E3 08 Hands-On Preview: Flower

If I were to tell you that one of the most surprisingly fun games at Sony’s E3 showcase had you playing as the wind and guiding a swarm of pedals in a flower’s dream, would you believe me? Well you better, because Flower is an upcoming PSN game that is a fun, soothing and relaxing game with extremely simple controls.

From the same makers of the PSN title flOw, thatgamecompany, Flower is different from most traditional video games offering extremely simple controls and gameplay, and at the same time allowing players to progress at their own pace.

As the game first started, I was in an apartment with a view of two different flowerpots, each with a different colored flower, one red and the other yellow. These two flowers were the two different levels you could choose from. Red being my favorite color, I chose the red flower and the game took me to a luscious landscape with a lonely red pedal in the middle of the screen. I was now in the flower’s dream.

The level I played was a beautiful grassland environment, but many spots in the grass were colorless or grey. The point of the game initially is to guide the lead pedal and accumulate a swarm of other flower pedals as you go along through the environment. Once you’ve collected enough pedals and swept through a number of flowers, the grey areas in the environment will fill with color.

By just pressing one button and using the Sixaxis motion controls, you can control the wind that guides the flower pedal from one flower to another. Every time you get to another flower, more pedals will be collected by the gust of wind your controlling and a trail of oncoming flowers will be formed. Although the goals and objectives for each level are different, the main purpose of the game is to get rid of all the grey and colorless spots, and make the environment as fresh as it can be.

The game might not sound all that thrilling, but for some reason it really caught my attention and a big reason for that was the music. Anyone who played the game at the showcase had to put headphones on to really get the full presentation of the game. The music is a smooth and relaxing melody that just keeps you flowing along as you guide your swarm of pedals through the level at your own pace and rhythm.

As soon as I put the headphones on and started playing Flower, I was immediately pulled in by the game’s beautiful, bright and colorful environments, which seem to take the lead role in the is game. The vivid landscapes, along with the soothing music, just kept me stuck at the game, until I finished the level and, sadly, had to give up the controller.

A fun and unique game, Flower is both a visual and audio escape from the norm and is definitely one game to look out for on the PS3. No release date has been announced, so check back with us to get more details as they become available in the future.