Undrtone

Gemuby
Spent last night and this afternoon playing flOw, flower and Journey and each of them made for a really interesting experience. As a starting point for thatgamecompany, and an introduction to their core philosophy and MO, I think flOw is really good for what it is, even if it isn't as great as flower or Journey. As a game that's somewhere between a pure art project and a scientific experiment, I think it does certain things really well, namely its atmosphere (which is aided by some fantastic ambient music), but it's so shy on content that I struggle to get as excited about it as I want to. flower, on the other hand, is a logical step-up from flOw, with a fascinating progression of its themes through its short campaign, great visual pay-off and an absolutely fantastic OST. The minimal controls seem more thematically sensical this time around, given that the player is essentially playing as wind blowing petals across a vast verdant landscape, and it uses this conceit in a way that makes a lot of internal sense, with the "invisible walls" in this game being large gusts of wind that blow the player back on course. Each of the levels taking place chronologically, at different parts of the day, is a really good way to progress and diversify the game's themes and visual design, and overall it makes for a really calming yet invigorating experience, being my personal favourite of tgc's three games. I love Journey nearly as much as flower, though, and even though I'm not as crazy about flOw, I'm still glad it exists, as each of these three games provide a uniquely atmospheric experience, with flOw's atmosphere being alien and other-worldly, flower's being lush and energising, and Journey's being contemplative, desolate and spiritual. Just felt like rambling about one of the most unique and innovative corners of the video game world. Go play these games, especially flower and Journey. ♯newage ♯classical ♯modernclassical ♯contemporaryclassical ♯folk ♯soundtrack ♯ost ♯videogames ♯videogamesoundtrack ♯vincentdiamante ♯2000s