I could just make a nice concise video of all of my favorite game demos from Steam Nextfest but that would rob everyone of the demo play through on YouTube. This week, though, is probably my favorite demo from Nextfest. This week is Flock.

Flock is an adventure game from Hollow Ponds, Richard Hogg, and Annapurna Interactive. The game is slated to be released for the PC, Xbox, and PlayStation consoles in the future. All images below are from Annapurna’s website.

You are playing a flying bird shepherd. As far as it looks, the player is tasked with collecting a bunch of bizarre sheep, whales, and birds and soaring through some really beautiful landscapes.

Going off what was mentioned above, Flock is pretty simple in its game mechanics: You fly around on your bird friend tame some really weird-looking animals, and incorporate them into your flock. After you recruit a certain amount of creatures some will drop off and you can continue on your journey of discovery.

To tame birds you have to play a small minigame involving you pressing a button at a specific time some amount of times until the bird listens. It’s nothing fantastic in terms of skill but it gets the job done. The real tests when it comes to first identifying which kind of species the creature is, which involves studying it for a moment and answering a single question. It is honestly pretty fun and relaxing to watch the creatures walk around and chirp.

The multiplayer is not available now but is promised to be in the end product which is enticing because the thought of just being able to see other people and all their funky birds sounds so good.

Flock is a goofy-looking game, it is truly beautiful. The game starts out with you and your bird friend flying above the clouds on your way to see your aunt. The village in the clouds meets you with large bulb-like structures with people living in mushroom-like buildings. When introduced to the surrounding environments it is expansive and filled with colorful birds, trees, and foliage.

Flock is 100% my favorite game from Steam Nextfest. It was so enjoyable to play that I invited my wife into the room to watch. The bird-like creatures are so fucking adorable. They are so amusing to watch. There are a few that just hop around like chickens and bark and others just make fun little noises. The flying is easy and enjoyable, the minigames are fun, and the game is quirky and cute.