplayer game.
Final Score – 7/10
Flock is an adorable game with a world that is worth diving into. While the gameplay is short and the co-op features are limited, the time, effort, and energy put into the title are clearly displayed in the world we get to explore.
Flock is a perfect pick for fans of cozy games, creature collectors, or beautiful art direction. It is a delightful play, and we found it relaxing and easy to fall into.
For some more cozy offerings, check out our review of Fabledom.
**A PC copy of Flock was provided to Bonus Action for the purpose of this review.**
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