Flower, the 2009 PS3 hit, is finally on PC
This week is the tenth anniversary of Flower's original release on the PlayStation 3.
I've always been a little annoyed that Flower was a PlayStation 3 exclusive. I liked Flow quite a bit, it was dreamy and trippy and just artsy-fartsy enough to avoid feeling silly, and I was really looking forward to trying a bigger and deeper and more sophisticated followup—but not to the point that I was willing to buy a PS3 for it.
I supposed I've harbored a bit of a grudge in the decade since, especially after thatgamecompany's next game, Journey, was also exclusive to the PS3. Anyway, none of that matters now because as of today, to mark its tenth anniversary, it's available on Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store.
Flower is a simple exploration game in which you take control of the wind and guide it across lush landscapes, changing them in different ways as you go. It's "an incredibly personal and emotional experience," which is perhaps laying it on a bit thick, but Flower won numerous awards when it was new, including the "Best Independent Game Fueled by Dew" in the 2009 Spike VGAs, Playboy's "Best Indie Game" of 2009, and "Casual Game of the Year" award from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. In 2011 it was selected to be one of 80 games showcased in a videogame exhibition at the Smithsonian, and two years later was added to its permanent collection.
So it's really good, if you like that sort of thing, and now you don't need a PS3 to play it. And in case you missed it, Journey is coming to PC too—no date on that yet, though.
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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.