Flock - Animal Herding Fun With UFOs
Screenshots
The Good Parts (4 out of 5)
Flock includes a nice array of different puzzles to undertake, each has its own unique twist that will challenge you to think differently. The harder puzzles are challenging to figure out, you’ll need to think outside the conceptual box at times, but it’s so satisfying when you succeed that you’ll want to do the next one.
Flock has a nice energy and vibe as you play, a unique conceptual-style that’s extremely inviting and light-hearted as it makes you scratch your head in confusion.
Flock has a nice feature that allows you to share your custom created levels with other gamers looking for a mental challenge.
The Bad Parts (4 out of 5)
Flock has a few pathfinding issues that can frustrate at times, but they tend to be an isolated, infrequent affair and they’re hardly game ending, so it’s a minor thing.
The Graphical Story (4 out of 5)
Flock has a charming graphical style that tries to entertain with a light-hearted look that will make the kids laugh. The environments are pretty basic in textures and details, but they do the job without any real visual explosions. The animals all have a funny and entertaining look that will make you smile as you’re trying to herd them, but it’s pretty basic stuff.
The visual effects include tractor and depressor beams, and a beam of light you shine behind the animals to herd them around. They all are simple but useful and engaging tools to help you herd the animals to your destination - a larger UFO.
Sounds in the Game (3 out of 5)
The soundtrack included with Flock repeats constantly, so bring along your pre-recorded songs and your headphones, and you’ll have more fun. The songs are dull sounding, and lack energy; they should have added a soundtrack with more energy to help the slower pace of this game.
The sound of birds constantly chirping will drive you crazy, but the animals all make interesting and engaging sounds, and your UFO and its weapons all have unique and funny sounds that help to entertain you.
Playability (4 out of 5)
Flock has a uniquely appealing playability that kept my mind challenged and engaged in trying to devise and figure out better ways to herd the animals to my destination. This game rewards the open-minded thinker who is willing to leap outside the boundaries of logical thought and look at things differently.
All the animals have unique behaviors that require specific techniques, but the game does an excellent job of helping you learn their particular reactions to being herded, to help you as you progress through the game. The sheep are easily spooked and will move away, the cattle will stampede and knock over anything in their path, chickens are reckless and unpredictable, while pigs will often stop to roll in the piles of poop you’ll see lying around.
You have to navigate across Flock’s 55 single player stages in a quick and efficient manner to earn medals to progress to the next stage. All the puzzles are unique and each has a hook, trick, or secret you need to discover to get the perfect score you want. The even game pace keeps the energy and action at a constant level that only dips when you stop thinking, so you have to kind of challenge yourself.
Flock includes a single player mode that’s the best part, a co-op mode that isn’t as much fun as the solo experience, and local multi-player action that feels tacked on. It only took me thirty minutes to complete the co-op mode, while the single player mode took me three hours to complete.
The Last Word (4 out of 5)
Flock was a very short challenge with a unique style and charm that made me smile and laugh as I played. An excellent game for intelligent kids that like to think, this game will frustrate anybody who doesn’t like to think through a puzzle, so you might want to invite the smartest kid you know.
