The tagline for flOw is, "...life could be simple". This game is all about the experience and curiosity of being a microscopic organism in a pool of water. Don't worry, it is much more fun then it sounds. flOw keeps you wanting to dive just a little deeper into it's aquatic world with it's mixture of intuitive controls, gorgeous visuals and a haunting musical score.
flOw is based around one very simple idea; swim around and let your character eat other life forms, some of which will help you evolve, other's will cause damage. You begin as the most basic organism; an over-sized mouth with a few pieces holding everything together. The more you eat the more you grow, and the more fascinating your creature becomes.
There are two very specific edible creatures, one red and one blue. The red creature will send you one level deeper, while the blue will send you up to the previous level. The whole experience is about exploration; the environment and characters change dramatically the deeper you go. As the light fades away, the creatures of the deep illuminate their world themselves. Vivid colors will engulf your body as you eat these creatures, creating a spectacular light show.
Using the PlayStation 3 SIXAXIS is very intuitive when controlling your character. Tilt it ever so slightly in any direction, and that's the way it will move. Hold the controller level and it will stay still. Hit any button and it will cause your character to boost forward a little, or activate it's defenses, depending on what character you are playing as. The controls can be a little hard to get used to in the beginning, but once you get the feel for them, you will be navigating the oceanic world with ease. It's these controls that lend to the overall relaxing feeling you get from playing this title.
One of the most accessible features of flOw is the fact that you cannot die. Creatures that inflict damage on you take away your life, visualized by bright spots on your body. The more you eat, the more life you have as you venture deeper into the darkness. Once you run out of life, you are sent to the previous level, to eat some more, regain more health, then try again.
Once you reach the deepest part of the aquatic world, your newly evolved character will release a version of itself that is now playable at anytime. There are six characters in all, each with their own unique skills like a sudden boost in speed, or one that can poison other creatures to then make eating them easier.
The soundtrack is one of the most engaging elements in the game. It's soothing hypnotic instrumentals play softly in the background, while most actions on screen are accompanied by instrumental sounds. After a while, you feel like you are conducting an orchestra inside this tiny microcosm.
The origins of flOw being with a thesis project by Jenova Chen. His Flash version of the game gained such critical acclaim that after Sony acquired flOw, they commissioned his new company to create three more PlayStation 3 exclusive titles. Sony has done a wonderful job providing numerous reasons to pay for a game that you can already play online. The most important of them is just how gorgeous flOw looks in HD 1080p. You can play the original Flash version of flOwhere.
With everything that makes this a great game, there are a few drawbacks. The game is simple, but it certainly could be to simple for most gamers. It is also very short, lasting about an hour to unlock all six creatures. The upside is that this little game definitely has replay value, so that once all your organisms are unlocked, you will want to venture even deeper into the abyss.
flOw feels like you are taking part in a science experiment, seeing first hand what survival looks like on a microscopic level. It offers the most basic pleasures many games frequently over-look, and priced at $7.99 on the PlayStation Network Store, this is definitely a title worth checking out.
RANKING: 9 out of 10
Interestingly, the original title of this game was "Dude, I Totally Fed My PS3 Some Acid and I Think It's Freaking Out: Vol. 1". But seriously, if Sir David Attenborough doesn't narrate the game, I'm not buying it.
I want this damn game! Now, the question in my mind is this: Is this game worth $508? I think it might be. I don't own a PS3, but now I want one...really, really bad.
The tagline for flOw is, "...life could be simple". This game is all about the experience and curiosity of being a microscopic organism in a pool of water. Don't worry, it is much more fun then it sounds. flOw keeps you wanting to dive just a little deeper into it's aquatic world with it's mixture of intuitive controls, gorgeous visuals and a haunting musical score.
flOw is based around one very simple idea; swim around and let your character eat other life forms, some of which will help you evolve, other's will cause damage. You begin as the most basic organism; an over-sized mouth with a few pieces holding everything together. The more you eat the more you grow, and the more fascinating your creature becomes.
There are two very specific edible creatures, one red and one blue. The red creature will send you one level deeper, while the blue will send you up to the previous level. The whole experience is about exploration; the environment and characters change dramatically the deeper you go. As the light fades away, the creatures of the deep illuminate their world themselves. Vivid colors will engulf your body as you eat these creatures, creating a spectacular light show.
Using the PlayStation 3 SIXAXIS is very intuitive when controlling your character. Tilt it ever so slightly in any direction, and that's the way it will move. Hold the controller level and it will stay still. Hit any button and it will cause your character to boost forward a little, or activate it's defenses, depending on what character you are playing as. The controls can be a little hard to get used to in the beginning, but once you get the feel for them, you will be navigating the oceanic world with ease. It's these controls that lend to the overall relaxing feeling you get from playing this title.
One of the most accessible features of flOw is the fact that you cannot die. Creatures that inflict damage on you take away your life, visualized by bright spots on your body. The more you eat, the more life you have as you venture deeper into the darkness. Once you run out of life, you are sent to the previous level, to eat some more, regain more health, then try again.
Once you reach the deepest part of the aquatic world, your newly evolved character will release a version of itself that is now playable at anytime. There are six characters in all, each with their own unique skills like a sudden boost in speed, or one that can poison other creatures to then make eating them easier.
The soundtrack is one of the most engaging elements in the game. It's soothing hypnotic instrumentals play softly in the background, while most actions on screen are accompanied by instrumental sounds. After a while, you feel like you are conducting an orchestra inside this tiny microcosm.
The origins of flOw being with a thesis project by Jenova Chen. His Flash version of the game gained such critical acclaim that after Sony acquired flOw, they commissioned his new company to create three more PlayStation 3 exclusive titles. Sony has done a wonderful job providing numerous reasons to pay for a game that you can already play online. The most important of them is just how gorgeous flOw looks in HD 1080p. You can play the original Flash version of flOw here.
With everything that makes this a great game, there are a few drawbacks. The game is simple, but it certainly could be to simple for most gamers. It is also very short, lasting about an hour to unlock all six creatures. The upside is that this little game definitely has replay value, so that once all your organisms are unlocked, you will want to venture even deeper into the abyss.
flOw feels like you are taking part in a science experiment, seeing first hand what survival looks like on a microscopic level. It offers the most basic pleasures many games frequently over-look, and priced at $7.99 on the PlayStation Network Store, this is definitely a title worth checking out.
RANKING: 9 out of 10
Is this a game?
I lost the game.
Interestingly, the original title of this game was "Dude, I Totally Fed My PS3 Some Acid and I Think It's Freaking Out: Vol. 1". But seriously, if Sir David Attenborough doesn't narrate the game, I'm not buying it.
I want this damn game! Now, the question in my mind is this: Is this game worth $508? I think it might be. I don't own a PS3, but now I want one...really, really bad.
looks soo cool.
Maybe a Xbox Live Marketplace release would be nice :P
I thought it was boring and pointless......then I realized I had been playing it for three hours. Definitely worth 8 bucks.