Review: flOw (PlayStation 3 EDI. thatgamecompany, Sony).

If someone attempted to describe flOw to you and you knew nothing about it, you’d be forgiven for not being immediately hooked on the idea of playing a game starring an illuminated series of dots with a mouth. The sole objective of flOw is to evolve by munching plankton like particles whilst fending off larger predators by eating them too. It’s (sort-of) Pac-Man for the 21st century.
Anyone who watched David Attenborough's outstanding Blue Planet extensively will know that there's some weird stuff lurking in the murky depths. Glowing, wormy, microbe thingys, nasty looking toothy fish and so on. Watching these surreal, glittering aliens of the deep is perfect preparation for playing flOw, just don't expect the soft, seductive voice-over. (Did we just say Attenborough’s voice is seductive?!)

flOw appeals to every gamer’s not-so-secret obsession with collection giving you a bunch of different organisms to evolve and subsequently unlock. You can than store them at the game’s title screen and pick and chooses which one you’d like to use for your next relaxation session. Each one has a distinctive structure, moving in their own unique way with their own colour scheme for their level.
There’s an indescribable, calming quality to flOw, perfect for winding down after an intense session on Resistance or MotorStorm. It’s a hypnotic, stress-relieving experience that acts as the ideal antidote to PS3’s eye-watering torrent of stunning next-gen gaming. This is undoubtedly the best game to utilise the potential of Sony’s much-criticised Sixaxis controller. In flOw it initially feels wrong, taking some grappling to get used to. Give it time though and it feels like an extension of your arms, becoming so instinctive that you’ll forget what you’re doing and become fully absorbed in reaching your life form’s ultimate evolutionary conclusion.
flOw is the first essential EDI game to grab from the PlayStation Store and at only £3.49 there’s really no excuse not to download it. Go ahead, better yourself, evolve, you won’t be disappointed.
Evolutionary Scale: 8/10