flOw (for PSP) Game by SuperVillain Studios/THATGAMECOMPANY Reviewed by Philip Wesley Size: 90MegaBytes Save: 1 Slot Released: 2008 Works with: PSP/1000/2000/3000/GO (Downloadable Title) ESRB Rated: E Rating Descriptions: Mild Animated Violence Quick Opinion: Own **************************************************************************** Opening Snide Remarks: ...life could be simple This is really a weird game and the opening snide remarks are going to be short for this one. This game is an experimental game, which means it is more about "art" or "experience" than anything else. **************************************************************************** Gameplay Description: There are six "levels" and you play as a different creature in each of them. The concept is very simple: move your creature around and eat things around you. As you eat more things, your creature becomes larger. You can keep going deeper into a level and finding larger things for your creature to eat. You "win" a level when you go down as far as you can go. There are no points awarded, you can not die, and you get smaller if other creatures start eating you. Each of the creatures has a different ability and a different way of eating things around it. That is really all there is to the game. I know, it does sound ridiculously dull. However, this is not the case. The game has a unique system where it tends to get harder or easier depending on how much of a "fight" you put up in your eating habits. If you eat more aggressively than the game gets harder as you go deeper. You go deeper by eating the RED egg in each section. You can go back by eating the BLUE egg. As you go deeper, the atmosphere of the level can get more and more tense. Gameplay is as challenging as you make it. Liked: Interesting, but simple concept of eat or be eaten. It can get much very tense when you are trying to eat the parts of some screen filling monstrosity that is trying to eat you. These tense moments do happen and they are beautiful in their ferocity. Hated: The game tends to give out only what the player puts into it. This means that some people will become very easily bored by the game. **************************************************************************** Graphics Description: The world of flOw is about microscopic organisms that live in what appears to be water. As you swim, you can catch vague outlines of creatures below you. The larger you become, the more extravagant your creature starts to look. The larger the enemies, the further away you can see them, so the game tends to build up anticipation for facing off against these larger, more delicious creatures. Everything looks like those pictures of ameobas or bacteria and that is just wonderful. The animation is very fluid and helps to create a great atmosphere for the title. Each "creature" has a different way that they see the world. Because of this, the areas change to different hues to match each creature. This adds to the tension in the game and looks beautifully abstract in motion. The game feels like an art piece. Liked: It is very artistic and easy to visually understand. Hated: It is also very simplistic. **************************************************************************** Sound/Music Description: The game has some interesting music and sound to it. When you eat something, there are little sparse notes that sound. This helps to complement the almost SquareWave Ambience that the game has for music. In some areas, I can not decide if the music is supposed to be soothing or distressing. It perfectly conveys the feeling that the game can go either way in difficulty. You just have to be pretty open to it. This is a game where you need to be relaxed to properly integrate into the experience of playing it. This would probably be the type of game that Timothy Leary was hoping people were making. The sound and music helps the overall experience greatly. Play this one with a good set of headphones. Liked: Distressing and relaxing music that adds to the unique feeling of the game. Perfectly blends between the ease of eating smaller creatures and the furious Hell of being locked in a death battle with a creature that does not even fit on your screen properly. Hated: If you're tired, this game music will also knock you out. **************************************************************************** Play Control/Game Design: Let me quote the digital instruction manual for flOw. "go with the flOw... use the analog stick to move press any button for a boost press start to pause turn your WLAN switch on to play with friends" That is the entire instruction manual. The game easy to control, has a variety of creatures to use, and has variable difficulty. The design of the game is where it both excels and falls short. When you first try it out and get hooked, you will probably complete the whole game shortly afterwards. The entire experience of the game will be great and fun. However, the game is very short and has no replay value. Once you are done, there is nothing more to this experience other than that initial playthrough. Liked: An interesting experience with simple controls. Hated: This game is short, pretentious, and has no replay value. **************************************************************************** Improve: A few more creatures would be nice. RIYL: Art. **************************************************************************** Final Words: Allow me to paraphrase Timothy Leary in my review. Press Play, Move Forward, Eat Things. It really is that simple. This is a bizzare experience and it is pretty inexpensive on Play Station Network. So, I suggest you check it out if you are even remotely curious about it. It may be, dare I say it, a mind expanding experience. **************************************************************************** Score Gameplay: *** Graphics: **** Sound/Music: **** Play Control/Game Design: *** Value: **** Star Total: 54 Personal Opinion Merit: 18 Final Score: 72% Letter Grade: B ****************************************************************************