Stepping back and approaching the game conceptually, Flower sees you taking the role of a series of potted flowers, each residing on a window-sill overlooking a dreary urban sprawl. Each flower represents one of the game’s half-dozen levels, which when selected transports you into the psyche of the plant as it reminisces about or imagines a world long gone or a world yet to come. To be more accurate, throughout the game you are actually guiding a petal throughout a variety of vast natural environments by way of the DualShock 3’s motion-control functionality. While your outdoor odysseys begin with a single petal blowing on the breeze, by guiding it into patches of other flowers just waiting to bloom, vitality and colour is spread back over the level and you will soon find yourself navigating a cluster of flowers through the air on your quest for rejuvenation.
This scene may look serene, but it is also strangely exhilarating.
To speak of the game’s levels and objectives with specificity would be to rob the game of much of its emotional power. In essence, the game’s core mechanic remains consistent over the entirety of the game’s length. You guide the petals effortlessly with the perfectly executed motion-controls over and around the level, ‘collecting’ other petals and causing various reactions, such as a mound of dead grass bursting back into vibrant life, which in turn activates a further series of flowers and petals to attain. By pressing any button on the controller, you can cause a strong gust of wind to blow from behind your petals, sending them coursing with spectacular gusto through blades of grass and over canyons in pursuit of the next objective.
In terms of structure, mechanics, and typical gaming objectives, that is about all that can be said of Flower. Outside of the fact that each of its levels has an endpoint and hidden objectives from which Trophies may be earned, nothing else really distinguishes Flower as a video game. The title is primarily concerned with evoking an emotional response from the player, and in this regard it is wildly successful. The motion-control interface is so perfectly tuned and intuitive so as to become invisible beyond the first five minutes of play, and in its wake all that remains is the exhilarating joy of gliding through the grass on the whispering wind, the sun rippling through the clouds and musical notes gently tinkling each time you thrust a flower into bloom and requisition more petals on your journey. Without spoiling the game’s subtle surprises, this elation gives way to an air of melancholy as the quiet conflict between urban development and untouched nature emerges. If Flower manages to cast its spell over you, by the game’s triumphant conclusion you will be left breathless, serene, and wanting to go outside and run your fingers through your lawn and watch daisies bob in the breeze. If you abandon your preconceived notions of what constitutes cutting-edge gaming, Flower proves itself to be more than simple fun. It is an experience which leaves you feeling richer than before you picked up the controller.
The game's tone gradually darkens before an absolutely triumphant finale.
In the same way, Flower may appear rather lacking when viewed through the blunt lens normally utilised to evaluate consumer products. The end credits (which must be said are among the best you’ll ever see) can be reached within a short afternoon’s play, leaving only a handful of optional challenges for those dedicated to eking out every last minute of playtime. With this in mind, Flower is absolutely not for players who agonize over the mathematical relationship between dollars and playtime. Indeed, to do so in the context of a game so emotionally-charged, serene, and unique would be vulgar. Besides, the game’s brief duration ensures that the simple mechanics never suffer under the weight of repetition or redundancy, and the title is never in danger of wearing out its welcome. Each of its levels explores a particular conceit and moves on, and upon completion of the game you will be hard pressed to think of another downloadable title which says so much so briefly, and with such conviction.
The game’s conviction and expert crafting also extends to its aesthetics. Flower is a visually and aurally stunning title, and not only by downloadable standards. Every blade of grass sways convincingly and bows before every gust of wind, and the title’s use of colour, light, darkness, and the contrast between them is expert. The undulating landscapes are vast and varied, and perfectly matched with sparse and haunting musical melodies which accompany your flight over them. The game is superficially unimpeachable, and deserves to be played on as big a television screen as can be mustered.
Pretty in pink.
Sadly, for those predisposed to judge videogames on their base components, Flower will be misrepresented as a gorgeous but brief curio, devoid of challenge, and overrated by a vocal audience of critics desperately desiring to legitimize the videogame as a medium. The reality is that Flower is an utterly unique, brave and moving game brimming with personality and intent. As time goes, on it is becoming clear that services like PSN and its counterparts represent fertile soil where game developers with interesting and un-commercial ideas can flourish. For those open to new experiences or prepared to accept that games can be about more than dogfights, difficulty levels, power-ups, exploding barrels and grenade launchers, this is essential.
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