flOw

 “You gotta go with the flow, Joe”

Well, in this case, make that the flOw, a title available on Sony’s PlayStation Store. The concept is simple enough – you have an organism swimming in an ocean of other organisms (maybe they are microbes), and your job is to guide the creature to eat and grow, while avoiding other predators.

To do so, you manipulate the SIXAXIS controller (easier when you go wireless on the device) with all the movements transferred to the creature you are guiding.

The game was spawned from a Master of Fine Arts thesis, and comes complete with a Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment design (meaning the game will give different game experiences to players of different ability levels). It is advertised as “Zen Gaming,” which likely means that you are supposed to find a place of meditative relaxation in controlling the swirling lifeform.

There are five different levels with different styles and creatures.

The controls are kept simple. You move in the aquatic space – up, down, chasing food particles and even (at times) taking a nip out of larger creatures. As you eat, you grow and evolve. You can speed burst to get beyond the reach of a predator that may wish to downsize you a bit, and you can even get a lethal bite that will help you battle a predator. There is even a stealth mode.

The music is of a type that will lull players into a relaxing state. If not for the enemies, the game would be a winding, whirling sedative that would allow players to put their minds on total hold and ‘flow’ through the environments. Up to three others can plug in controllers and play along. The game is not, obviously, for everyone. A 12-year old played it for about five minutes and proclaimed it suitable for much younger games, and relinquished the controller. In many ways, the game is hypnotic, but not in that Ricochet frenzied way.

Rendered out in 1080p, the game has some simple and yet very soft color concepts. The gameplay mechanics are easy to understand.

As mentioned, this game will be available on the PlayStation Store for gamers looking for this style of game. It might be described as a puzzle, but that seems sort of contrary to what the game ‘feels’ like.

flOw is not going to appeal to everyone. This is a program that is pretty much what the name implies that it is.

Gameplay: 6.5
It is repetitious, but there is something mildly hypnotic about the way the patterns seems to form.

Graphics: 6.0
Rudimentary at best, but the colors and patterns are pleasing enough.

Sound: 7.0
Pleasant enough … for about 10 minutes and then it has the same impact as elevator music – it starts to lull you to sleep.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium

Concept: 5.0
The game mechanics harken back to the early days of computer gaming. The look and style has been upgraded for next gen but this is still an old-style game.

Multiplayer: 6.0
Up to four players can plug in and join the game.

Overall: 6.0
It could be viewed as either mind-numbing or hypnotic. The game is simple enough to learn and time will flutter past as you play. Still, this is not a game that is overly complex and may not appeal to everyone.