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Go with the flOw.
February 23, 2007 | 9:59 AM PSTImagine a game where there is very little in the way of instruction, a game that plays on feel and intuition. Imagine a game where there is no set objective. Imagine a game that transcends what games are believed to be. Imagine a game that will leave you spellbound with a simple elegance that is rarely seen in a video game. This game you are imagining is flOw for the PlayStation 3. Traditional game this is not, and in fact, it is better to think of flOw in terms of interactive art.
flOw has humble beginnings as a flash game that has been around the internet and back. You can even Google the name right now play the original flash game. As flOw began to gather a cult following, Sony saw an opportunity to expand their fledgling PlayStation Network platform. The difference between the two games is very slim, but with the way the PlayStation 3 version of flOw uses the SIXAXIS, it feels more natural. Like it was meant to be on the PS3. After playing the superior PS3 the flash version feels inadequate.
How Do You Classify This Kind Of Game?
There is no story, there is no plot. None of it matters. All you do is float around and evolve. At least, that is how one person can interpret it. Someone can see it as the struggle to survive in a world where you eat or get eaten, or the embodiment of loneliness as it is you versus everything. Whatever the interpretation, you let flOw take you where you want to go, not the other way around. While flOw’s premise can be up for interpretation, the way the game unfolds does not.
You start as a small being of linear nature. Like Pac-Man, you start to eat small little orbs. As you eat, you grow in length and your snake-like being grows “wings” to make it more visually interesting as you change all the time. When you have gobbled up all the eatable things on a level, you find the circle with red arrows which takes you down a level. You keep descending in what seems to be a bottomless pit. Finally, when you descend far enough in the abyss, there comes a time where you unlock another small entity and you start over again as a simple being. The overall, game is short if you rate it on the same playing field as a traditional game.
How flOw "Plays"
The graphics themselves are very artistically done. Keep in mind that the graphics were never intended to push the RSX and the CELL to the limit and for what is there, it should impress people. Even if it seems too simple, the graphics are captivating enough for you want to keep playing and see how your simple body evolves and changes in an artistic fashion. Part of what makes the graphics work is the new age music that ethereally sits on top of the entire production. The musical tones hypnotize you just as much as the graphics do. The controls for flOw are just like the rest of the game, elegantly simple. With full SIXAXIS control you will have a blast making your little organism float from side to side with the movement of your hands. There is a small learning curve when you first start to play with flOw, but after 5-10 minutes you’ll have the swing of things.
Final Thoughts
There is a problem trying to review this game, as the term “video game” doesn’t apply here. This kind of “game” should be classified as a work of interactive art. I was spellbound during my entire time with the game. I feel that more than at any other point in my gaming life, flOw is art. I felt like I was critiquing a piece of art rather than a game. flOw shouldn’t be rated along side other PSN titles like Gripshift or Q*bert. In all honesty, I believe this game should be hanging in a museum for people to interact with (SIXAXIS and all). Heck, for the price you pay for the title (it is available for $7.99), you have probably paid more to go to a museum with bad art. The entire production feels effortless, like a fine painting hung on a wall.
flOw is not for everyone. If you are the type of gamer that needs to have a defined objective and thrives on complex gameplay, look elsewhere. There is no room for middle ground, you will either love flOw or hate it. Still, if you are the least bit curious about the new budding genre of art games, the price of admission is worth it.
flOw has humble beginnings as a flash game that has been around the internet and back. You can even Google the name right now play the original flash game. As flOw began to gather a cult following, Sony saw an opportunity to expand their fledgling PlayStation Network platform. The difference between the two games is very slim, but with the way the PlayStation 3 version of flOw uses the SIXAXIS, it feels more natural. Like it was meant to be on the PS3. After playing the superior PS3 the flash version feels inadequate.
How Do You Classify This Kind Of Game?
There is no story, there is no plot. None of it matters. All you do is float around and evolve. At least, that is how one person can interpret it. Someone can see it as the struggle to survive in a world where you eat or get eaten, or the embodiment of loneliness as it is you versus everything. Whatever the interpretation, you let flOw take you where you want to go, not the other way around. While flOw’s premise can be up for interpretation, the way the game unfolds does not.
You start as a small being of linear nature. Like Pac-Man, you start to eat small little orbs. As you eat, you grow in length and your snake-like being grows “wings” to make it more visually interesting as you change all the time. When you have gobbled up all the eatable things on a level, you find the circle with red arrows which takes you down a level. You keep descending in what seems to be a bottomless pit. Finally, when you descend far enough in the abyss, there comes a time where you unlock another small entity and you start over again as a simple being. The overall, game is short if you rate it on the same playing field as a traditional game.
How flOw "Plays"
The graphics themselves are very artistically done. Keep in mind that the graphics were never intended to push the RSX and the CELL to the limit and for what is there, it should impress people. Even if it seems too simple, the graphics are captivating enough for you want to keep playing and see how your simple body evolves and changes in an artistic fashion. Part of what makes the graphics work is the new age music that ethereally sits on top of the entire production. The musical tones hypnotize you just as much as the graphics do. The controls for flOw are just like the rest of the game, elegantly simple. With full SIXAXIS control you will have a blast making your little organism float from side to side with the movement of your hands. There is a small learning curve when you first start to play with flOw, but after 5-10 minutes you’ll have the swing of things.
Final Thoughts
There is a problem trying to review this game, as the term “video game” doesn’t apply here. This kind of “game” should be classified as a work of interactive art. I was spellbound during my entire time with the game. I feel that more than at any other point in my gaming life, flOw is art. I felt like I was critiquing a piece of art rather than a game. flOw shouldn’t be rated along side other PSN titles like Gripshift or Q*bert. In all honesty, I believe this game should be hanging in a museum for people to interact with (SIXAXIS and all). Heck, for the price you pay for the title (it is available for $7.99), you have probably paid more to go to a museum with bad art. The entire production feels effortless, like a fine painting hung on a wall.
flOw is not for everyone. If you are the type of gamer that needs to have a defined objective and thrives on complex gameplay, look elsewhere. There is no room for middle ground, you will either love flOw or hate it. Still, if you are the least bit curious about the new budding genre of art games, the price of admission is worth it.
November 20, 2009
