Flower

It's a very unique experience, as I'm quite sure many would deem this one pretty boring. There is, however, something so relaxing and comforting in flying through beautiful landscapes, changing the environment with our sole presence. The game has really nice sound effects, but personally I'd recommend putting our own music in the background (something to make it even more epic!). Overall, very nice game!
Do get it when it's on sale, though!

CAP YOUR FRAMES TO 60!

The whole game I was having performance and control issues that seemed extremely out of place, considering every video I've ever seen of the game made it seem so smooth and intuitive to control. It wasn't until I was looking into fixing a crash at the very end of the credits that was stopping me from getting an achievement that I found out why it was so far off of what I expected. Capping my frames not only fixed the crash, but it also made the game run significantly better and control buttery smooth.

Apart from that issue, this game is quite relaxing. With a wonderful art style and calming music, I found myself zoning out and just enjoying the ride. This game is at its best when you are just going with the flow and not trying too hard. Of course, if you are achievement hunting, like me, you do have to make through a couple hours of hunting down the secret flowers, but after that, it's pretty much just a chill time and a good vibe.

If you don't plan on playing right away, it might be worth loading it up one time when you first buy it. There is an achievement for "playing after a long break," which really just means to leave it for a week and come back. Usually I like to 100% a game before making a review, but I wanted to get this one out before I forgot about the frame cap warning.

Anyway, good game for solid afternoon. I would probably pick it up on sale, but it is worth the full price, if you are really into calming experience type games.

9/10

+

good 3h30 to 100%

Argentea, Chlorophytum, Delphinium, Genista, Strelizia.

While "Flower" may be my least favourite of the three games available on Steam that "thatgamecompany" developed thus far, it is still, at its worst, a relaxing, beautiful experience that sees you controlling an ever-growing flock of petals that brings life to its surroundings.

It may not be nearly as sharp, polished, innovative, or interesting as some of the company's later games, and ironically, the controls in a game where you float around as a petal feel way too floaty. But overall, it is a pretty strong entry in one of indie gaming's most important studios.

6/10

Glitchy grass causing extremely unpleasant strain on the eyes and almost no sound. A poor release.

thank you little flower game

one of the chillest and prettiest games I've played

7.5/10

The only game in which you play as wind

I got the game for a cheap price and i remember playing this game as a kid. It was so beautiful. But when i started a level the grass was very glitchy it made the first level so hard to focus as the grass turned into a strobe light mode. No audio at all except for the beginning cut scene of downtown. I am really bummed out on this game. But since it was so cheap i'll try to play it. I've played so many games from thatgamecompany and this game kinda feels like it was pretty much abandoned. Very sad

Charming!

Flower is such a calming and peaceful game S2 I love how simple it is you just guide flower petals through beautiful landscapes, and it feels so relaxing. The vibe is amazing, with soft music and stunning visuals that make you feel connected to nature. It’s the perfect game to unwind and just enjoy the moment !!!!

Link to review: https://backloggd.com/u/RedBackLoggd/review/2182055/

Tl;dr - Transitioning Flower towards a purely-linear title may have ironically elevated it: level goals would be obvious, the visuals distinct, the gameplay funner, and the score better compartmentalized amongst other positives. As it stands, though, I have to review things on their own merits, and the results don’t quite live-up to the heights Flower’s rep would suggest.

Amazing game!
I love the concept of playing as flower petals flying in the wind !

Been playing it as a kid on my ps3. Such a great memory. I bought it again. It was definitely worth it.

Main reason I bought a PS3 back in the day. Love this game

Beautiful but it's not always clear what to do next

I've got a King Kong 2 PRO (uses Steam gyro settings) and a Flydigi Apex 4 (uses its own software gyro settings) and this game just can't be played like it was intended. On the PS3, all you have to do is tilt the DualShock 3 to a side and keep it that way so the flow of flowers will keep turning until you level the controller to make it go straight again. On PC that doesn't work. The gyro implementation is so stupid that it forces you to keep spinning the controller (not tilting) on its own axis above your lap in order to keep making a turn. You could play with the analogue joystick, but that defeats its purpose. And, yes, I have tried using a DualShock 3 with SCPTollkit. It didn't work. All that does it make Windows think it's an Xbox controller, which doesn't have SIXAXIS (PS3 gyro).

