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If this console generation has proven anything, it is that video games are no longer just digital comfort food for the socially maladjusted. An indie developer revolution is burgeoning, fueled in large part by the DLC market. Publishers are becoming much more willing to take gambles on new ideas; a pleasing side-effect of the lessened risk of the digital distribution model. Smaller teams are getting a chance to take games into exciting new places. The idea of what a video game is or isn't has become subject to evolution. While we've enjoyed this generation's blockbuster titles as much as anyone, it's difficult not to come away energized by the new directions some of the bolder indie developers are taking video games.
Flower, the new muse of flOw creator Jenova Chen and his team at thatgamecompany, is representative of the innovative ways that arthouse developers are conceiving games. flOw, a game that perhaps can best be described as an 'aquatic evolution simulator,' has remained one of the more popular games available on PSN. In addition, thatgamecompany has contracted with Sony for two more games, the first of which is Flower.
Flower is a game of almost staggering simplicity. It begins with a single houseplant, sitting in a window overlooking a dingy, postindustrial city. An icon appears onscreen, directing the player to use the Sixaxis functionality of the PS3 controller to center the camera on the plant, which droops forlornly towards the soil of its pot, its bud clenched tightly closed, seemingly in an attempt to shut out the blight around it. A press of a button begins the game, the viewpoint entering into the apparent 'dream' of the plant. The depressing grays melt away to reveal the downtrodden flower now in an expansive field. When a single flower petal drifts up from it, the game play is initiated. There is never any clear indication what the player is supposed to do, because Flower is, above all, a game that respects intelligence and problem solving.
The game largely consists of controlling the wind, by which players direct a growing throng of flower petals, collected as the wind moves across the landscape. As the wind touches more flowers, and completes circuits over groupings and patterns of additional targets, the level is transformed from a dry, withered environment into a verdant utopia. Players will use the regenerative power of the wind to heal trees, to remove snarled and twisted power lines, and reverse the industrialized corruption afflicting the land.
All of this may sound unexciting. Trust me, it isn't. The effect of riding the wind in a kind of quasi first-person perspective is nothing less than exhilarating. It is akin to a flight simulator, yet all of the action takes place relatively close to the ground. The motion-based controls are quite intuitive, and represent perhaps the best Sixaxis implementation seen yet in a game. After a few minutes of getting used to the control scheme, players will gain enough confidence to perform the swoops, plunges, and tight u-turns required to hit the flowers on a single pass. The piano and synth driven soundtrack provides an ethereal and at times exuberant mood to the proceedings, and the player participates in the soundtrack as each successful pass over a flower grouping adds chimes and embellishments to the music. The game makes it feel somehow possible to feel both relaxed and thrilled at the same time.
The graphics impress as well. While there isn't anything special about the textures (forgivable considering the small development team and budget), the rendering takes advantage of the PS3's processing power to individually animate each blade of grass and flower that you pass over. The lighting is also well executed, adding brightness to the natural environments. Overall, the visuals are quite exceptional, especially for a ten dollar game. The watercolor-style cut scenes between levels, which show the regenerative narrative of the city's revival from dystopia to paradise, are also finely drawn. 
Some gamers will come away alienated by Flower's rejection of common video game conventions. There is no numerical score, nor are there multipliers for hitting consecutive lines of targets, and of course, no deaths or game over screens. As in last year's Prince of Persia, there really isn't any way to lose. Yet players willing to meet the developers halfway will find that the game finds other ways to create the sense of emotional risk: Players will find themselves wanting to awaken every flower, even if that means wheeling around mid-flight to pick up missed targets. And the sense of accomplishment that comes from healing incremental sections of the landscape makes up for the real lack of difficulty.
The only serious criticism concerns the game's length: It will take most gamers only 2-3 hours to experience everything the game's six levels have to offer. Additionally, some of the later levels have more of an on-the-rails feel that is less enjoyable than the freedom offered by the earlier, more expansive levels. Despite these qualms, Flower is a great value at its modest price point, and Trophy support should extend the longevity of the title for many players. We only obtained a small percentage of the Trophies on our initial playthrough.
In summation, although it isn't perfect, Flower represents some of the best innovation gaming currently has to offer. Its underlying themes are powerfully envisioned, and comment on such issues as environmental responsibility, propagation, and regeneration. No longer content to remain a popcorn medium, the new thrust in gaming finds itself engaged in the concerns of mass society. Games like Flower demonstrate that the industry is growing up. Artistic vision and revolutionary game play mechanics make the game an easy recommendation for PS3 owners looking for something other than the norm.
