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Post edited 2:52 pm – February 24, 2009 by Adamfast

Flower is a triumph of simplicity, beauty and subtle storytelling that shows a side of videogames that many are too quick to dismiss or ignore. Whilst the vast majority of games are violent experiences of conflict or combat, Flower tells a story of destruction and redemption in the most visual and moving way possible.

Starting you off in a depressing and dirty flat, the single flower on display is the only colour on the whole screen and you’re immediately drawn to enter its world. Once inside you’re struck by the vibrant change in colour to deep blues and verdant greens. Blowing off a single petal from an unfolding flower you use the Sixaxis motion controls on the PS3 controller and begin moving around the landscape.

These much maligned controls are surprisingly responsive and intuitive and soaring high and then swooping low to collect up other petals becomes second nature very quickly. The exhilaration of blossoming enough flowers to change the world around you is the first of many emotional moments in Flower. Even touching each flower produces a satisfying sound effect and before long you’re creating a symphony of gameplay moments that make non-gamers stop and stare in amazement.

Moving over certain clusters of flowers sets off waves of new green growth in the landscape and unlocks further areas. All the time you’re regenerating parts of the earth or putting into motion static wind turbines and sending your entourage of colourful petals hither and thither. It would be easy to dismiss the game at this point of being little more than a glorified screensaver or a new-age tech demo. Both assumptions would be crass and untrue – not that a new age tech demo should be dismissed in any case.

But once you reach the halfway point in Flower’s journey the game takes a darker turn and moves into far more meaningful territory. It’s impossible to describe the game from this point without spoiling it but let’s just say it’s an essential experience for anyone with even a passing interest in games.

Play with the family?

This is definitely a title that has an extended reach into the non-gamer world and kids are likely to love messing around with the Sixaxis controls. For other less experienced gamers Flower can seem a little daunting at first – there’s only one instruction in the whole game and that’s to press a button to make the wind blow. Other than that it’s a case of figuring out the game yourself and it seems to be hit and miss whether non-gamers find this game as accessible as it might first appear.

Good for those with limited time?

Just like Flow (That Game Company’s previous work) this is a game that can be played in small chunks for relaxation or just for a pretty screensaver. Each of the six main levels are no longer than 20-30 minutes and you can blast through the whole game in around 2-3 hours depending on how much of a completist you want to be.

Conclusion

With wearing its heart on its sleeve Flower is a beautiful and meditative experience. You can view it as art or as just an artistic flying game – but it’s still a tremendous experience that’s worth every penny and every minute of your time.

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