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Flower, Sun, and RainBy Marlon Esmeralda - 07-13-09 Print  EmailThanks to games like Killer 7 and No More Heroes getting high recognition, Suda 51 is starting to become well-known for his unique gameplay design and wacky stories. That same feel can also be found in Flower, Sun, and Rain, a PS2 title that only saw release in Japan. Thanks to the popularity that Suda 51 is slowly gaining, the DS remake was able to see release here in the states. For the most part, this DS game is a great treat for most Suda 51 fans, who are curious of the developer's early works. However, it may be too far out there for many others to grasp. Those who are able to get into the title, will surely find something truly unique. Flower, Sun, and Rain has you taking on the role of Sumio Mondo, a "searcher" by trade. His sole mission is to find things that people want found. He's pretty confident in his ability too, stating that if you give him something to find, he'll find it. His latest assignment brings him to LosPass Island, home of the Flower, Sun, and Rain hotel. There he meets up with Peter Bocchwinkur, an agent from The Commission, who's there to present the details of his mission. This is also where Sumio encounters his first puzzle, as he must prove to Peter that he is who he says he is. In order to solve this puzzle, Sumio must use this device that he calls Catherine. Catherine is a Ultimate Computerized Unlocking Device, shaped in the form of a briefcase, and can jack into anything and solve it's mystery by inputting its code. In Peters case, Sumio must jack into Peter's eye and input his birthday(which you are free to decide). There are 9 different types of pin jacks that you can use, and you must find the right one to use. This part isn't really a puzzle, as you would normally find the proper pin through trial and error. Once the correct pin is in place, you are then able to enter numbers(0-9) into the available spaces and input the right number according to what is being asked. In this particular puzzle, it would be your birthday(days first, months second). For example, my birthday is September 12, so I used the code 1209. When the correct code is entered you will be welcomed with the word "HIT," otherwise you will be met with the word "BLANK." This is pretty much how Flower, Sun, and Rain will operate throughout the game. For each chapter of the game, you are given something to search for. By exploring around in the hotel(later in the game you will be able to explore the island), you will encounter hints on what numeric code is required to progress in the story. Some of these puzzle are quite easy, while others can be insanely difficult to understand. Hints are mainly found through dialog, but the answers themselves will mostly be found by ways of "The Lospass" Guidebook. This guidebook, that you obtain at the start of the game, is this 40+ page book full of photos and text. Within all this text will be many numbers. Some of the numbers in the guidebook are highlighted too, which helps a lot. Before each puzzle, you are also met with a monologue by Sumio. In his monologue may also be hints as to where to find the answer. While it may be helpful, it could be annoying as well. No matter what, Sumio's monologue will always appear before each puzzle, and you are forced to go through a few boxes of dialogue before you can get right into the puzzle. Even worse is that if you fail the puzzle, you will have to endure the dialogue again, as there is no restart option available. So here's a breakdown of the whole process. You start the chapter, get asked to find something, do some exploring, find hints through dialogue, open up guidebook to find answer, trigger puzzle, go through monologue, find proper jack pin, and finally...inputting the correct number code. As you play the game, everything will start making sense and the only real difficulty you'll have is figuring out the puzzle itself, once you've reached the point where you need to input the code. Along with the story-driven puzzles, there will be side puzzles that are optional to solve. First off, these puzzles are hidden as Lost&Found items, and three items are hidden through each chapter of the game. Before you start adventuring out into a chapter, a Lost&Found list will be viewable in your hotel room, and it will show you three word problems. The problems are labeled 1-3 and correspond to each of the three hidden items. Like the puzzle for number 1 will be the puzzle used for the item you find with the number 1 on it. At first, finding these hidden puzzles will be difficult, but an item will later unlock that will detect these hidden items for you. These Lost&Found items are where the really difficult puzzles lay, and some with little or no hints given. Some answers can be found in the guidebook or within the story of the game, some are brain teasers, and some are just straight up math problems. Your reward for finding and solving these puzzles are unlockable items of various things related to the game. Most of the items serve no purpose and are merely for show, with a few unlocking alternate costumes for Sumio to wear. Back to the story now, Sumio's main task is to stop a terrorist attack at the LosPass Airport. In the beginning of the game it seems you can't even make it to the hotel lounge without having to solve the problems of all of the hotel guests. And even then, getting to the airport isn't easy either. The whole atmosphere of the hotel and its many mystery guests, is what makes Flower, Sun, and Rain such a unique experience. I mean, each chapter ends with an airplane blowing up, and you don't even know why. As you play through the story, things start to slowly come together, but the game doesn't hesitate to throw more twists at you, and once again leaving you in confusion. The dialogue of the game really help bring out the story as well. The conversations in the game are always interesting. There's this one scene where this one character just starts pointing out all the bad qualities of the game, which is just hilarious. There are also times where the characters will actually talk to you(the player), or at least make it seem that way. The story is so engaging and over the top that it really motivated me to want to see this game through to the end. The graphics in the game can also be seen as a unique art direction to help accompany the crazy story, and overall feel of the game. To some players though, the graphics will look quite terrible. Personally, I had no problem with the graphics, but can see how others will. The environments can look a bit messy with no detail at all, and look like a bunch of pixels just spread out everywhere. The character models also seem blocky. Whatever your take is on the graphics, you can't deny that it's just one more thing to add to the uniqueness. The same can be said for the audio, which I think is fantastic. Some original themes, and some being remixes of classic songs, like Ave Maria. All the songs I encountered in the game were either very catchy or very relaxing. The voices in the game also come in the form of some weird sounding gibberish. Flower, Sun, and Rain was no doubt a great experience for me. As with all puzzle-type games though, once you've gone through a puzzle, there's no real reason to play through it again. The puzzles will still be the same, no matter how many times you play through it. One playthrough is still pretty lengthy, clocking at around 10-15 hours. It may also be longer or shorts, depending on how you fare against the puzzles. If you've become a fan of Suda 51, then you should definitely check out Flower, Sun, and Rain. Others, can still find some enjoyment in the game, but the strangeness may be too overwhelming for some, and may draw them away. Some gameplay mechanics are also kind of questionable, and may trouble the user more. On the other hand, all of these things is also what makes Flower, Sun, and Rain so fun and unique. Those who can look at the game for what it is, will certainly be in for quite a ride. Flower, Sun, and Rain is an experience that I will remember for quite a while. Ratings |
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