The last PSN title from thatgamecompany, fl0w, resonated with a lot of people. It took the concept of designing a game that absolutely anyone can pick up and play and ran with it, for better or worse. I enjoyed fl0w, but it wasn’t an experience that stayed with me in the long run. I haven’t thought about it much since my first weekend with it, and it seems like something that’s more suitable for play on a browser when boredom sets in.While Flower has the same goal as its predecessor, the end result is a different beast entirely. It’s still designed so anyone can pick it up, and simplicity is the core mechanic, but there’s so much bubbling under the surface that it should take each and every player by surprise.

Using the SIXAXIS motion controls, wind can be whipped through gorgeous grassy fields with a tilt of the controller. The wind zips through flowers and grabs a petal from each one, adding to the volume of the player’s gust and gradually painting the landscape green as they blossom. Each flower also makes a little musical note, which compliments the orchestral score whether they’re coming in rapid succession or at a leisurely pace. The controls quickly become second nature. They’re never tiresome, unlike most motion-centric efforts on PS3, and before long I found myself twisting through sharp dips and bends without really thinking about it.

At first glance, it’s easy to write something like this off as a “non-game,” but there’s challenge clutched within if you want there to be. I don’t know if that’s really what defines a game, but it’s one of the different ways you can go about playing Flower. Take it all in and glide through each flower’s dream, or hit the fields blazing and try to collect every petal, something that should tickle that dark obsessive-compulsive desire. My advice is to play however you like, because Flower will take you on a journey whether you know it or not.

It’s a deceptively disguised narrative, too, and Sony has requested that no one post videos of anything past the fourth stage for good reason. There’s a level of discovery and awe in Flower that’s rare even among retail games, much less downloadable titles priced at $9.99. It’s worth it to discover this for yourself, not letting anyone spoil it for you beforehand. I played through Flower in one sitting that lasted a couple of hours, and I immediately wanted to play again after finishing it. I imagine the general reaction will echo these sentiments, because Flower evokes something universal that’s difficult to describe without sounding pretentious on some level.

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: thatgamecompany
System: Playstation 3
Available: February 12th, 2009

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