I’ve seen some games with some pretty weird gimmicks in my time, but arguably none are as strange as that of The Flock‘s.
The Flock is a new multiplayer horror game from developers Vogelsap that will shut down after 215,358,979 player deaths are recorded. It’s an oddly specific number, but rest assured that when this number is reached, The Flock will cease to exist and you will no longer be able to access the game.
It’s an interesting hook considering that if it was not for this single gimmick we’d likely not be talking about the game at all, even though it looks like a pretty intense experience when judged on its own merits outside of its unique selling point. An asymmetrical team shooter, The Flock pitches a single human against the titular flock, who must hide in the shadows in order to attack the lone player and become the human themselves. The human is equipped with nothing more than a flashlight for defence, which stops the flock in their tracks – a little like the Weeping Angels in Doctor Who, except they’re controlled by actual people from across the world.
Considering the game is a finite experience, it’ll come with a relatively high price tag of $16. However, its creators hope that the criticisms of its gimmick will be understood once it has reached its finale, which will allegedly give the game a satisfying conclusion. Vogelsap have also stated that player deaths caused due to questionable online behavior, i.e. game-rigging or hacking, will be added back onto the total death tally, and that all of the game’s future DLC (whatever that may be) will be free.
It’ll be interesting to see if enough people gamble on the game, and how long it will take before they’re no longer able to play it due to the player count having been depleted. With that being said, these kinds of games typically have a limited shelf life anyway due to their servers eventually becoming unpopulated, so maybe this will actually ensure that more people will play the game for a lengthier period of time than they would have done if there was no incentive for them to help “complete” it.
