The PlayStation’s Flower power

Yesterday, I bought Flower for the PS3 and played it through in one sitting (the game is really short but still, couldn’t get my hands off the controller once I started).

This game is one of the best things I’ve seen in gaming this year. It’s beautiful, poetic, more contemplative experience than game. There is not the shadow of a doubt that this thing is art. What really interested me was the way it tells a story without a word. I’m convinced that the acceptance of video games (or any medium) as art is conditioned by its ability to find storytelling methods that are unique to it and that are impossible to reproduce outside of it. Flower is one of those games that do exactly that.

There are many things I dislike about the PS3, but one has to admit Sony knows how to produce original, quirky and high-profile games (Patapon, LocoRoco and Pain are other examples).

Flower is well worth your $9.99 but you have to be aware it will last only about two hours.