I definitely didn't expect Tarkov parody Escape From Duckov to be this good, or this popular

I'm never quite sure what to make of parody games. They're sort of like fanfiction, in a way. There are rare occasions when fanfiction can take off and hit the mainstream, though, matching (or, in especially uncommon occurrences, surpassing) their inspirators. By all accounts, Escape From Duckov is a great game in its own right. The gameplay is a world away from Tarkov, which clearly inspired its name, but players are still flocking to get a piece of its duck-on-duck action. Is it because of the name? Because it's genuinely a fun game? Or do we have a 50 Shades of Mallard on our hands?

By all accounts, Escape From Duckov is just a great game. 95% of its reviews on Steam are positive, which is frankly astonishing in this day and age, with many praising the tight gunplay and interesting quests. These are reminiscent of Tarkov, but have clear instructions that don't leave you running around like a headless chicken. Or should that be duck?

We don't quite know where it would slot in on our list of the best survival games, but Duckov is proving popular, with many enjoying the fact that it's a single-player extraction shooter - a rarity in the genre. For older players like myself, our reactions are slowing and trigger fingers rusty, so the high tension of Tarkov can be ruined by a single headshot. When facing a horde of AI ducks, there's less on the line.

It seems others agree. As well as the glowing Steam reviews, Duckov developer Team Soda announced that it has sold 500,000 copies since releasing four days ago. It seems to be picking up steam, too, as more players hear about the game through word of beak.

My favorite review, however, comes from a player who didn't read the Steam description and thought this would be a PvP affair, Tarkov with cartoon ducks. You can forgive them for thinking as much. Despite their incorrect assumptions, they put half a dozen hours into the game and emerged ecstatic. "Devs, you have truly brought the magic back to gaming for me," they write.

Even if you don't know what you're getting yourself into, Escape From Duckov seems to be hitting all the right boxes.

Unfortunately, we don't have a list of the best duck-based games, or else Duckov would be top of the pile. But our picks of the best indie games have some fun adventures, and you can also browse the best single-player games if, like me, your reflexes are too slow for Tarkov.

Are you playing Duckov? Let us know if you're having as magical an experience as the aforementioned Steam user in our community Discord server, where staff and readers discuss all the latest viral games, and try to discover the next one.