Multiplayer Horror The Flock Launches With a Use-by Date

Horror lovers and IGM readers alike will probably have heard of The Flock , Vogelsap’s asymmetrical multiplayer horror game.

, Vogelsap’s asymmetrical multiplayer horror game. Not only does it have a unique marketing tactic surrounding its release, but we’ve also covered the game in a news articleand a hands-on GDC preview. The wait is over. The Flock is now available for Windows, at a price of $16.99 USD.

For those that have been caught unawares of what might be lurking in the darkness of the game it begins like this: In The Flock , there are two roles. At the start of a game, each player is a member of the Flock, a race of skeletal creatures with inhuman agility and powers. While part of the Flock, each player will be trying to reach something known as the Light Artifact. It spawns randomly, and each player will leap and crawl their way to its beacon of light, hoping that they’ll get to it first. If they do, they become the Carrier.

The role of the Carrier is to use this light to illuminate the area around them, complete objectives, and reduce oncoming Flock players to ashes. That is, unless the Flock are completely still, in which case they become impenetrable statues. Anyone that manages to sneak up on the Carrier and kill them will then become the Carrier themselves, and so on.

“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.

That’s not all. The Flock has a use-by date. The game “launches with a population of 215,358,979. Every time a player dies as one of the Flock, the number decreases. Once the population reaches zero, the game will no longer be for sale, and only those who have The Flock in their libraries will be able to take part in a… finale that will end the game forever.”

The Flock can be purchased on Steam, The Humble Store, and Vogelsap’s websitefor $16.99 USD/EUR, and those who buy the game before – and on – Thursday, Aug. 27 will receive an extra key to give away to a friend. For more information on this horror, gamers can follow the on Twitter, or “like” the Facebookpage.

Will you be getting The Flock ? Or are you put off by the fact that with each death brings the game one step closer to its own grave? Let us know in the comments below.