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Flower on PlayStation 4
Many may pass Flower as "not a game", but those are the exact boundaries that it is trying to break. There are objectives such as "collect all the flower petals" or "don't touch this black thing" but Flower is more of a piece of art than a game. Flower on PS4 is an experience that can only be recreated in a few games, such as Journey. The music is calming, the scenery is gorgeous and the story is surprisingly deep. The PS4 version is definitely the best way to experience it. It's visuals are noticeably improved and so are the controls, even if the controls are the only thing bringing it down. The game is also only about 90 minutes long. It may be a bit short, but Flower never runs out of ideas or concepts. Flower is great game that is beautiful, innovative and it delivers a great message.
In Flower, you play as the wind guiding a single petal through fields of flowers. As the petal touches more flowers, they blossom and join you as you breeze through open fields. By the end of a stage you are no more just a single flower petal floating in the wind, you are instead a petal in the middle of a majestic floral trail. You have also helped restore and create a beautiful landscape of grass, hills and flower fields. You repeat this process several times in Flower's five stages and each time they add a new feature. Whether it be restoring lights, windmills, avoiding obstacles or destroying black crystals, Flower never gets old. Flower's concept is unique, interesting and fun.
The power of the PS4 allows Flower to show off just how beautiful it is. Flower runs with 1080p resolution and 60 frames per-second performance. Everything runs smoother, and with added physics and particle effects, everything looks and moves much more naturally. Flower really is one of the most gorgeous games you can buy. The fields feature grass that sways in the wind, lights that glow in the dark and differently colored flowers that you have to collect. Flower really is a gorgeous piece of art.
The one thing that brings Flower down, are the controls. Yes, they have improved from the PS3 version, but they are still relatively annoying and break the experience. Floating around trying to find that one flower you missed, or missing a petal several times is frustrating. Especially in sections when you are travelling fast, the controls get in the way. This is unfortunate because using motion controls to control the wind is a neat idea, but is brought down by the hardware.
Even though there is no dialogue, characters or cut scenes Flower still manages to tell a deep and inspiring story. The message is clear, save the environment, but the way Flower tells that to us is amazing. There are moments when you are scared for the flower petals, moments when you are hopeful and finally, moments that make you sad. I am astounded that thatgamecompany, the developer behind Flower, has proven to the industry that you don't need explosions to have a good game, all you need is a good story. In just 90 minutes Flower told a better story than most video games could ever tell and I commend thatgamecompany for not being afraid to be different. Yes, Flower may be short but that is okay because the entire game is at such high quality.
Overall Flower is an outstanding game. The graphics look beautiful, the story is deep and it is a joy to play. Unfortunately things such as it's controls need some work, and it is a little short but it still manages to do so much more in 90 minutes than most games can do in 10 hours. Flower is a must-have PS4 game and fortunately if you purchased the PS3 version, Flower is free for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita systems. Overall I give Flower an 8.5
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