It's awesome: Flower (PS3)

by Andrew Yoon { Jul 16th 2008 at 9:30PM }

Click for high-resolution image.

A carefully typed PowerPoint presentation had Jenova Chen's next PSN game's title as Flower. No, not flOwer, because that would suggest it was flOw+er, which would do an incredible disservice to this surprisingly ambitious title. Sure, there are a number of similarities between flOw and Flower: both use SIXAXIS tilt-controls, both are technically "single button games," and both fuse music and intuitive gameplay to evoke emotions rarely found in any other game. But, Flower does much more than we could have expected.

Jenova Chen described flOw as a gaming "haiku" -- but Flower is a "poem." It comes as an incredible surprise that Flower tells a story, told through the dreams of various flowers. When a player begins a new game, they aren't treated to lush green fields of grass. No, we see a colorless dying cityscape, one with a lone flower sitting in a cracked, dirty pot. Trigger a flower's dream, and we're treated to abstract watercolor paintings of a city that hint at a much bigger story.

So what's the gameplay like? You control a flower pedal, and you must tilt the PS3 controller to guide it to other flowers. It's a simple premise that's instantly accessible, but figuring out what must be done in each level requires exploration and experimentation. Each playthrough is meant to be a "performance," and players will want to tilt their controllers and create music through the various flowers in these fields. Each flower creates its own unique sound, depending on the background music, the speed of the wind and the player's timing. The mix of lush visuals and synesthetic gameplay is nothing short of mesmerizing.

Gallery: Flower

Without a doubt, Flower is one of the most visually arresting games I have ever laid my eyes upon. The idyllic environments are rendered with such lush colors that it looks beyond real. Unlike in other games, the grass is not the background -- it is the canvas to the dance of the flowers in your control. Each blade of grass is rendered by the PS3, and thousands of blades swaying realistically in the wind is absolutely a technological accomplishment. There are various triggers in each level, which cause an explosion of flowers and color to fill the screen. Seeing the soft bloom of each flower in the mesmerizing movement of the grass lifts me up to a zen-like experience that surpasses anything flOw could have offered.

Yes, I admit there's a ton of fluff in this post. But of all the games I've seen at E3 so far (and there are a lot), this is the only game that's made me rush out to write a post with a full smile on my face. We've seen three levels so far, and each has felt very different. While all of the three we've seen have been serene so far, Jenova Chen assures us that there is quite a bit of challenge in Flower, and from what I've seen of the third level, we see hints at what Flower may become. There are still a lot of questions unanswered about thatgamecompany's latest ... but trust me when I say it is something you will definitely want to keep your eyes on.

Tags: e308, flower, jenova-chen, joystiqfeatures, thatgamecompany

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

_sean_ @ Jul 16th 2008 9:42PM

I'm picking up 2 bags the day this comes out! XD

keeps @ Jul 17th 2008 1:05PM

i was gonna say the samee thing

Akamaru @ Jul 21st 2008 11:41AM

Hahaha that's awesome.

adolson @ Jul 16th 2008 9:46PM

Put the petal to the medal!!! (this is my way of pointing out your typo)

ryan @ Jul 16th 2008 9:49PM

probably the most feminine, ballsy, creative and beautiful game i've ever laid eyes on. very cool.

WoLoCo @ Jul 16th 2008 9:50PM

I like this game much better than flOw. Day 1 purchase for me!

Henry E. @ Jul 16th 2008 10:11PM

SOLD, love it already

John @ Jul 16th 2008 10:41PM

Pedal = Bike
Petal = Flower

adolson @ Jul 16th 2008 11:46PM

Hey now, I already pointed out the typo. No need to be so blatant about it either; you might hurt Andrew's delicate feelings. He's to be treated as a delicate flower.

Andrew Yoon @ Jul 17th 2008 1:20AM

You forget that we haven't been getting any sleep at all. I'm wilting.

Rowdehaj @ Jul 17th 2008 1:54AM

No no, isn't it obvious? You're trying to depreciate the game with your improper spellings because you're such an Xbox 360 fanboy. Duh!

PS3lost @ Jul 17th 2008 2:28AM

This is even more retarded than LBP. Is everyone running out of ideas?

CATCHORA @ Jul 17th 2008 2:52AM

STFU !! please.

Nathan @ Jul 17th 2008 3:18AM

Um, both this and LBP are new ideas...at least I've never seen anything like either before. So where is your great new idea?

KarlW @ Jul 17th 2008 3:56AM

Are you in Soviet Russia or something?

LBP and Flower are some of the most interesting games out there. Not having ideas would be something like saturating your library with FPS games. Something akin to what Microsoft has to offer.

The PS3 is becoming great for experimental games - take a look at Echochrome, PixelJunk Eden, LittleBigPlanet, and this. Last generation, we also had EyeToy (hasn't been used much this gen). I love games like this that push the boat out.

adolson @ Jul 17th 2008 9:28AM

@Nathan - new ideas!! You know, like.. Halo Wars! Halo Chronicles! and don't forget, Halo Blue!!!!

Nova @ Jul 17th 2008 2:39AM

Actually from everything I've seen Flower is a lot more like Cloud one of the other That Game Company titles I would really like to see come to PSN. Cloud was a blast and remaking it would make that game Epic ^^

Melackspace @ Jul 17th 2008 5:09AM

I agree with KarlW, Sony is really opening up the platform for edgier games. Microsoft, on the other hand, seems only to boast about their expansive library, one teeming (almost exclusively) with beefed-up action titles and by-the-numbers RPGs. Granted, the XBOX 360 has far more in the way of selection than the PS3 when it comes to games. Yet, Microsoft seems only to be catering to last generation's core demographic (one it has undoubtedly inherited from the PS2). This does not, however, take into account the expanding marketability of video games.

Sony's business plan is considering an altogether different demographic than that of Microsoft, much like Nintendo's. Their conference at E3 was mainly about downloadable media content, which is telling of their primary concerns at the moment. For me though, their best titles were Flower, PixelJunk Eden and of course LittleBigPlanet. These games are admittedly niche selections. They are, however, a subtle indication of what's to come in terms of an audience. A maturing generation of gamers, perhaps?