Game Review: Fl0wer (PSN)

Published by: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developed by: Thatgamecompany (TGC)
Genre: Miscellaneous
Players: 1
Price: $10
ESRB:

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Overview: I can personally say that the first time I saw a picture of this game I was stunned, this game in fact, was one of the reasons I bought my ps3. Even tho I didn't really know how it was played, I just knew I had to play it because it looked amazing and fresh, this "game" is another one of those games that are mostly pure art, you can have just as much fun watching someone play this amazing experience as you would actually playing it, that's right, I am going as far as saying this is an experience more then a game, and a great one at that.

Gameplay: In fl0wer, you get to play as the wind who carries petals from flower to flower, the more petals you get the longer your stream of petals becomes, in the end it doesn't really matter how long you are but its nice to be able to do a few flips and see yourself moving like a colorful snake in the air. For the most part, all you will be doing here is touching a flower and then moving on to the next, its simple but somehow very entertaining in an odd way. Some flowers such as the blue ones DO trigger special events that will lead you to the end of the level, but you don't need to get all the flowers in order to finish the level, only the ones that trigger events which by the way, will leave your eyes wide open as most of the times it only spreads beauty around the field of grass by seemingly turning the grass greener and making flowers grow out of nowhere. This is something that will not get old quickly and a force that will pull you back to play the same level over and over again.

Graphics: I don't think i need to explain myself when i say that this is one of the best looking games out there period, pictures can't really show how beautiful this game looks in motion on an HDTV, and even if you have a regular tv, you will still be able to enjoy this game's beauty. The way the grass looks and reacts to you is simply amazing and it is something that should be looked at closely in order to further appreciate it.

Sound: There really isn't much sound to this game, you have a back ground song and a sound effect for whenever you pick certain flowers, aside from that you also of course, hear the sound of wind. This is not a bad thing at all since it only makes the game sound as pretty as it looks, it pulls you in deeper into the experience.

Replay Value: Replay value in this game is very high which is a specially essential thing in this game since it only has six levels, that's right, only six levels and they aren't exactly twenty minutes long ether. You can play each level multiple times and not get bored of it due to the freedom you are given from the start, if you don't want to collect flowers then you are free to roam around wherever you please. There ARE invisible walls, but you really would not want to go beyond them most of the times, its just more of the same grass that you have INSIDE the walls but without the flowers.

Conclusion: I am personally getting tired of developers making such great games so freaking short, "Portal" and "Weapon Of Choice" are two more examples of this. This one takes the stage by being only about an hour long plus the credits level which you could almost consider to be an extra level in itself. For $10 i can't really say i am disappointed, but i would feel more satisfied with my purchase if there was at least bonus levels available for download for a small extra charge. This game DOES have trophies, so those of you out there who enjoy spending your time trying to unlock them will appreciate their existence and will certainly be a little more satisfied with their purchase.

Final Score: