flOw (PlayStation 3)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.1 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Alex Navarro
• Reviewed on: 02/22/2007
• Updated on: 02/26/2007
• Released on: 02/22/2007
• Originally published on GameSpot: flOw (PlayStation 3) Review

FlOw has more in common with something like a lava lamp than an actual game. It's something to be watched. You'll find yourself infinitely more intrigued by the shapes and colors that evolve throughout its experience than its relatively scarce gameplay mechanics. It's basically a piece of computer art that happens to be controllable via the Sixaxis controller. And the really crazy thing? Despite its incredible simplicity and heavy emphasis on aesthetics over gameplay, it is still something you could designate as actual, honest-to-god fun.

FlOw's dedication to austerity is immediate from the moment you boot up the game, where you're presented with a simple screen dictating the core controls and nothing else that even resembles a real menu. From there, it's off to the races. The race, in this case, is anything but, of course. You're presented initially with a small, eel-like creature that's built from a number of peculiar shapes. Using the Sixaxis tilt controls, you steer the creature around a fluidic environment that's teeming with other forms of life, all made from the same types of goofy shapes that you are. Your job is to eat that other life. That's it. Swimming up to smaller creatures causes you to immediately devour them. Larger creatures often require you to eat multiple chunks before they finally break down into the smaller pieces you want. But by the same token, larger creatures can also try and eat you, so it's best to stick to the proper food chain of command and attack the littler guys first.

When you clear an area of all available life, you simply move downward to the next section of the environment, until eventually you reach the bottom and unlock a new creature. There are six creatures in all, each with a unique form and ability. Any time you press one of the buttons on the controller, you'll perform that creature's ability. One circular creature can do a sort of spin attack, while another has the ability to stun other life forms with a green poison. These abilities are neat, although they also make an already undemanding game even easier. There's no real death to speak of in flOw. If you're mostly devoured by other creatures, the game just moves you to a safe plane where a few harmless creatures hang out for you to eat and replenish your health. All you really need to do to avoid being eaten is to keep mashing on your special ability, especially if you have any of the attacks that aren't the poison one. The poison requires a bit more timing and precision, but anything else can be hammered on endlessly to provide quick success. The trickiest thing about the game is getting the tilt controls to a point where you feel comfortable with them. The steering doesn't have the most natural feel to it at the outset, as you have to tilt the controller downward to move up and back to move down, all while rotating the controller left or right to go in either direction. Initially, the scheme is likely to throw people off, but after a short while, the movements become natural and effortless.

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