Just buy this on PS3 for US$ 6.99. You'll definitely feel the loss in image quality and fluidity (being 1440x810p and 30 FPS), but at least you'll get the full intended experience of a very fluid gameplay using SIXAXIS.

Incredibly beautiful game, the movement can be a little hard at times but everything is spectacular to look at!

classic pleasant little romp

yes

Flower has always been sensational. The only thing missing are the one and only justified use of motion control on the PS3, and more levels to lose yourself in in this spiritual journey of a game.

I'll be the first person to say that this is better than Journey. To glide through breathtaking view after breathtaking view is something that is just so blissful and satisfying. There were a few moments here and there where I felt it dragged on a bit, but overall the pacing is smooth as butter. Not to mention the sound design and graphics are both phenomenal. I often struggle with having patience for games, but this was one where I was always doing something and never felt that the game was wasting my time.

❂【 Achievement Hunting Stats 】

❂【 Additional Comments 】

Wow, this is so beautiful, first time playing a a game that feels so soft and comfy.

Beautiful, calming game. Unfortunately it triggered my motion sickness pretty badly, so I'll have to drop it for now.

Thatgamecompany's three game deal with PlayStation gave them room to develop the three games that put them on the map; namely Flow, Flower, and Journey. A kind of unsung deal that ended up being incredibly fruitful and helped guide the winds across the industry for the following decade and beyond. Without Flow, we wouldn't have Flower - and without the lessons learned from Flower, we wouldn't have the absolute avalanche of games that almost dogmatically follow Journey's schema.

Flow is kind of interesting in that it started as a student project that birthed a Flash browser game, of which was somehow successful enough to catch the eye of Sony. It's all simple stuff, the title and core design philosophy is a fairly convincing play on the book ‘Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience’, of which theorises that a degree of flow can be fostered in an environment that allows a person a subtle control of the difficulty of an activity - suggesting tools to keep a task from becoming so easy they get bored, or so hard they get stressed. The game kind of does that I guess (overabundance of food/health + everpresent ability to quickly progress) but I tend to think of that on more arcadey shmup terms lol. Flow's PS3 version is more or less the same as the browser game, albeit with some of the production values that really sold the floaty underwater effect under the then-exciting 1080p resolution. Even as a kid, I recall being unenthused about it, I thought it was a nice Um Bongo comedown if anything.

Ultimately TGC by this point had their foot in the door, and were able to get to work on their next game, an entirely new project based on nothing they've made prior. Flower does have that "we're here, so let's have a nice time" vibe. The developers talk in their commentary packaged in the Journey Collection about how they were struggling to make the gameplay any fun, burning through prototypes with enemies, hazards, rain, combos and growing mechanics. Ultimately they settled on a gameplay loop that is very passive, practically sidestepping the responsive difficulty framework of Flow and veering into a sort of soft rhythm game about spreading influence across a landscape without any. The responsive music system in place is an incredibly subtle one, but a bit of a stroke of genius that really sells the emotion in the winds - activating a flower communicates with the background track and informs which chord is to be played, creating something of a melodic riff when you brush over a line of bulbs. The levels do a good job at embodying their flower’s unique desires for life, colour, wind, light etc. thru their gameplay - and the journey is punctuated with imo wonderful visuals and music. Each stage has such a strong identity to them, emboldened by their stark colour schemes and ever-changing instrumentation. I’m incredibly fond of the strong fisheye lens on the player’s perspective, artistically framing sequences to lovely effect, and also allowing the bustling grassy fields to feel all-encompassing. That final act still gets me.

Flower is all very quaint now, I do get that - I have a lot of residual respect for this game from playing it at release, when you couldn’t just get grass like this into your game with a free engine plugin. Doesn’t feel like it in current year, but it was a bit of a trailblazer, and true enough to Journey, is imo up there with the best in class. Not a game for everyone, but a game for sensitive thugs who need hugs. Ultimately I feel a lil mournful about the fact that Sony is so farcking disinterested in drumming deals like this any more - extending their paws to up-and-coming studios with a bee in their bonnet, giving them a chance to spin themselves into madness and create something industry defining. Support artists, folks!!!!

very relaxing game. good and cool

Fun game mired by bugs. Audio never works properly. Game will randomly start lagging and I have to restart the level.

