Jan
19

Stop and Smell the Flower on PSN February 12th

Posted by Kellee Santiago // President and co-founder of thatgamecompany

Hi! I am really happy to finally let the internets know the official launch date for Flower. Hooray for releasing games (It’s really my favorite part)!

Flower is a tough game to describe. We like to think of it as a video game version of a poem; an exploration into the tension between urban bustle and natural serenity. Players accumulate flower petals as the onscreen world swings between the pastoral and the chaotic.

But even at E3 this year, a lot of the responses in the press were “it’s tough to describe… you just have to play it.” Because it’s not fair to only ask game journalists to try and describe such a different game, I’ve also asked all the people here at TGC to describe. To keep things even, they could only use 10 words – we’ve had more time to think about the game:

Nick Clark (Game Designer):

A windy journey that lets you flOw in 3D.

Martin Middleton (programmer extraordinaire):

We hope you enjoy our flowers.

Matt Nava:

Flower’s simple concept conceals grander themes that will provoke thought.

Jenova Chen:

An interactive poem exploring the tension between urban & nature.

John (Lead Programmer) [John broke the rule, but earns points for style here]:

Flower, shower, power tower,
First class, string bass, grass en masse,
Sun, fun, nearly done,
Petal, metal, lightning gun?

Once the game is out, maybe I can get you all to submit your 10-word descriptions of the game, and we can see what comes out of it. (Yes, yes, snarky commenter, we know what you’re about to submit.) …I like to think that if we could have expressed it in words, we wouldn’t have made a game about it in the first place.

In honor of the announcement, we’ve got some gameplay footage for you below.

Tagged //flower, psn

Filed: Developer Corner, PlayStation Games, PlayStation Network

191 Comments // 6 Replies

Rate:

(Average: 4.76 out of 5)

191 Comments // 6 Replies
Add your own

Pages: « Previous 1 2 3 4 Next »

jbat17 | January 19th, 2009 at 9:51 am

this game has been getting a lot of good previews. good thing it comes out early feb. otherwise, it would be KILLZOWNED

(that made little sense, i know. just wanted to say KILLZOWNED)

Kellee Santiago replied on January 19, 2009 at 4:40 pm

Hahahaha that is the best phrase ever.

Dibbz | January 19th, 2009 at 9:53 am

You guys are awesome. Day one. Hopefully UK PSN gets it the same day.

AceStrike | January 19th, 2009 at 10:00 am

I’ve been looking forward to this game since it was announced. Glad to know it’s finally coming out soon, getting it day 1.

Half_life000111 | January 19th, 2009 at 10:02 am

I’d like to see the price :)

WHAT | January 19th, 2009 at 10:13 am

I’m not getting this so I give my 10 or less words to describe it now.

Boys picking pedals. Only possible on PlayStation annnnnd vogue.

Letters2Kay | January 19th, 2009 at 10:15 am

Awesome, thanks, all!!! I’ve been a HUGE fan of flOw since its release (and even before) and I’ve been itching to get my hands on Flower. Can’t wait to lose myself in the gorgeous landscapes…

BTW- Just noticed the fact that the word “Flower” is the word “flOw” with a few extra letters. Nice. ;) Can we consider this a sequel to flOw, perhaps? Can I hope for a PSP version someday soon?

Again, thanks and I can’t wait! :)

BStreakX | January 19th, 2009 at 10:23 am

Does it have full surround sound? Is the music mixed in 5.1? We need more 5.1 music mixes.

And thank you Sony for giving a game like Flower the spotlight, instead of the endless stream of testosterone shooters.

Kellee Santiago replied on January 19, 2009 at 4:41 pm

Yes, the audio was mixed in 5.1, so enjoy the experience!

And yes, I would like to say thank you to Sony, too.

Jeigh | January 19th, 2009 at 10:25 am

…Beautiful…

Enforcer_X | January 19th, 2009 at 10:28 am

Yup buying it!

serendipiddy | January 19th, 2009 at 10:31 am

I did it myslef :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30985438@N08/3209603593/

Wuggyboobeaufuf | January 19th, 2009 at 10:34 am

The only thing I am willing to smell is the fresh scent of the UMD.

Give me a UMD and you have a sale.

SolidSnake500 | January 19th, 2009 at 10:36 am

I can’t wait… I love the game you guys put produce…

I’m already looking forward to the next one.

NewYork214 | January 19th, 2009 at 10:37 am

wow actually looks kinda cool. i think ill pick this up. i thought this whole zen-genre thing was stupid but that game actually looks relaxing.

Neil | January 19th, 2009 at 10:52 am

My most looked forward to game this generation.

ilkhani | January 19th, 2009 at 10:56 am

Very cool, will be buying this game day one.
February is looking awesome right now.

Nsho | January 19th, 2009 at 11:02 am

looks like a sonic game where u r supposed to collect things, except this is much better

mknightstalker | January 19th, 2009 at 11:04 am

looks great. What is the price?

saintfighteraqua | January 19th, 2009 at 11:09 am

Oh my gosh you are using Janice as your icon! She is the scariest muppet ever!

Kellee Santiago replied on January 19, 2009 at 4:42 pm

Janice is a peace loving muppet, and shouldn’t be feared!

MariusElijah | January 19th, 2009 at 11:25 am

Since not a lot people know how to describe it, I ask why not a Demo?

Kellee Santiago replied on January 19, 2009 at 4:50 pm

That’s fair, and I can’t answer for Sony on that, but personally I think the prices of downloadable games are so small that they kind of make demos unnecessary (this is my super short statement on this subject – email me if you want the long answer). Yes, our (the downloadable development community) teams are smaller, and our dev time is shorter, but our games make less money, and statistically they make a LOT less money when part of it is given away for free.

I know you’re taking a small financial risk by choosing to buy one of our games, but I hope you think it’s worth it.

chubigans | January 19th, 2009 at 11:28 am

Congrats Kellee! You guys deserve a break. :)

snazzyboy18 | January 19th, 2009 at 11:29 am

me like unique games.

TopherTide | January 19th, 2009 at 11:31 am

Looks awesome! I can not wait!

illegalprelude | January 19th, 2009 at 11:31 am

Having owned PixelJunk Monsters and Eden, Flow and Blast Factor and Superstardust HD and another 10 PSN titles, I cannot wait for this game. Seems really different in the best way possible

acerazer1 | January 19th, 2009 at 11:35 am

Yesssssssssssssssssss wooooooooooooo

I’m excited.

se7enthsign-psn | January 19th, 2009 at 11:36 am

Wow. I’m not sure what to think just yet. Hopefully it has a little more depth than Flow did.

barom | January 19th, 2009 at 11:38 am

w00t! been waiting for this game. Depending on the price I might just get this day 1. If not at the 10$ or under price, I’ll get it at a later date.

One thing though. Please say you guys implemented in-game custom music. This game really fits that feature (or at least from what I’ve seen). I’ll be buying this game regardless but if it’s not implemented then please consider a patch. I would really love to have it for this particular game.

Akayoda | January 19th, 2009 at 11:48 am

what is so hard to explain. from the looks of it, it’s like the 3D version of 2D games like snake. where you go around eating things and get longer. just the size of the box is bigger

Johnny Sasaki | January 19th, 2009 at 12:05 pm

Can we attack people, like in the Happening?

NewYork214 | January 19th, 2009 at 12:22 pm

so when’s the next game going to be announced/teased? you going to have another 24 hour game makeathon type of thing again?