Florence (iOS) - Video Game Review
Florence (out on iOS, Android coming soon) is a narrative-driven game that you interact with through a variety of touchscreen mini games that are reminiscent of some of the DS' most conceptually successful touchscreen games like Feel the Magic: XY/XX (Project Rubin Europe) and Wario Ware: Touched!. Polygon calls it "a tearjerking Wario Ware", which isn't far off. Some of you know me as the guy that likes to dunk on video game stories as a whole, so you might be surprised when I say that Florence has a very well told, relatable, touching story. Florence tells its story almost completely without words however. Instead, the story is being conveyed through the beautiful animated illustrations, the great (and occasionally interactive) soundtrack and - and this is the key - the continiously changing gameplay. It's very effective and it sets the game apart from many other narrative-driven games. I'll give you an example, but due the nature of this game it's a very light spoiler (I recommend you read it anyway though, plus parts of it are even in the trailer so it's fine): At some point in the game, the protagonist, Florence, goes on a first date. You progress through the date by putting together small jigsaw puzzles that, once completed, transform into text-free speech bubbles. The further you progress though the date, the easier the puzzles become, which is likely meant to convey that Florence is feeling increasingly comfortable talking to her date. It costs less than 4€ (or, I assume, 4$) and it's roughly 45 minutes long. It’s one of the best games I have ever played (if you rate games on a scale of purpose, intent and execution - directly comparing a game like this to Mario 64 is redundant) and I'm not someone that throws that around lightly.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPUwFEhgvVA
