Art game genre

Lore & Background

Flower is divided into six main levels and one credits level. Each level is represented by a flower in a pot on a city apartment windowsill, and upon selecting one the player is taken to the 'dream' of that flower. The six flower dreams follow a narrative arc. The player's starting location in each stage appears to be near the ending location of the previous one, and through the course of the game the player approaches a distant city. The first levels focus on restoring life and color to the landscape. After activating a series of windmills, the player flies through a nighttime field, illuminating darkened strings of lights until they reach the city. The city is full of menacing metal structures similar to lattice towers, small arcs of electricity, and washed-out buildings; the player enlivens the city in the final two levels and transforms it into a bright and cheerful place. As the player progresses, the city viewed through the apartment window in the level selection screen gradually becomes more vibrant and colorful. If the player triggers three secret flowers in each level, the cityscape is replaced with a bright field with mountains in the background.

Reader's Guide

Inside a level, the player controls the wind as it blows a single flower petal through the air. Changes in the pitch and roll of the floating petal are accomplished by tilting the PlayStation 3 controller. Pressing any button blows the wind harder, which in turn moves the petal faster. The camera generally follows just behind the petal, though it sometimes moves to show a new objective or consequence of the player's actions. Groups and lines of flowers are present in each level; approaching these with the petal causes them to bloom and a new petal to trail the first. When the player approaches certain flowers or groups of flowers, changes are made to the game world, including opening new areas, transforming dead grassy areas to bright green fields, or activating wind turbines. Flying through each flower results in a musical chime that harmonizes with the music. The more flower petals the player has trailing the lead petal, the faster the petals move. It is impossible for the player to lose a level or any progress. The game features no enemies, hit points, or time limits. A single play-through takes approximately one hour. The credits level is played similarly, but as the player flies through each flower the name of a person involved in the game appears above it. Flower includes PlayStation Network trophies; while some are objective-based, many are centered on relaxing and watching the scenery.

Did You Know?

• Flower was primarily intended to arouse positive emotions in the player, rather than to be a challenging and 'fun' game.
• The music, composed by Vincent Diamante, dynamically responds to the player's actions and corresponds with the emotional cues in the game.
• Flower was named the 'best independent game of 2009' at the Spike Video Game Awards and won the 'Casual Game of the Year' award by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.
• The development team spent three quarters of the two-year development time in the prototyping stage.