Flower

Developer: thatgamecompany | Publisher: Annapurna Interactive | Release Date: 2019 (PC) | Genre: Casual / Adventure / Relaxation | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

Games usually place players in control of soldiers, adventurers, vehicles, or other clearly defined protagonists. Flower takes a more unusual approach by giving players control of the wind as it carries a single flower petal across fields, valleys, and increasingly hostile environments. It is a simple idea that results in a relaxing and often beautiful experience, although it is also an extremely short one.

Flower was originally released for the PlayStation 3 in 2009 before eventually making its way to PC a decade later. It was created by thatgamecompany, the studio that would later become even better known for Journey. Anyone familiar with Journey will recognize the same emphasis on atmosphere, minimal storytelling, and emotion over traditional challenge. However, Flower is even more stripped down and abstract, with no dialogue, inventory, combat, or conventional protagonist.

The game opens in a dreary city apartment where several potted flowers sit on a windowsill. Selecting one of these flowers transports players into its dream, which serves as one of the game’s levels. From there, players guide a petal through the environment, causing other flowers to bloom as they pass. Each flower that opens adds another petal to the trail, and before long the lonely starting petal becomes the head of a colorful stream flowing through the air.

The controls are deliberately simple. Players steer the wind in the desired direction and hold a button to create a stronger gust that increases speed. The PC version supports traditional input as well as motion controls for compatible devices. In practice, the controls take a little time to become accustomed to because the petal does not move with the precision of a traditional character. It glides, banks, and drifts with momentum, which fits the concept but can sometimes make lining up with small clusters of flowers more awkward than expected.

Fortunately, Flower is not designed as a demanding action game. There are no lives, scores, enemies to defeat, or traditional game-over screens. Players can move through each environment at their own pace and simply enjoy the sensation of sweeping across the landscape. Missing a group of flowers only means circling around for another attempt, so there is virtually no pressure.

The primary objective in each level is to bloom enough flowers to alter the environment and open the route forward. Some flowers are arranged in lines that encourage players to follow a particular route, while others appear in groups that activate changes in the world. Fields turn green, dead vegetation comes back to life, machinery begins operating, and previously inaccessible areas open up. These transformations are often the most satisfying part of the game, as dull or damaged landscapes become filled with color and movement.

Although the gameplay remains broadly similar throughout, each level introduces a different setting or variation on the central mechanic. The opening stages are peaceful and take place across rolling green fields, but later areas become darker and more industrial. Electrical pylons, ruined structures, and hostile-looking city environments gradually replace the idyllic countryside. Flower never explains its story through dialogue or text, but the contrast between nature and urban development makes its themes clear enough.

The game is often described as an interactive poem, which is probably the most accurate way to view it. There is a narrative arc, but it is communicated entirely through changes in tone, scenery, color, and music. Players are free to interpret the specifics for themselves, but the broader themes revolve around restoring harmony between nature and the artificial world.

This approach works well for the most part, although Flower can sometimes feel less like a traditional game and more like a guided audiovisual experience. The challenge is extremely limited, and players who need mechanical depth, puzzles, or complex goals may become bored. The controls also become more frustrating in the darker levels, where avoiding certain hazards requires more precision than the loose steering always provides.

Flower contains six main levels, along with an interactive credits sequence. The entire journey can comfortably be completed in a few hours, and experienced players may reach the ending even faster. This makes the game interesting but very short. It does not outstay its welcome, but anyone expecting a substantial adventure may feel that the experience ends just as it is beginning to expand on its ideas.

There are some reasons to return after completing the game. Each level contains hidden flowers that can be discovered by exploring away from the most obvious route. Finding these provides additional petals for the apartment flower and contributes toward achievements. Players can also replay stages simply to experience the environments again without feeling the need to follow every objective. However, the limited number of levels means replay value is still fairly modest.

Visually, Flower remains attractive despite its age. Large fields of grass sway in response to the wind, flower petals trail behind the player in long colorful streams, and entire landscapes shift from muted shades to vibrant greens and yellows. The environments are simple compared to modern open-world games, but the strong art direction prevents them from feeling lifeless.

The contrast between the natural and urban areas is particularly effective. The early stages are bright, warm, and inviting, while the later ones introduce darker skies, twisted metal, and cold artificial lighting. Watching these environments gradually transform gives the game a visual sense of progression without relying on new equipment or abilities.

The PC version allows Flower to run at higher resolutions than its original PlayStation 3 release, which helps the landscapes and particle effects remain appealing on modern displays. The grass and flower animations can occasionally look a little repetitive up close, but players are generally moving too quickly to notice.

Audio is every bit as important as the visuals. Each flower produces a musical note when it blooms, allowing player movement to become part of the soundtrack. Sweeping through a long line of flowers creates a sequence of notes that blends naturally with the background music. This makes exploration feel almost like conducting a gentle audiovisual performance.

The soundtrack begins with soft piano, acoustic instruments, and restrained orchestral sounds before becoming more dramatic alongside the changing environments. Music reacts to what is happening on screen instead of simply looping unchanged in the background. The result is soothing during the peaceful stages and appropriately tense during the darker parts of the journey.

There is no voice acting, which suits the experience perfectly. Flower relies entirely on music, wind, environmental sounds, and visual storytelling. Adding spoken exposition would likely have undermined the quiet and interpretive nature of the game.

The minimalist design makes Flower accessible to players who might not normally play games. There are hardly any buttons to remember, no complicated interface, and no punishment for moving slowly or exploring. This makes it ideal for anyone looking for something relaxing after a stressful day. However, the same simplicity limits its appeal for players who want challenge or more substantial interaction.

Compared to Journey, Flower feels more like an early experiment in the same style of emotional design. Journey features a stronger sense of progression, a more memorable world, and anonymous multiplayer interactions that add another dimension to the experience. Flower is more modest, but its ability to communicate ideas without words and transform simple movement into something expressive is still impressive.

Overall, Flower is a relaxing and visually appealing experience that remains unusual even many years after its original release. Gliding through fields and causing flowers to bloom is simple but satisfying, while the dynamic music and environmental changes give the journey emotional weight. The loose controls can occasionally become awkward, and the game is over very quickly, but it succeeds at providing a peaceful escape from more demanding titles.