I played thatgamecompany's Flower for the first time last night.

After buying the Journey Collector's Edition, I decided to take a step back to the "past" and try out this well-received game. I played through it in one sitting (as many suggest it should be played), and it was really an experience. It's definitely one of those games that really flourishes thanks to high definition - I can't imagine playing this on a small, SD 20" CRT.

This is one of those times where I'm not certain the term "game" really applies. Flower is an experience, for sure, and it's not really challenging at all - You sort of just flow through the story at your own pace and you'll finish it when you finish it. But to define this title as a "game" seems wrong to me - Yes, you're playing it on a video game console with a video game controller, however I'm not certain I would bring that term into play here.

Overall, the game felt very fluid, save for certain moments when I would speedily fly by an important flower and have to circle my way back around, which always seemed very clunky and somewhat spoiled the experience for me. This happened often and I found it hard to prevent.

The soundtrack, by Vincent Diamante, was really lovely - I'm a big fan of ambient, minimalist music so this really hit home. The music always felt right for the scenario, and it adapts to fit the current mood and the decisions that the player is making.

I'd recommend giving it a shot if you haven't yet - I don't think it's as "revolutionary" as it was received at release, but it's definitely worth the two or so hours that you'll put into it.

For those who've played this game before: How did you interpret the "story"? Do you think the game holds up today?