I’ve been struggling with just how to write this review to convey all the emotion you’ll feel while playing Flower. Thatgamecompany’s second PSN game is an utterly beautiful experience that’s certainly worth every penny of the $9.99 asking price. As you control the wind, the game takes you through an environmentalist narrative that you won’t want to put down.

The controls of the game could not be more simple. You take control of the wind, not the flower petal, as you might expect. Pressing any button increases the wind speed and makes you go faster through the world collecting more and more flower petals as you fly by. As your petal trail gets longer, your speed increases. Your motion is entirely controlled by Sixaxis movements and Flower is the most fluid implementation of those controls I’ve encountered. At no point was I frustrated by the game’s control scheme.

Each of the game’s six stages, or “dreams”, guide you through an unexpected narrative that works extremely well. The main menu has a backdrop of your drab, dull urban apartment with flower pots sitting on your desk looking out your window on the the metropolis below. Each flower’s dream takes it through what could be. You’ll bring lush greens to dry fields and activate windmills to power street lights. In the later stages, the game takes a turn that you need to experience for yourself, so I won’t spoil anything. It all plays out very well and you’ll want to keep playing to see how Flower turns out. The game’s ending is beautiful and uplifting, but again, I don’t to want to spoil what actually goes on.

Flower is one of the first games to bring out so many emotions from the player. Most games focus on killing things or just wasting time and don’t bring any uplifting experience to the gamer. Thatgamecompany did an amazing job of making you feel good by playing their game. I can only hope other game companies follow suit and use the whole range of human emotion in their titles, not just anger and frustration.

Simply put, Flower is both visually and aurally fantastic. The first time you turn a drab field green and the screen explodes in color, you’ll be blown away. Moving through the blades of grass with your pedals is beautiful and peaceful, as most flowers you pass by will play a note in the game’s orchestral score.

If you need to relax after a long day, Flower is your answer. While the game only takes 2-3 hours to complete, there is a huge amount of replay value both for the emotional factor as well as collecting and unlocking secret flowers and additional Trophies. You won’t pick up most Trophies on your first play through, so going back to boost your online level is almost a certainty. Every PS3 owner should buy Flower as soon as possible.

Overall: 9.5 out of 10

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