Quick, what was the most-downloaded game of 2007 on the PSN? Super Stardust HD? PixelJunk Monsters? PAIN? Nope, it was flOw, arguably the least game-like of the releases that year (for the record, PAIN would go on to be 2008's biggest PSN download). The follow-up from flOw developer thatgamecompany, Flower is at once a continuation of the basic concepts of their first PS3 game and a marked departure in many ways.
The two biggest parts of flOw, the SIXAXIS-based motion control and the player-defined audio, are, not surprisingly, core to the Flower experience, but there's quite a bit more this time around. Symbolism is rife, as the game's actual narrative is kept intentionally nebulous to help the player themselves define what the game is to them. It's a brilliant move, and one that cements the small developer and creator Jenova Chen as one of the most creative minds in the industry today.
Though the goal throughout the game is simple (you use any button on the PS3 controller to move forward and the motion-sensing bits to steer, all while simply skimming over the grassy environs to pick up flower petals to cause parts of the world to bloom and return to the "ideal" version of a serious of flowers' dreams), the progression from sleepy medows to something quite a bit darker is an amazing one. It's actually rather difficult to talk about said progression without spoiling the better parts of the game -- something I'm reticent about doing because of how short and moving it all is.
In truth, one could probably finish the game in less than a couple hours. It's not meant to be something that one screams through, though, but rather an almost passive experience that is wholly immersive. It absolutely requires a solid sound system or a pair of headphones, and ideally would take place in an environment that lets you experience the whole of the experience by your lonesome and in a single sitting. Like flOw, it's the way the audio melds with what's happening on screen, with specific aural cues that in effect let you guide the game's score. Things are a little more driven this time around, with a definite aural backdrop that you'll layer notes on top of, but your space defines the accents to the rather ambient -- and it must be said absolutely brilliant -- soundtrack.
That's not to say there aren't rewards for being a little OCD about getting around to all the flowers to help them blossom; doing so actually reveals a trio of blue-green flowers that count as a bonus tally on the main level select screen, but that's not really the idea of the game. Instead, it's the exploration of each of these flowers' worlds and the emotions that come with them.
That I'm even hesitant to talk about the game in terms of "levels" or "objectives," yet feel entirely comfortable speaking in terms of emotions -- which are both powerful and absolutely tangible -- should hopefully speak volumes about the kind of experience that's provided for your $10. There was also a reason why thatgamecompany and Sony were so careful not to show off anything beyond the first three levels, for it's in the latter half of the game that things get a lot more story-like and become a bit more of a game than the early bits which are just about slowly swimming through the air and restoring life to areas. As you move more toward an overall enemy (or at the very least what serves as an antagonist in this world), things race toward a conclusion that's as satisfying as any game I've downloaded on the PSN.
It's hard to even explain why the game does such a great job of coaxing a wide range of emotions, from blissed-out tranquility to trepidation to genuine fear to rapturous joy and finally a sense of calm and completion that few games can match despite offering reams of dialogue and dozens of characters and situations meant to stir one's natural impulses. Flower does it without a single defined character, without a single pop-up screen to tell you what to do (beyond the initial instructions of "press any button to move") and without any actual narrative. I'm not one to chime in on the whole "games as art" debate, but if this isn't one of the strongest cases for the "games are definitely art" side of things, I honestly doubt there will be one -- not unless thatgamecompany decides to roll out a third game.
I realize I haven't really reviewed this in the normal way I would any other game, but that's because Flower is not like any other game I've reviewed. It did weird things to me; it played with my emotions and sucked me in so quickly and completely that I didn't really care about how gorgeous a sea of individual blades of glass would roll and undulate with wind or how in the later part of the game the world would slowly repair itself or get splashed with rich color. About the only time I was even pulled out of the experience was in the fourth level when my path through a sea of grass actually left behind and iridescent trail of color that eventually built into a pool of light. It's an incredible experience, and one that everyone needs to experience at least once, if not more. Seriously, go play this game. With the sound cranked up. And in a dark room. Then come on back to our forums and give us your take on it being a proponent of games as art. It really is that awesome.
Graphics:
Though things are deceptively simple, there's nothing like seeing some of the morphing late-game bits of landscape or soaring through the air and weaving around things. Oh, and then there's actually watching the wind affect the sea of grass. Wow.
9.5Sound:
Absolutely briliant. The audio is so key to this game and so expertly pulled off that it wouldn't be the same game -- or even an experience -- without it. Maybe it's the BT fan in me, but I actually heard some of his more recent stuff in the music.
8.5Control:
Things like turning around can be a little troublesome (it's far easier to just keep moving forward and then turn later), and the camera when things get a little claustrophobic can be a pain, but otherwise it works quite nicely.
9.0Gameplay:
The actual "gameplay" here is as simple as can be, but unlike most games it actually takes a back seat to the overall experience, which is almost passive in how it's imbibed.
9.0
An absolutely brilliant game, and one that does more to stir the emotions than any AAA epic you've like played in recent memory. If this isn't art, I'm not sure games can be art.
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