Flower

Flower on Vita is still incredible, but its motion and touch controls aren't ideal.

Flower remains a ravishing display of nature's grace.

Flower feels like the first step in a right direction -- much more so than any of thatgamecompany's previous releases -- but having played through it twice, I can't help but feel that it could have been a gargantuan leap.

The sheer simplicity of flower makes it a difficult game not to fall in love with. It's a relaxing, calming, and curiously moving experience that has the power to change the way that you look at the outside world. Moreover, the improved motion sensors inside the DualShock 4 coupled with the enhanced horsepower of Sony's fresh hardware breathe new life into the experience, ensuring that this former PS3 favourite blossoms all over again on the PS4.

Making it a bit easier on the gaming budget, Flower is also cross-buy, so if you've already got it on PS3 or Vita, then the PS4 version is free. There's no gameplay updates, no level tweaks or new areas, but it runs at a better framerate and the 1080p is noticeably sharper than the original if you put them side-by-side.

Every aspect of Flower serves its singular vision: nourishing and maintaining a 1-2 hour Zen-like experience. Vibrant colors, an incredible score, and meticulous eyes overseeing the game's pacing—Flower rises to the occasion. A decade later, little has changed, though the PC port suffers a good deal on account of its mouse and keyboard controls.

flOwer fit perfectly into my PlayStation 3 and my life as a gamer in 2009. It motivated a whole search for similar experiences that would lead to the inspiring Journey. Now, in 2013 we have the PlayStation 4 version that for all its merits manages to present the game almost as if it were released today for the first time. For those who have let the years pass and left flOwer forgotten on their PS3, this is a free prize that you deserve to give to yourself and the game, while for those who are only now getting to know it, it is more than mandatory. Calling it a game feels like we're putting it down, because it's much more than that.

Flower is a unique title. The ThatGameCompany production embraces the idea of a synesthetic digital entertainment, linked to the poetry of form and color, cloaked in a dynamic sound accompaniment. Compared to the inner landscapes of Journey - often barren, oppressive, invaded by darkness and lashed by a cruel nature - here the wonder is disrespected in living and vital environments, made of unforgettable colors.

The previous generation's definitive chill-out game gets a lovely visual makeover for the next. And it's still as cool as ever.

Flower blooms then wilts away.