I really enjoy flower, but the PC port has some issues. The first time I booted it, the sound went away and the grass flickered like crazy. A reboot fixed that, but none of the cutscenes play now, and I can't finish the credits because it crashes on the final "extra credits" consistently. If you have the option, you should consider getting it for any other platform, but it's worth playing regardless

Absolutely incredible game! I remember playing Flower on my PlayStation 3 as a kid alongside Flow and Journey, and finding it on Steam nearly drowned me in nostalgia. The controls (although a bit wonky on the PC) are simple and the graphics are gorgeous, as well as the music and sound design. I highly recommend this game if you have $7 and ~2 hours to spare for a beautiful experience!

I'm up fruitigering my aero right now

Plants vs. Industrialization

Grass flickering and bugging as the game rise, with a gentle framerate.
No music to be heard and a soundtrack on the mobile.
Her hands on the Steam Deck, my head on her shoulders.
Still laughing from her complaints about the control and gameplay
In this simple ass, gay ass, artistic ass game.
Tis was a great night. Indeed it was.

The game is gorgeous and feel like a dream, but this steam port as too many frustrating bugs and issues.
First of all the rendering issue of grass can flicker on some devices(some workaround can be found in forums)
The cutscenes videos display a blackscreen (again there is a way to fix it by tweaking the .exe properties). I've also encountered an issue where the chime sound of flowers opening where totally glitched and felt more like a noise than a sound.
And last the controls are originally meant to be driven by the sixaxis Playstation controller which feels very clunky with a classic joystick controller.

prolly not a popular opinion, but... 4-5/10?
pretty, simplistic graphics and gameplay, not bad. the music is nice and calming. gameplay is also calming mostly. the game "message" comes across clearly.
but the controls and/or camera is frustrating. i have 4 more achievements to get but can't be bothered to due to the controls/camera.
also don't like that it gives the impression of open-world movement, but then you encounter invisible walls in what looks like move-able space, especially in the later levels.
overall, mm... prolly enjoyed the first 4 levels, but the latter ones took that away. i can't feel any attachment to the game besides annoyance at this point, tbh. i think it may have been groundbreaking during its launch, thus the accolades. but... maybe get it when it's on sale/free.

Flower is a classic relaxing game that I return to often. I originally played it on the PS3 and when it showed up on sale on STEAM, I had to grab it. Sometimes it feels like it has clunky controls or maybe the wind is just a PITA to control. Either way, I love leading my trail of petals around to make the world a more beautiful place

The Inevitable Rise of Esports: Why It Will Succeed

Esports, the competitive playing of video games at a professional level, has seen explosive growth in recent years. What once was a niche hobby has now developed into a billion-dollar industry with millions of fans around the world. Despite its rapid rise, many still question whether esports can sustain its momentum and reach the levels of traditional sports. The reasons why esports will succeed one day lie in its adaptability to modern entertainment trends, the evolution of technology, its global reach, and the increasing investment from mainstream industries.

Esports is perfectly aligned with how modern audiences consume entertainment. Unlike traditional sports, which are often geographically bound and broadcast on scheduled television networks, esports thrives in the digital space. Platforms such as Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook Gaming allow players to stream live games to global audiences, unencumbered by the barriers of physical location. This shift to digital entertainment is significant, as younger generations prefer interactive, on-demand content over traditional broadcasts.

Additionally, the interactive nature of esports creates a more engaged fan base. Viewers can directly participate by communicating with streamers in real time, offering feedback, or even financially supporting their favorite players or teams through donations. This level of interaction is unparalleled in traditional sports, which tend to offer more passive viewing experiences. As entertainment continues to move toward online, interactive platforms, esports is positioned to capture a significant portion of the audience.

Esports' success is intrinsically tied to the evolution of technology. With high-speed internet, advanced gaming consoles, and affordable gaming PCs becoming more common, the barriers to entry for aspiring esports athletes and casual players are significantly lower than those for traditional sports. Anyone with an internet connection and access to a gaming device can participate in or watch esports, broadening the potential talent pool and audience base.

Moreover, technological advancements such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) promise to enhance the esports experience further. These technologies could offer even more immersive gameplay and viewing experiences, bringing spectators closer to the action. As these innovations continue to evolve, they will likely help esports not only maintain its relevance but also enhance its appeal across different demographics.

