FLOCK

A model of herd composition

Developer Hollow Ponds, Richard Hogg

Publisher Annapurna Interactive

Format PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series

Origin UK

Release 2023

Granted an early look at Richard Hogg and Ricky Haggett's latest game, we're almost immediately struck by a thought, which we quickly jot down: '3D co-op Hohokum?' Flock certainly has a similar blend of vibrancy and serenity, the kind that suggests this might be a spiritual successor to their first collaboration. When we put that same question to the pair, we're quietly heartened to discover that our instincts aren't too far wide of the mark. "We very much wanted to make a game that had the same sort of exuberant, hooning-around feel of Hohokum," Hogg nods.

Yet beyond the obvious shift to three dimensions and the inclusion of multiplayer, there are some other major differences. "If people are expecting a game like Hohokum in the sense that it feels really nice to gather up a big collection of things and just whizz around the place, then they're going to be happy," Haggett adds. "But if they're expecting it to be a really obtuse, exploratory, experimental place where they're [having to] figure out what they're supposed to do, then they're going to be disappointed."