A couple of years ago we saw the peaceful underwater plaything known as fl0w make it’s debut on the Playstation Network. It was less of a game and more of toy that allowed players to just chill out. With it being more of a non-game the truth is we’ll never seen a straight follow up to fl0w, nor do we really want a fl0w 2. Luckily, That Game Company are taking that same premise and putting a very different twist on it.
TGC are well known for their odd and artsy back-stories as previously seen in the indie gem known as Cloud and that same artistic prowess is visible in flower. Each level is designed to represent a flower’s dream as it sits on a window sill in a high rise apartment suite. You control a petal (or the wind depending on your perspective) through fields by manipulating the Sixaxis controller. You guide the petal into other flowers to pick up more petals and to trigger an explosion of colour.
It’s really that same visually simulating colour palette and artistic vision that make this game so appealing. Colours burst through each individual stem of grass while you fly over trying to find the next point. These artistic games might not be for everyone but any one with a love for technical accomplishments will appreciate the massive amounts of detail. The high resolution textures and large amounts of surprisingly great looking grass really make this game stand out from other downloadable throwaways. Although the fields themselves look great they are only truly sold by the realistic physics and wind effects that are cast over the landscape.
The game makes you play around with these mechanics in a way that can only be applauded. It’s almost a child like approach that wills you to find the next explosion of colour and you do it all with a smile on your face. The excellent sounds further prove this with an uplifting noise for every right thing you do. Although it’s true to say that you can really do no wrong in Flower and despite this the game still provides a fulfilling and satisfying experience.
Although when it comes down to it we will have to wait and see if Flower will be a another PSN success story or if it will be a one trick pony. What we’ve seen looks like one of the most visually compelling games on the Playstation and that’s one thing. Whether it can deliver on the content and still keep it compelling over the course of a full game is a whole other kettle of fish. fl0w had it’s problems with the lack of clear content and in Flower you have simple levels that can be accessed through a traditional menu, so it’s definitely being built up for more of a solid gaming experience rather than a plaything.
Whether you like the new wave of artsy games or not you’ve got to admit that there is a lot of potential and intrigue behind this game. The visual and sound design looks great and although it appears to be a glorified tech demo, it’s anything but. Although the limited amount of levels we’ve seen so far are just that, limited. So it will be interesting to see how the game fares when it comes out February the 13th on the Playstation Network.
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