Reviews// Flower

Frankly, it was really refreshing to play something so simple and intuitive. There's no tutorial in Flower – it doesn't need one. The instructions literally extend to an animation showing you to tilt the controller and the suggestion that you hold a button. That minimalism extends to the rest of the game, too. No introductions, almost no text, just a level-entry screen that consists of Flowers in pots inside a sparse apartment and the levels themselves.

As I said, there's no story. There's a narrative of sorts – as you play through you get ever closer to an urban landscape that is enriched and enlivened by your actions until you get to a point that's not unlike de Blob, with colour being added to a broken and graying cityscape as you go.

Fundamentally, though, the game is an exercise in breezily transporting you across a beautiful landscape and chilling you the Ommm out. It looks superb, with rich and varied landscapes. It sounds great, with a lush, rich score. At the risk of whipping out a contradiction, it's Zen in the extreme.

So yes – you might describe Flower as a sissy-boy game – it's about as far as you could ever hope to get on a games console from the testosterone-fuelled likes of Killzone 2 or Gears of War.

It's kind of like Sonic the Flower as you flow through the landscape, taking in as many items (Flower petals) as you can.

If you want to be a bit poncy, the pacing and feeling of calm you get playing through Flower isn't dissimilar from a Murakami novel.

And if anything's going to prove a system-seller of PS3s to hippies, it's Flower.

For me, what Flower really is is a hangover game. Perfect for Sunday mornings when your brain's trying to pound its way through your eardrums. Just sit down and feel waves of serenity wash over you. You'll look like Bill Bailey after he swallowed The Little Book of Calm in no time...

If there's a complaint to be made against Flower, it's that it's a bit insubstantial. I played through it in something like two hours - and I took the scenic route. After paying £6.29, you might not feel like you've got too much bang for your buck.


SPOnG Score: 86%

Flower is a well-crafted, relaxing break from the stomach-swilling speeds of many contemporary games. Playing it is somewhat akin to sitting in a warm bath and smoking a quarter of the green stuff. It's let down only by its brevity. Like the life of a grasshopper or something. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to write a haiku...