After seeing the first images of ThatGameCompany's flower I became obsessed. Not because the gameplay looked fantastic, and not because I was a massive fan of flOw, but because I had absolutely, positively no idea what it was. A flower petal game? The dreams of a flower? Really? I was perplexed; which was made worse when the first trailer made it look like a wind simulation, though I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be. Well, it is, but don't worry - that’s actually a good thing.

flower is much less of an abstract game than flOw was. You control petals, which fly through the wind controlled by the Sixaxis's motion. Passing through closed buds awakens them, and most of the gameplay revolves around finding and blooming flowers; a fairy easy concept to wrap your head around. Areas of dead grass bloom when the flowers are revived, resulting in a wonderful bloom effect straight out of Okami or Prince of Persia. It’s simple, but strangely elegant, and is enough of a gameplay element that it should thwart naysayers from insulting the game’s hardcore appeal. There’s a game here, and it isn’t as hidden as early trailers tried to make it appear. The level I played wasn't entirely difficult, and I'm pretty sure I couldn't really "lose," but it's fair to say that with a game like this, we are beyond such terms, right?



Controls are remarkably easy to grasp, and only require use of the X button and Sixaxis’s motion. Holding down X blows the wind forward, and tilting the controller steers the ever-growing train of flower petals. As more flowers are bloomed, your trail becomes longer. It’s nothing deep, but the simple concept, along with the game's outstanding beauty, make it a fascinating exercise in relaxation. Grass is blown around as you approach, flowers sway in the wind, and the entire presentation looks utterly remarkable. It's colorful, but not unrealistically so. I'm sure there's a field somwhere in the world as wonderful as the one in the game, just because I haven't seen it doesn't mean I should write it off as fantasy.

Sony was demoing two levels at their showing: one set in a grassy field and another on a highway. Yeah, a highway. The sheer variety in the game’s different landscapes is my new obsession with flower, and I can’t wait to explore more of its colorful, interesting world. 

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