Gameplay revolves around two separate roles: the Flock and the Carrier. Players begin each game as one of the Flock, a hideous race of skeletal beasts with inhuman agility and supernatural powers. The goal when you’re a member of the Flock is to seek out and touch the Light Artifact, which will spawn somewhere within the level, or to pounce upon whoever currently has the Light Artifact and take it from them. Once one of the Flock grabs the Light Artifact, they will transform into the Carrier.

As the Carrier, players gain the ability to use the Light Artifact to illuminate the area, activate objectives, and burn the Flock to a crisp. Shining a light on a moving Flock will kill it within seconds, but if the Flock stands completely still, it will turn into a statue and be immune from any damage, thus creating a terrifying dynamic of forcing your view on one monster, while others may potentially be lurking nearby.

The Flock takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth in the year 3000, where pollution build up has blocked out the sun and blanketed the planet in darkness. Before humanity went extinct, the world’s most brilliant minds brainstormed different ways to save our race. Eventually, they succeeded in creating the Light Artifact, which would simulate sunlight below the smog cover.

But the artifact was completed too late. Humanity was doomed, so the remaining humans programmed the artifact to emerge in the year 3000, with the hopes that whatever was still left on the planet would make use of it and make the earth hospitable to life once again.

“Our goal was to create a tense, frightening, immersive and unconventional multiplayer game that is also fun to play.” said Jeroen van Hasselt, creative director at Vogelsap. “When someone plays a match for the first time, gets a hold of the Light Artifact and must defend themselves against the horrifying Flock, we know they will agree we have delivered exactly that.”