Flower, the downloadable content from the Playstation Network, has set fire to the internets! I’ve heard quotes bandied about like, “It’s not a game, but an experience!” and “It’s the game of the year!”

Well, I’m here to bring everybody back down to Earth.  My full “ItsNotAReview,” after the jump.

How do you describe this game for the uninitiated? I guess it’s basically a flying game, using only the Sixaxis controls.  You basically fly around using one button, any button you want, to propel yourself forward.  Did I mention that by you, I mean the wind?  I know, it’s not your usual space marine shooter.

In the early going, over the first three stages, you fly around, unlocking areas by flying over flowers that haven’t bloomed yet.  I guess by flying by them you make them bloom, which causes the environment to change as you bloom more and more flowers.

The experience of the game itself is fun.  It’s not the best thing I’ve ever played, but it is a unique enough experience to make me want to keep going in the game.  The sixaxis controls work better in Flower than any PS3 game I have ever played and the game has a nice visual style that is minimalist, but still, at least at times, pretty good looking, as the environments open up during the stages.

Things change a bit during the fourth and fifth stages, when the, at times, relaxing game ramps up a bit and challenges you to take what you’ve learned to do new things within the game.  The last stage, in particular is a show stopper and my only wish was that the rest of the game was as fun to play as the last stage in the game.  Don’t get me wrong, I had a nice enough time during the previous stages, but the last stage, the end stage, is just so different from the rest of the game.  Without spoilers, I will say that you will finally get into a more urban area, which is a huge change of pace from the rest of the game.

By the way, this is still a “game” and not an “experience.” There are objectives and end points and things you have to do within each level.  Overall, it’s an experience you just won’t find elsewhere.  Its that “freshness” that attracts me to the game, even  more so than the actual game play itself.  The overall experience is something that should be played, by all gamers.

For ten bucks, it’s a great change of pace from every other game out there.  Go get this and try it out for yourself.   Recommended.  Two, out of two stars.

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