Developer: Smarter Games
Publisher: Flying Interactive
Platform: PC, Mac, Linux
Tested on: PC
Fox and Flock – Review
Period dress, classical music and drama- what isn’t there to like about this formula? Smarter Games certainly saw no problem with it when they created Fox and Flock– an indie puzzle game with a dark, modern twist on its Victorian counterpart. The only question left to ask: who will you guide to victory?
Story
A magnificent ball is being held for all of the creatures of the land…well, all except the Foxes. Thinking they are safe from slaughter, the Flock are soon picked off one by one- yet are unable to locate the foul dancer amongst them. There cannot be any Foxes here, surely?! With only the Inquisitor there to protect them, will the Flock escape?
Fox and Flock’s storyline is simple but effective and fun, if a little short. The nature of the narrative allows you to play both as the Fox and the Flock, allowing you to work your brain to riddle your way through being the hunter and the hunted.
Graphics
Dancing through a title based upon a game thoroughly enjoyed by Queen Victoria, one would expect the graphics to reflect the time and the qualities of a board game from the Victorian era. Fox and Flock manages this wonderfully. Although not particularly advanced, the 2D style of the characters is gorgeous, and really offers quality beyond the small sum that this title costs.
This game is played in its entirety upon a grid of thirty-three circles arranged in a cross shape, with a parchment-colour background to further emphasise that old-fashioned board game feel. Although this is a nice touch, it sometimes means that the characters blend into the background as they are a similar colour, so perhaps the game would have benefited from more variation. Considering the detail that has gone into it however, this is but a minor criticism of a good title.
One other small issue is that tabbing out of the game renders the characters invisible, with only the black or red spot left to indicate which character is which. This is easily rectified by quitting to the menu and loading back into the level, though it did prove to be quite irritating having to restart each time.
Sound
The music in Fox and Flock sets the scene beautifully. Featuring various classical composers such as Handel, Bach and Vivaldi, one really gets the feeling of being at a grand ball, as well as the feeling of impending (but delightful) doom if you are playing the Flock.
The narration of the story is made by one character, recounting the tale of the ball, and is the only form of voice acting that the game offers (as all other speech in game is in the form of text). Although this can be poor at times, the fact that it is written entirely in rhyme form and that the title is available at a low price, leads to this being more of a slight concern than a raging one.
Gameplay
Strategy is crucial on the ballroom floor. Roughly based upon chess and Fox and Geese (a Victorian era game), the aim of the game is to stay ahead of your opponent in order to either stay alive or consume your prey. For the Flock to escape safely, you must navigate them towards the nine lined circles at the front of the board by clicking the character and placing them upon a lit-up tile. But beware; you mustn’t have an empty space beside you, or you will find yourself being chewed upon by a nasty Fox! Equally, as the Fox, you cannot allow your prey to get away, or you’ll end up starving and in danger of the Flock finding out who you really are. With the levels becoming progressively harder as the story goes on, this indie puzzle game provides a worthy challenge to anyone who enjoys the satisfaction of beating levels after repeatedly tried and tested strategy.
In addition to the story mode, there is also a tutorial mode as well as a quick game option, which allows you to get straight to the game. The quick game has many more options than story mode, as you are free to play as you please, and feature varying degrees of difficulty from “dolt” to “aristocrat” (very easy to nigh on impossible, respectively). You can also choose which faction you want to play, as well as the type of board you wish to play: traditional with one Fox, or modern with two Foxes. Finally, you can play as a single player or with a friend on local multiplayer for more fowl-murdering fun, proving that Fox and Flock is a versatile and fun game.
Conclusion
Fox and Flock is an enjoyable jaunt into the slightly dim-witted aristocratic world of the Flock, although it requires a lot more brainpower than one might first expect when observing the board at the start of the game. Its wonderful character design, as well as the use of classical music to set the scene make this title a fun homage to Fox and Geese (the game on which the title is based on). If anything the only real criticism that one can muster is that the story is too short for such an entertaining game!
Fox and Flock - Review,
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