Globe and Mail game reporter goes head over heels for new PlayStation Network release Flower.
"...Flower is an innovative, serene, and wholly delightful interactive experience. It suggests that lonely urban flowers spend their final moments before blooming dreaming of what it might be like to float on breezes over far-off fields. Players take control of this dream, guiding at first one petal, then dozens, and eventually hundreds by directing a digital draught that sends them flittering through meadows and canyons, causing other flowers to bloom, bringing colour to yellow and grey swaths of grassland, and even restoring power to dead wind turbines.
There is no heads up display, no lives to lose, no points to be won. Players simply tilt and turn Sony's motion sensitive SIXAXIS controller to control the direction from which the breeze blows, and press a single button-any button-to alter the wind's strength. It's a brilliant achievement in accessible and intuitive interface design.
What's more, the graphics are stunning. In the later moments of most stages there are hundreds-perhaps even a thousand-colourful flower petals moving through the air at any given time. And when I sent my breeze low to the ground it pushed aside hundreds of individual blades of grass like a more tranquil version of Charlton Heston parting the Red Sea. The score, composed of a series of gentle, flowing orchestral movements, completes the game's perfectly calming atmosphere...."
KnowTechie writes: Looking for some games to play that are meant to be a relaxing experience? We've got you covered with 10 games worth checking out.
Great recommendations, I love all the games listed that I've played so far. Going a bit stir-crazy with the constant WFH during this time. Thanks!!
Nelia writes: "Spring is nearly here and to celebrate we've put together a list of some of the best Springtime video games for the upcoming season."
WTMG's Leo Faria: "Flower is a gorgeous, well-crafted and relaxing game, but I have to say, I don’t get the massive love towards it. Its “story”, if you can call it that, is far from deep and thought-provoking as some say it is, its duration is borderline insulting for its asking price, and it just doesn’t motivate you to replay it after you’re done with its half a dozen levels. Sadly, Flower isn’t as meaty as it should be. A fair point in a way, given it’s a game about plants…"
