70
The sense of purpose and accomplishment comes from making your creature grow -- to be king of the primordial soup. And while there are levels, enemies, power moves, et cetera, flOw is more of an entertaining diversion than what we're used to calling a "game."
70
It will provide you with a relaxing and somewhat strange experience that no other game offers. It looks great on the PS3 and will impress (and maybe hypnotize) your visitors when they come over.
80
While the $7.99 asking price feels excessive for a game that offers little content versus other downloadable games, flOw deserves to be experienced, thanks to its dreamy visuals, angelic soundtrack and addictive play.
6
The game is kinda boring and samey to me. Definitely not Thatgamecompany's best
5
The concept and idea for this game is original and cool. But the controls is so terrible.
6
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
flOw (2006)
Released On:
Feb 22, 2007
Metascore
Mixed or Average
71
User score
Mixed or Average
6.4
My Score
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All Platforms
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
71
PSP
Based on 6 Critic Reviews
70
PlayStation Vita
tbd
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
71
tbd
Metascore
Mixed or Average
71
45% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
45% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
9% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
90
Pure, beautiful genius, and the kind of game that despite its simplicity manages to surprise and wow at every turn. As relaxing as it is gorgeous, no one can dislike this. [Issue #151, p.66]
80
It may not have any longevity beyond the times you boot it up to show off to friends as a curio of you new PS3, but at a budget price it is an undeniably unique and enchanting piece of software.
User score
Mixed or Average
6.4
28% Positive
22 Ratings
22 Ratings
60% Mixed
48 Ratings
48 Ratings
13% Negative
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
Nov 3, 2013
10
flOw is quite futuristic, up to a point that I can understand some people not liking it. It' is very minimalistic, you have the bare essentials of what computer gaming (or should I even say, life) is all about: You move, you act, you grow. There are no explanations, no score, no words whatsoever on the screen distracting you from this pure experience. You need to get into a special mood, which I would call meditative, a feeling that is labeled "flow" in modern psychology. (Hence the name, developers, isn't it?) I really like it, and I don't even feel that its brevity is a shortcoming. It's not meant for playing it for five days in a row, it's rather what you take in between the other games to chill and relax. And for such a purpose it is excellent, simply because of its simplicity, you just need one second to remember all you need to know about how to play it, and there you go. This knowledge is more body-based and less intellectual than any other game I have come about. (Except flower, I guess, which I haven't played yet.) If I could give a 20 points, I would do so, just because my opinion is that we need more of this sort of games in the future, and because I would suggest everyone to try it, and find out more about the possibilities this medium (and the brain of whoever uses it) has to offer. Btw it is also kind of educational in a weird nonverbal way, if you draw associations to life and evolution in general, to fish and jellyfish in special, which in my case came kind of automatically.
Mar 20, 2012
10
Beautiful game, about evolution of species. Lovely and easy gameplay, you cannot die - at least, I didn't. It has a wonderful meditative quality, relaxing. I didn't want it to stop
79
One of the coolest things about flow is its simplicity. You never feel harried or rushed. Even when you pause the game, it doesn’t actually stop, it just raises your creature to a level where nothing can attack it, waiting for you to pick the controller back up and continue on.
70
A very calming and intriguing experience, but unfortunately nothing substantial to keep you coming back for more.
70
FlOw is what it is - download it in the full knowledge that you're participating in an experiment of sorts and I think you'll get good value from your £3.49. If you're looking for something more like a conventional game, I'd lop off a mark or two from the final score.
60
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.
40
As-is, it's a very, very pretty demo of what the SIXAXIS can do. [May 2007, p.69]
Apr 12, 2011
10
It's crazy thinking how this game got such low reviews. It's a very original game with a very unique presentation. It does what it does and it does a great job at it.
Feb 6, 2014
7
I'm pretty sure less than an hour passed, but Flow's simplicity is striking, and if you meditate on the experience and message, it is anything but forgettable. In relation to other games by thatgamecompany, it's a 2d, more intense version of Flower. The gameplay is similar but the levels are designed for play rather than impressive visuals. It thus works better as a game, and as an added bonus it didn't give me mild nausea like Flower's 3d navigation did. The trophies provide incentive to replay the game several times, and they add fair challenge to an otherwise rather easy game.
Oct 11, 2012
7
I remember playing the demo back when I got my phat PS3 and I recall being interested but not eager to play it. I can say that I got the same feeling here too. The motion control was somewhat neat and the visuals were good as well as the audio. So from a technical stand point it was actually a great game. As for the content/premise I didn't really dig it all that much. It was fun for a while to each creatures but then after a while it got to feeling the same. I appreciated the brevity of the game and that it was fast paced to a degree. I'm happy I played it but will likely return to it for the trophies only if I'm bored. That said, it really was nice to look at.
Nov 18, 2024
6
The game is kinda boring and samey to me. Definitely not Thatgamecompany's best
Dec 17, 2013
0
I have absolutely no idea what the point of this game is and what I'm supposed to do. There is no tutorial and no campaign. There is just nothing here.
Summary[Downloadable Game] flOw is a game about piloting an aquatic organism through a surreal biosphere where players consume other organisms, evolve, and dive into the abyss. With an embedded design of DDA (dynamic difficulty adjustment), players with differing skill levels can intuitively customize their game experience and enjoy the game a... Read More
Rated Efor Everyone
Platforms:
- PlayStation 3
- PSP
- PlayStation Vita
- PlayStation 4
- PC
Initial Release Date:Feb 22, 2007
Developer:
Publisher:SCEA
