Flock shows us a gentler (and smarter) approach to collecting creatures

As a child, I had a diminutive Pokémon encyclopedia. Each page of this manual contained an entry for one of the many fictional creatures and shared information about its personality, type, and unique traits. I would pore over its many facts and scribble them on binder paper with a number two pencil. Early on, Pokémon games drew me not only for the battles, but also because I enjoyed learning about the many creatures in the series. Now, playing FlockI found a game that truly satisfies this desire.

Assumption Flock is relatively uncomplicated: I play as someone riding a giant bird. This colorful, bulbous bird lets me soar around a floating island in the sky, using its chirps to charm the local creatures. There’s just one problem: the whistles that train the bird to learn each creature’s calls—and unlock my bird’s ability to recruit them—have been stolen. Now I must explore each biome and find the whistles that will allow me to befriend the local fauna and gather more information about the creatures.

Creators Hollow Ponds and Richard Hogg bring to life a energetic, almost cartoonish world; the art style combines brightly colored, low-poly character models with environments illustrated with patterned brushstrokes. The art gives the world a featherlight and whimsical feel, creating the perfect setting for Flock‘s many creatures and oddities. As I traverse the biomes, I see floating creatures that draw inspiration from all corners of the animal kingdom, such as adorable bulging-eyed fireflies, creatures that look like porpoises without dorsal fins or tails, and others that resemble glorified larvae.

Becoming an expert on the nature of all these goofy guys was surprisingly fun. When I first see a creature, I can tell which family it belongs to based on the brief descriptions in the game—unless it’s my first time seeing a creature from a specific family, in which case I have to figure out what species it belongs to via a quick text quiz.

Some identifications are as effortless as pie. For example, the Cosmets family of creatures look very similar and have curved bodies resembling boomerangs; from this I can easily recognize each species in the family because of the distinct and varied patterns on their bodies. However, some identifications require a bit more thought. I had trouble with the Male Painted Skyfish because of the differences in the whiskers between members of its family.

Once I find the right whistle for a family of creatures, the bird I’m riding can then engage in an extravagant courtship ritual. In this, I play a little mini-game where I navigate my bird towards another creature as it flies around; then I try to best align the brackets that appear on the screen to indicate whether the whistle’s sound will successfully charm the creature. The trick is to get the right distance between the creature and my character when I fire off the bird’s sound. It looks silly but never feels awkward, and it’s exactly the kind of interaction I’d like to see in a David Attenborough narrative.

Photo: Hollow Ponds, Richard Hogg/Annapurna Interactive via Polygon

Even with all the quizzes and studying, Flock provides a relaxing time. The game doesn’t punish you as much for wrong answers, and the gameplay reminds me of Abzu or even Tripwhere movement has a sleek, fluid feel. Finding fresh creatures can be tricky, but it’s fun to glide around looking for nippy guys. (This may be neither here nor there, but I believe the developers have stumbled upon what could be the best pot game of all time.)

Even with many stupid moments, Flock adds a necessary flourish to a creature-collecting game. Before the game asks you to identify its family and species from brief text descriptions, you can observe the creature in the wild. This is critical because the identifying information may not be visual, but will depend on the habitat you find the creature in, its peculiar flight pattern, or other identifying behavior. As with birdwatching, the game encourages each player to stop and notice different animal characteristics. Once I identify a creature, I can seek out a local researcher who can teach me more about it—thus reinforcing my naturalist instincts.

Photo: Hollow Ponds, Richard Hogg/Annapurna Interactive via Polygon

The uncomplicated act of stopping, observing, and thinking critically about creation makes Flock so unique to me. While playing, I didn’t fight these creatures or approach them and attack them like in a Pokémon game. Instead, I looked for a way to learn about them, and only then did they float around me and vibrate with me. Partly whimsical and thoughtful, Flock is a must-have for anyone who loves creatures, is a naturalist, or, like me, collects diminutive, amusing creatures.

Flock was released on July 16 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The game was reviewed on Steam Deck using a download code provided by Annapurna Interactive. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.