Published 14:49, June the 29th, 2009
Nintendo is living it up in the Hotel Tokyo
‘Flower, Sun and Rain’
Console: Nintendo DS
Company: XSeed Games
Weird games come out in Japan all of the time. They don’t usually make it to the American market, for obvious reasons. However, sometimes a publisher takes a chance and we get to design hamburgers or ride construction vehicles with witches. Well, hang on to your kimonos — “Flower, Sun and Rain” is the weirdest game to hit America since soccer.
The game was designed by an enigmatic Japanese developer named Suda 51. Yes, that’s his name. You may know his work from the recent Wii title “No More Heroes” or “Killer 7” for the Gamecube. If you’ve played either, you know Suda tends to favor style and quirk over gameplay. “Flower, Sun and Rain” is no exception.
It casts you as a detective of sorts, who is brought to a glamorous island hotel to solve a mystery. You use your trusty computer to hack into objects and people in order to find their deepest secrets. If you fail, the world ends and you start all over. The narrative plays out like “Twin Peaks” meets “Groundhog Day,” and, along with unique graphics, is really the game’s biggest strength.
There isn’t much to the gameplay. You wander around the increasingly bizarre world and pay attention. If you pay close enough attention, you may find a code that will help you hack into the game’s many objects and people. There is even a 90-page in-game “hotel manual” that is chock full of clues and surreal tidbits. Wait a minute; gamers don’t read!
This game is not for everyone. Those who can appreciate the complex story and simple gameplay will get a kick out of the style and sense of humor. Everyone else may just get bored. There’s a lot of reading and wandering, and that’s pretty much it.