Flow (2024)

One animated film from last year that flew under many people’s radars was Flow (Latvian: Straume), which I first heard about through Animation Magazine. The visual style and basic premise were enough to intrigue me, but I had a hard time finding a theater in my area that was showing it, let alone at a more convenient time, when I remembered to look for tickets. The movie winning the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature increased my interest further, though I opted to wait until it became available to rent through Amazon Prime Video to finally watch it. I will admit, however, that I was mildly distracted by the ongoing SoCal fires at the time of my initial viewing due to living within the vicinity, but I still did my due diligence to give the film as much of my attention as possible. With that said, although I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, I still think the Golden Globe should have gone to fellow contender The Wild Robot.

Flow (Vita)

Around the time I got Journey Collector’s Edition, I reviewed the game Flow off of that collection, since I had not played it beforehand, and I called it art in video game form. Recently, Flow has also been ported to the PlayStation 4 and Vita systems, joining Flower as a Thatgamecompany game available for the new home console. When I found out about Flow’s recent porting, I became curious about how the game would work with the Vita’s controls, so I decided to check it out. After having played the Vita version of the game, I can safely tell you that the game is still worth the investment.

As with my review of Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault for Vita, anything I have said about Flow that is not related to graphics or controls can be found my original review of the PS3 version; also like Full Frontal Assault for Vita, keep in mind that this review is based solely on the single-player experience (the game disabled Network functions when I played). Now that that’s out of the way, I would like to explain how the experience differs between PS3 and Vita, if applicable.

The graphics of the Vita port of Flow are very impressive, especially for a handheld device, though this may have to do with the game’s art style. In any case, I’m impressed by how smoothly the game flows (no pun intended), with very seamless movement and no noticeable lag. The game looks just as good as ever, which shows evidence that great care was taken with this port’s visuals. As for the controls, there obviously had to be some modifications made to fit with the Vita’s layout. To move, you have to take advantage of the system’s gyroscope function, which makes sense since the PS3 version used the console’s SIXAXIS controls for movement. Controlling your organism with the gyroscope takes a little getting used to at first, but you quickly get the hang of it and the game becomes enjoyable to play through. As with the PS3 version, you can use practically any button you want to gain a short boost, but now there’s the added capability of using both shoulder buttons (at once) to help stabilize movement, which works fairly well.

The Vita version of Flow is a very well-made port of a great indie title and I highly recommend downloading it, whether you have or have not already played and enjoyed a previous version of the game. The gyroscope-enabled motion controls take a little getting used to, but overall it is a very solid product that is very much worth your time and money. It may cost $6 to download, but it will work with the PS3 and PS4 in addition to the Vita, so you will definitely be able to get more mileage out of your purchase if you have at least one of the aforementioned consoles. If you only have the Vita on hand, it’s still worth the purchase anyway.

Flow (PS3)

I am currently in the process of playing Journey Collector's Edition, which I received as a gift, with the intent of reviewing it upon completion. It has occurred to me that of the 3 main games included in the package, I still had not yet played or reviewed Thatgamecompany's first game, Flow (stylized flOw), which I understand has been very well received. Thanks to the aforementioned collection, I decided it was about time I played their first game after putting it off for so long. And now, without further ado, here is my review of Flow.

In Flow, you control a microorganism within a vast array of water. As you advance deeper into your environment, you can extend the creature's length and size by eating smaller organisms floating around each level, or by killing larger forms of microscopic life and eating the smaller life that remains of them. Once you complete your journey through the water, you unlock a new organism so you start it over again.

Controlling your organism is very simple. Movement simply requires you to tilt your controller, while quite literally almost any button will give you a short boost. These boosts are limited, but you can acquire more by eating, and the visual effect of these boosts and how they work depends entirely on the organism. Due to the simplicity of the controls, anyone who is capable of holding a controller can start playing. In fact, the game encourages anyone nearby to, in its words, dive in. When playing with multiple people, the game can get somewhat competitive as you try to snag as much food as possible to grow your microscopic life.

The visuals of the game are simple, yet intriguing at the same time. There's something about it that sucks you in and makes you not want to leave, much like Thatgamecompany's later titles. There's beauty in this simplicity, to where I soon found myself thinking of the game as a work of art more than a game. These visuals are accompanied by an equally elegant soundtrack, which helps the immersion further. As you continue playing, you may find yourself thinking that, as the game says, life could be simple.

Flow may be simple, but its beauty comes from that simplicity. This game also serves as amazing example of art in the form of a game, and its something you want to keep admiring until you absorb every last detail. If you own a PS3, you owe it to yourself to play this game, whether through Journey Collector's Edition or direct download from PSN.