Review
Release Date: 02.12.2009
Platform:
PlayStation NetworkDeveloper:
That Game CompanyPublisher:
Sony Computer Entertainment AmericaReviewed by
Richard Brownell on 4.3.2009
| Review Rating: 9/10 | User Rating: 9/10 |
It's rare that we get a game like Flower. Not only does it not fit into any established gaming genre, but its main characters are flower petals and it tells a story with no words. Actually, what separates Flower from other games is also what makes it so fantastic. Thatgamecompany's previous PSN title, Flow, was unique but it didn't grab gamers the way a game should. It was more of an interactive art project, though a very pretty one. Flower is not only more beautiful, but it makes for a richer and more enjoyable game.
Flower puts gamers in the role of a flower petal, or the wind depending on your interpretation. You start off in a room looking out over a big city. There is a flower pot on the windowsill. You have one option: select the flower. Upon doing so, you find you in a dreamlike beautiful meadow with a single flower. Once again, you select the flower but this time it blooms and a single petal comes off and floats in the wind. Press any button and your flower is whisked away in the direction the camera is facing. To change directions, all you need to do is turn the controller. These controls are simple, and remain that way for the entire game. It's an incredibly freeing experience. You can fly your petal through the sky or come down low and brush against the grass. Every single blade seems to move independently.
One could argue that thatgamecompany could have sold Flower as a simple petal-flying-in-beautiful-meadow simulator for $2 and I think the average PSN user would have rated it higher than the other available art projects on PSN. It really does look and feel that good. It's colorful with each level having its own palette, each standing as its own work of art.
Thankfully, Flower is not a simple art project but a full-fledged game with objectives and levels. After flying mere moments, you notice other flower buds in the field. Glide the petal close to one and it will bloom, releasing another petal to add to your tail. The flowers typically lead you through the level, accomplishing objectives such as bringing life back to dead ground or giving color to a bland field. There are also hidden three hidden flowers in each level. They aren't there for the casual gamers, but core gamers will find they make a fun excuse to go back through the levels again.
Flower would be beautiful and have tiny game objectives if flying around collecting petals was the whole game, but it's not. It's the full experience that makes Flower such a joy to play. It's the little things. Every time a flower is touched, a note is played. Different colored flowers tend to have different sounds. Some are violins, others marimbas. As you fly through each level, you create music. Each level is like a different song. But more accurately, they are like different scenes in a movie. The experience of Flower becomes complete when you include the story. There are no words, no non-flower characters. It's told through very quick shots between levels and in the levels themselves.
In the beginning of the story, life is simple. Your petals fly quick and free, the world is green and lush, and the game is very playful. As you progress through the first few levels, you get some melancholy tones as well. You see some rain and nighttime. The overall story of Flower is hinted at when your wind is used to activate some wind turbines. As the levels progress your petal feels heavy with the weight of the world around it. And things get incredibly dark when one level ends with everything going dark as you descend into a world of darkness. It's mildly horrifying when you play it.
What that darkness is and where things go after that I won't say. Flower is a game that must be experienced to be appreciated, and almost anybody can enjoy it. It has the appeal of a casual game with some of the game mechanics that gamers have come to expect. Finding the secret flower petals and playable credits add to the replay value of the game. I only wish there were some more levels to play or maybe some added interactivity in some of the levels to bring me back for even more. But as it is, Flower is one of the best downloadable games for consoles to date.
