Video Games: Flower

Beautiful. Breathtaking. Mesmerizing.

If I could get away with writing those three words for this review I would. "Flower" is a game that is not done justice by words. It is a great game wrapped in visual poetry. The premise is simple; you are a petal and it is your task to awaken the sleeping flowers on the fields of the world. By doing this you bring color and life back to nature. By the end of each level you are a hurricane of flower petals filling the sky. It is a game of colors and music that envelopes the player rather than leading them.

To be clear this is a game in every sense. It has objectives to achieve, enemies to defeat, and levels to traverse. You steer your petal by tilting the SIX AXIS controller and control the wind by pushing any button.

There is even a plot twist that hits around the 4th level that really throws the game for a loop. And in fact I found this twist to be one of the more unsettling things I've played in a game in a long time. I won't give it away exactly but it becomes a nature under attack story and when you attack back its exhilarating .

"Flower" is a short game. It took me only about 3 hours to complete but I enjoyed all 3 of those hours immensely. And at 10 bucks its a good deal in tough financial times. If you own a PS3 it is a must have title. If only to get away from shooting things for a few hours. I applaud ThatGameCompany for their achievement and their ambition to make different games in a world filled with copies and sequels.

Flower is available for download on the Playstaion Store.