If you think Flower is not a game, or is just a pretty
"tech demo" you'd be missing the point. Flower is another game on
Sony's Playstation Network to appear that seems to set its self apart from what
Microsoft is doing with Xbox Live Arcade. Flower is Unique. It's beautiful. And
it's an incredibly soothing experience. Flower also has some of the best use of
the Sixaxis motion controls we've seen to date, and believe me, that’s saying
something.
Flower is simple. And when I say simple, it’s about as simple as a game can
get. There are no "objectives" per say, the basic concept is to just
fly a flower petal through the wind, meanwhile collecting other petals to add
to your crazy petal wind flying, party train. Each level is separated by
a single flower pot inside what looks like an apartment in a busy city. The
apartment starts out looking dirty, and depressing. But as you progress through
each level, more life, and vibrant imagery appears in the apartment.
The gameplay is, as I said, simple. It is full on motion controls. All you
really do is hold down any button, and use the motion functionality in the
controller to steer the petals. As you fly through the grass fields, there will
be certain flowers highlighted. These are the flowers you need to fly through
in order to progress through each level. One thing to point out here is that
there is no time limit. You are free to fly through the wind as long as you
please. It may sound boring, but since the game provides an amazing soundtrack,
simply doing that will give you an incredibly soothing experience that can’t
put you into a deep trance. But of course if you do decide to go through the
levels, as I’m sure you would, you'll want to look out for these flowers. Each
level is different in the sense that the level designs simply change. You'll be
doing the same basic thing the whole game, which is simply collecting flower
petals as you progress through each level. But it almost seems as if Flower has
its own personality, as you will find in a later level that it does to have a
dark side to it.
For a downloadable game, Flower is gorgeous. The level of detail far surpasses
most full retail games. The game supports up to 1080p, so if you got a good
setup, Flower is a sight to see. Flower isn't a lengthy experience. You may be
able to finish it in a couple of hours. Luckily the game supports trophies. So
if your into hunting trophies, you can easily double or triple your experience.
I love what Sony is doing with their downloadable game catalog on PSN. Flower
is just another unique game that Sony has offered that probably would never
have the time of day with other publishers. To wrap it up, if nothing else
Flower is an incredibly soothing experience that after a long day at work or school
can put you in a trance and make you forget your worries. Flower is $9.99 on
the Playstation Store. Now go. Be the wind.
