Oh, right: that awesome PS3 download, Flower.
Flower went up on the PSN games section this week and after hearing about it from one of the final 1UP Show videos, I had to check it out. It's short, but immensely satisfying.
There's so little to Flower that it's hard to know what to say. The controls are simple: press any button to create wind, and use the SIXAXIS functionality of the controller to steer. As you float around on the wind, you coax the flowers populating the field to bloom, reinvigorating the area a la Okami.
The game has this sort of Zen feeling. The sound of the wind blowing around you combined with the ambient music makes Flower a very relaxing experience, a good cool-down after a frustrating or intense gaming session.
What makes it all work so well is the amazing graphics. Blades of grass haven't been a big deal since just after the move to 3D, but Flower manages to take one of the most basic tech demo elements and turn it into a main feature. The environments sit somewhere between photorealism and hyperrealism.
On the RebelFM podcast, Nick Suttner likened the sixth and final stage to Area 5 of Rez. The comparison works well, as you start to see the pieces of what you've been doing come together. The experience of reviving and building had a positive impact for me, improving my mood long after I'd finished. Video games: My Antidepressant?
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