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Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 57 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 161 Ratings

  • Summary: [Playstation Network] The pioneers that brought you the award-winning PlayStation Network title "flOw" are back with another concept that challenges traditional gaming conventions. Flower expands the team's tradition of delivering simple gameplay, accessible controls and a medium to explore emotional chords uncommon in video games. In Flower, the surrounding environment, most often pushed to the background in games, is pulled to the forefront and becomes the primary "character." The player fades from an external and stressful world in the opening of this fresh and genuine game only for PS3, and journeys through beautifully vivid landscapes, changing the his surroundings and exploring nature along the way. Playing as the wind, the player guides and grows a swarm of pedals by interacting with other flowers and the surrounding environment. The goals and journey in each level vary, but all involve flight, exploration and interaction with the level. Using simple SIXAXIS wireless controls, the player guides the lead petal and accumulates a swarm of flower petals as he moves at his own pace within the environment, causing the on-screen world to change. Flower's gameplay offers different experiences, pacing and rhythm to all players. Along the way, the environment will pose challenges to the player’s progress. Both pastoral and at times chaotic, Flower is a visual, audio and interactive escape on PS3. Simple Gameplay Controls - Accessible controls appeal to both the casual and hardcore gamer and offer simplistic and relaxing gaming. Freely playing as the wind is as easy as titling the SIXAXIS wireless controller. Lush and Interactive Environment on PS3 - In Flower, over 200,000 blades of grass are simulated and animated simultaneously on-screen, creating an verdant environment not possible on any other platform. Dynamically Adjusting Experience - Players with differing skill levels and/or moods can intuitively customize their game experience and enjoy the game at their own pace. [SCEA] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 53 out of 57
  2. Negative: 0 out of 57
  1. 100
    While the game is only six levels long, equating to about two to three hours of gameplay if you don't rush, Flower is well worth the money and you'll find yourself coming back just to go through the same levels over and over again.
  2. If you don’t own this you are doing yourself a disservice. Some may think that £6.29 for two hours of gameplay isn’t good enough value for money. My response is simple; never before has a game moved me so strongly, never before has a game made my day better, never before has a game affected my view on life and never again will I be so content with the spending of a handful of pounds.
  3. This unconventional game movement is officially part of a growing trend on the PS3 and could be its key to success instead of a major "killer app" like Metal Gear Solid 4 or Killzone 2 as you'd expect.
  4. If it is slight, then Flower compensates by being a very rare experience, both in terms of subject matter and the visual splendour with which it has been executed. [Mar 2009, p.94]

See all 57 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 46
  2. Negative: 1 out of 46
  1. Cheniquac
    10
    really the best game i've ever seen, admittedly i'm a "non-gamer" but that's mostly because I am both uncoordinated and do not like all the violence to be found in most main stream video games flower is different, it allows me to play as my uncoordinated self and also just have fun and fly around, it is truely an escape from the outside world and i love it Expand
  2. How does playing as a bunch of flower petals moving through the wind sound? Not that great. My thoughts afterwards: YES PLEASE. Having no clue what the game was when I started playing it I was really great experience to build my own opinion of the game entirely free of outside influence. I was confused at first as to why I was a petal and moving around with motion controls. After having set down the game for 15 minutes to take a break I found myself wanting to pick it right back up and keep floating around. It had a level of relaxation, visual awe, and awesome interactive sound track that really tied it together as an "experience" game. It's hard for me to understand why I enjoyed this so much, because conceptually this sounds like an incredibly boring and pointless game. Once you get going it rapidly grew on me and I really appreciated what Flower is. Definitely on the short side but in retrospect I wouldn't have wanted it to be any longer. For those who haven't played, I absolutely think you should: the last level is incredibly fulfilling. Expand
  3. This is a relaxing game... So relaxing I almost fell asleep every time I played it, the game provides a novel and minimalistic but powerful meaning, somehow they managed to awaken me at the later levels when I started to understand the context of the subtle story it intends to show, so I can say that this game is special somehow but it has some issues, first of all the gameplay is controlled entirely with the sixasis feature on the ps3 controllers, making it very interesting but ultimately annoying, I hated how difficult it was forthe wind to follow my commands so every level I spent more time going back to the same areas multiple times untill I got all the flowers up, and second the music is almost too boring to actually realize the game has music going on. At the end I'm not sure if the game is worth the price I payed for it. Expand
  4. Seeing all those good reviews makes me wonder why I still look to reviews ... if I want to relaxe, I'll watch TV, play to a game with a lot of cinematics (not a FPS), play to a game like Little Big Planet ... but never I'll play this boring game, yes it's beautiful but just go outside if you want to see flowers ... top 10 of the worst game I've played. Collapse

See all 46 User Reviews