Esports is inherently global. Unlike traditional sports, which often have regional leagues and followings, esports has no borders. Players from South Korea, Europe, North America, and even smaller markets like Southeast Asia compete on the same platforms, in the same tournaments, and with the same fanbase. This universal accessibility gives esports an enormous advantage in creating a global sports culture that bridges cultural and linguistic barriers.

Esports events also highlight the diversity of gaming communities, allowing for inclusivity across gender, race, and nationality. This cultural integration will only grow as more nations invest in esports infrastructure, and gaming continues to be a dominant form of entertainment. With local tournaments gaining more visibility and participation, esports will increasingly become a key component of national pride, much like traditional sports competitions.

One of the clearest indicators that esports will succeed is the growing investment from traditional sports teams, major corporations, and media networks. Professional sports organizations like the NBA, NFL, and European football clubs have started investing in esports teams or creating their own esports divisions. These partnerships bring legitimacy, funding, and increased media exposure to the industry.

Moreover, major companies such as Intel, Red Bull, and even luxury brands have invested heavily in esports through sponsorships and partnerships. The involvement of these established brands indicates that esports is no longer viewed as a niche interest but as a lucrative, mainstream market. Additionally, the construction of dedicated esports arenas, such as the HyperX Esports Arena in Las Vegas, signals the development of a robust infrastructure to support large-scale competitions.

Perhaps the most important factor contributing to esports’ inevitable success is its appeal to younger generations. Traditional sports such as baseball, golf, and even football have seen declining viewership among younger audiences, who are gravitating toward digital forms of entertainment. Esports, on the other hand, caters directly to the digital natives who grew up with video games as a primary form of recreation.

The fact that esports is inherently digital makes it much more appealing to this generation, and as these younger audiences grow older and maintain their interest in esports, the industry will only expand. These audiences are not only consumers but also participants, engaging with the games and tournaments in ways that traditional sports cannot offer. This level of personal investment in the esports ecosystem ensures that its fanbase will continue to grow and evolve.

Esports is primed for long-term success due to its alignment with modern entertainment consumption habits, its integration with advancing technology, its global accessibility, and the increasing investment from mainstream industries. As gaming continues to evolve and capture the attention of younger generations, esports will solidify its position as a leading form of entertainment and competition. While traditional sports will continue to hold a place in society, the future of competition and entertainment will increasingly include esports. It is not a matter of "if" esports will succeed, but "when."

Hard call. Would only recommend if you're into these type of exploration games

I've found the game soothing and relaxing for a good 20 minutes. However the slow turn rate and disobedient camera are the opposite of relaxing. Also, the graphics at this point in time is hard to appreciate as it offers nothing spectacular to the eye. But you can still enjoy the particles simulation of the grass and petals.

Would buy this on 80% sale.

The game is like journey and a kid game combined. I can't say this is a masterpiece and the optimization definitely drove me crazy at first. I got through the game lowering the fps quite a lot and I gotta say this game changes so much when fps is low... I would suggest not to buy it tbh for the optimization alone it is quite the gamble or the hassle.

other than that the game was refreshing I wouldn't pay top dollar for it but it was calming so I was glad I played it. if you have a 3-7 year old kid this game would be a good game for them.

A beautiful, satisfying game. The controls are intuitive and fun and the environments are immersive. A great game to play on a rainy afternoon.

a bit laggy ob my computer, but absolutely beautiful game!

The controls can be a pain, and it can be a bit problematic to run on the Steam Deck, but I still feel like I should recommend it. It's absolutely gorgeous, and so atmospheric.

i already knew this would be one of my favorite video games ever after the first 10 minutes lol

Pointless... but beautiful

decent game, I have the feeling this was made for people new to games but I don't know how successful this was for that or how successful this game was in general, worth playing a few times

For steam deck users: use 8.0-5 for it to stop crashing on first level

This is a beautiful game, was brought up by a good friend of mine years ago. I adored everything about this game. You have unknowingly changed my life for the better part of the 3-4 years, and this is only a small smatter of it. I am very sorry for what happened, and wish you the absolute best.

It was a pain in the ass to 100%, but I'm just glad you shared this with me.

This game and R kelly taught me how to fly.