Reviewed on Feb. 11, 2009
The latest PSN release from thatgamecompany is full of incredible floral imagery and a few unexpected twists.
Read Brad Shoemaker's full review
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Quick Look: Flower
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flower is a highly acclaimed, unique PSN exclusive that allows you to control the wind and collect flower petals while exploring a lush, colorful environment. Its innovative gameplay often seeks to create a soothing and relaxing experience through a combination of visuals and audio to complement the narrative.
Overview
You'll never want for beautifully rendered grass again
flower is thatgamecompany's second title being released via the PlayStation Network. Much like its spiritual predecessor flOw, flower is much less about the gameplay than it is about a different meaning of a game. thatgamecompany's co-founder Jenova Chen has described it as being like "video game poetry". It is not too difficult to interpret there being an environmental message behind the game, or at least a contrast to urban living being explored. Bringing unique elements yet to be seen in this generation of consoles, flower has gained a dedicated following.
Gameplay
Essentially, the player controls the wind. The gameplay involves guiding a stream of petals around various landscapes in which you will be able to interact with the flowers there in some way, depending on the particular level. All motion in the game is designed to be controlled using the SIXAXIS functionality of the PlayStation 3 controller. The creators are trying to im merse the player in another experience when playing flower, which they are trying to achieve by the use of stunning visuals complemented by a soothing musical score, and with the field of vision in the game being wider than in most games to better mimic a human's peripheral vision and depth perception. The visual fidelity of flower is in large part due to the game being able to render and simulate 200,000 blades of grass on-screen at any one time, surely allowing it to claim the coveted boast of the 'best grass in video games...ever'. The only use of the buttons in gameplay is holding any button to accelerate.Hidden/Secret Flowers
Each level contains three groups of secret flowers, some of which are activated by blooming certain flowers in a particular area and others are hidden from the path the game leads you through. Each batch collected leaves a seed in the pot of your flower in the menu upon completion of the level. Each seed you collect will also make your flower at the menu open up to a more full bloom. Obtaining all three secret flower groups for all six levels will grant you the Dream gold trophy, which will also change the default view from the apartment, this view replaces the urban environment with a sunny field in the foreground and a grassy hill in the background. This is thought to show that the Flowers' dream has come true.Level design
It would seem that the main menu in flower, from which each level is loaded, is based around an urban apartment. The different levels are said to be the 'dreams' of different flowers that are represented in this apartment. The flowers appear in the following order when all the levels are unlocked: Pink, Red, Yellow, Blue, Purple, White. Every single flower level adds something unique or introduces a new type of flower.Pink Flower
Gazing into this flower opens a wind based level. Players are introduced to the blue flowers which make wind blow to power up the many windmills. Afterwards player traverse a canyon until they gain more speed and end up powering more windmills.Red Flower
This is the second level you unlock. It is a color based level that starts in sepia tones. When you unleash the power of the red flowers color starts popping into the world. In the final area you can gain the power to color grass by touching different stones.Yellow Flower
The first level focuses on introducing the basic flower mechanics. Grabbing yellow flowers makes red flowers spawn, and red flowers renew and reinvigorate the area around them turning it green and filled with life.Blue Flower
Using windmills to create electricity and illuminate the ground at nightime is the new mechanic presented here. Here you are able to "charge" electrically the petals that follow you and transmit electricity from lamp post to lamp post until you finish the level.Purple Flower
The dreariest level in the game, you must reach the end while nullifying the threatening eletrical power grids, that can burn you and hurt you. Culminates with a dash and dodging of falling debris and is apparently directly connected to the final level.White Flower
This is the final level, the new mechanic introduced is renovating the world, at the beginning the petals become super charged similar to when you could color the grass in the red color level. You now have the power to eliminate the corruption in the citiy, and renovate it and repaint it into a vibrant and beautiful place once more.Each dream/level is based on an aspect of urban life with flower presumably showing a contrast to that within the level. So, for example, one level will be based on color, with the gameworld initially starting out as desaturated and gray like in most urban landscapes, but with progressively more color coming into the landscape as you interact with it. There are six levels in total, plus the credits level.
| Game Name | flower |
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| Themes |
Add a new theme
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| Original US Release |
Feb. 12, 2009
need a fuzzy date? |
| Original US Release |
February
2009 know the real date? |
| Aliases | flOwer |
| OFLC |
OFLC: G
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| CERO |
CERO: A
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| ESRB |
ESRB: E
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| PEGI |
PEGI: 3+
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Flower - All Trophies & Hidden Flower Locations
A guide to all Trophies & Secret Flowers
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Flower Trophy Guide COMPLETE
Trophy Guide & Secret flower locations
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flower Trophy List
Complete list of all the PS3 trophies for flower.
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We don't have any info about flower's franchise games.
