A game about flowers, who would've guessed...
For years, pundits have argued over the merits of gaming as a past-time which continues to continuously blur the line between entertainment and art form, and for those of you in the 'consider games to be an art form' camp, then Flower can only be described as gaming's equivalent to the artwork of Picasso.
The game is in development by That Game Company, the team behind the visually stunning FlOw, an experimental title which allowed players to create a fish-like creature and explore its habitat. As with its predecessor FlOw, the concept behind Flower is strangely simple, and like its predecessor it also looks like it contains the hallmarks of addictive gameplay. Flower starts players off with a single petal, which players can then fly through lush, green fields to collect an abundance of petals. If you happen to pick up all the petals from one specific area, then you will really see the game come alive as the colours of everything on screen becomes more vibrant and life-like, making you feel as if you are really standing in the breeze watching a cornucopia of flower petals pass you by. Like FlOw, this experimental title is about relaxing and enjoying the scenery rather than rushing to the finish, where stirring emotions in the gamer such as joy and relaxation are as much a part of the experience as finishing a level is.
How's the serenity?
Although at its core Flower has quite a simple premise behind it, there is nothing simple about the technical and artistic wizardry at hand in the game. It's amazing to think that every time you look at one of the grassy fields in Flowerthe powerful Cell processor of the PlayStation 3 is working away at rendering over two-hundred thousand individual blades of grass. Watching these blades sway in the virtual wind, it's compelling to note that it is almost as good as the real thing. While the background details are quite minimal in comparison, the crux of the core elements of the levels make Flower an exquisite visual experience - as petals, grass, and glowing hues of red, gold and purple of the sky as the sun begins to set - that is breathtaking both in its execution and the serenity that it brings.
As with FlOw, Flower takes advantage of the PlayStation 3's motion-sensitive controls, and like its predecessor is aims to be a title that is as easy to pick up and play as humanly possible. Players will be able to move their petal forward by holding the X button to initiate a gust of wind, while tilting the controller will allow you to make your petal fly around the game world.
Petals for everyone.
With such an original concept at hand, it is hard to imagine how a narrative can be tied into the story, but from what we know the game does contain a small element of story. Each single petal that you begin a level with is known to start its life on a shelf inside an apartment - exactly who that character is remains to be seen - and each trip to the lush fields of grass will then in turn increase the collection of flower petals on the apartment shelf.
While it may seem to be nothing more than a graphically enticing gardening simulator, That Game Company has promised that there will be a great challenge to Flower when it is ready to ship and like FlOw they are again poised to provide players with another a gaming experience that makes the most of a simple idea. But with Sony keeping mum about a final release date, it might be a while until we can experience the wares of Flower. But one thing's for sure, fans of other intriguing titles in recent history like Rez, Loco Roco, and Ico, should make sure to keep an eye on Flower... because this experimental title might just bloom into a classic.
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