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Flock Is a Cozy Creature Collection Game That Takes Place on the Back of a Bird
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Flock Is a Cozy Creature Collection Game That Takes Place on the Back of a Bird

FlockIsaCozyCreatureCollectionGameThatTakesPlaceontheBackofaBird

At Summer Game Fest, Restart tried a demo for Flock, which lets you collect flying creatures of all colors, shapes, and sizes.

Posted 5 months ago

Publisher Annapurna Interactive showed off a trio of upcoming games at Summer Game Fest (see our coverage of Bounty Star and Lushfoil Photography Sim), and while all three were impressive in different ways, our heart was stolen by Flock, a creature collection game that allows players to soar on the back of a bird while followed by adorable critters and hover-sheep.

From developers Hollow Ponds and Richard Hogg, Flock will ask players to discover and catalog a variety of unique creatures to fill in a journal. Their bird will change altitude and avoid obstacles automatically, allowing players to simply steer in the direction they want to go and press buttons to interact with the environment around them.

When players find a new creature, they’ll need to answer a multiple choice question in order to identify it, with the answer being determined by observing the creature’s appearance and movements. For instance, one creature may be identifiable based on the fact that it has spots or that it has horizontal (rather than vertical) stripes.

Players will also be able to collect whistles that can be used to befriend the creatures they discover, causing them to follow along behind them. Plus, players can use adorable hover-sheep to clear pastures of fresh grass and then use their wool to create items like new socks, hats, and cardigans for their character.

Two characters flying on the backs of birds, each one with lots of friendly colorful creatures following behind them

©Hollow Ponds / Richard Hogg / Annapurna Interactive

To say Flock is a colorful game would be an understatement. Players will be able to customize the appearance of their own character, as well as their bird, by choosing from a wide assortment of color combinations, and once they learn how to befriend the game’s wild creatures, they’ll find themselves being followed by a beautiful trail of critters in every color of the rainbow.

In addition to single-player gameplay, Flock will allow friends to fly around together through co-op multiplayer, with each person having their own bird and critters they’ve collected.

Even in such a short single-player demo session, Flock really impressed us, and we’re excited to play the full game when it launches on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Game Pass on July 16, 2024.