Flower (video game)
A spiritual successor to Flow, focusing on positive emotions.
Flower is a PlayStation 3 title from developer Thatgamecompany and publisher Sony Computer Entertainment. Released on the PlayStation Network in February 2009, it was designed by Jenova Chen and Nicholas Clark. The game was conceived as a spiritual successor to Chen and Thatgamecompany’s earlier game, Flow. In Flower, players guide a flower petal through the air by tilting the controller, with the wind as their primary tool. Flying close to other flowers adds more petals to the player’s trail, and approaching certain flowers can alter the game world—turning dead fields vibrant or activating wind turbines. The game has no text or dialogue, telling its story through visuals and emotional cues. Its primary goal was to evoke positive feelings rather than challenge or entertain in a traditional sense, a focus sparked by Chen’s belief that games should prioritize the emotions they stir. The team treated the project as art, cutting any gameplay elements that didn’t provoke the intended response. Vincent Diamante composed a dynamic score that reacts to player actions and matches the game’s emotional beats. Flower surprised its developers by becoming a critical hit, praised for its music, visuals, and unique emotional experience. It won Best Independent Game at the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards and Casual Game of the Year from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.
The game consists of six main levels and a credits level, each represented by a flower in a pot on a city windowsill. Selecting a flower enters its “dream.” Players control the wind by tilting the controller, and pressing any button makes the petal move faster. The camera follows the petal but occasionally shifts to show objectives or consequences. Groups of flowers bloom and add trailing petals when approached. Interacting with certain flowers opens new areas, transforms dead grass into green fields, or activates wind turbines, which in turn sprout new flowers. Each flower produces a musical chime that harmonizes with the dynamically adjusting soundtrack. More trailing petals increase speed. There are no enemies, hit points, or time limits, and players cannot lose progress. A full play-through takes about an hour.
Though the game has no speech or text beyond credits and menu hints, the six dreams follow a narrative arc.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Flower
- Developer
- ThatgamecompanySupervision and support by Santa Monica Studio. Ported to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita by Bluepoint Games, and to iOS and Windows by Inline Assembly Ltd.
- Publisher
- Sony Computer Entertainment · Annapurna Interactive (iOS, PC)
- Director
- Jenova Chen
- Designer
- Nicholas Clark
- Composer
- Vincent Diamante
- Engine
- PhyreEngine
- Genre
- Adventure, art game
- Modes
- Single-player
- Platforms
- PlayStation 3 · PlayStation Vita · PlayStation 4 · iOS · Microsoft Windows
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Flower was developed as a spiritual successor to Flow, a 2006 Flash game by Jenova Chen and Nicholas Clark while they were students at the University of Southern California. It was Thatgamecompany's first game outside the safety net of academia. The game was first announced at the Tokyo Game Show on September 24, 2007, and released on the PlayStation Network on February 12, 2009. Six to nine people were involved at varying stages of development. Chen, co-founder of Thatgamecompany with Kellee Santiago, served as creative director, while Clark was lead designer. Chen described the game as an interactive poem exploring the tension between urban and nature. The development team commissioned two pieces of music before beginning work to inspire the right emotional tone. They created several prototypes, including concepts focused on growing flowers and human consciousness, ultimately choosing a prototype centered on petals floating in the wind. The team spent three-quarters of the two-year development time in prototyping, producing the final game in only six months. The game's focus on emotions was sparked by Chen, who felt the primary purpose of entertainment products was the feelings they evoked. The team viewed their efforts as creating a work of art, removing gameplay elements that did not provoke the desired response. Santa Monica Studio contracted with Bluepoint Games to create ports for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, released in November 2013. An iOS version was released in September 2017, and a Windows version in February 2019, both published by Annapurna Interactive.
Reader's Guide
Flower was primarily intended to arouse positive emotions in the player, rather than to be a challenging and fun game. This focus was sparked by Chen, who felt that the emotional range of most games was very limited. The team viewed their efforts as creating a work of art, removing gameplay elements and mechanics that were not provoking the desired response. The music, composed by Vincent Diamante, dynamically responds to the player's actions and corresponds with emotional cues. Reviewers praised the game's music, visuals, and gameplay, calling it a unique and compelling emotional experience. The game won the best independent game of 2009 at the Spike Video Game Awards and the Casual Game of the Year award from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. The game features no text or dialogue, forming a narrative arc through visual representation and emotional cues. It is impossible for the player to lose a level or any progress, as there are no enemies, hit points, or time limits. A single play-through takes approximately one hour. The game includes PlayStation Network trophies, some objective-based but many centered on relaxing and watching the scenery.
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