During my time at E3, one of the places I spent a lot of time at was the IndieCade booth. There were a number of games on display, and the one I got started with was Flower on the Vita. Having never played the original PlayStation 3 version of thatgamecompany’s indie hit, I was curious to finally check it out. I ended up spending quite a bit of time with Flower, playing the demo to completion and walking away completely satisfied and happy for Vita-owning indie game fans.

You control the wind around a few flower petals by tilting the Vita and using face buttons to either create a gust or tilt the directional trajectory downward. It’s an intuitive design choice that’s easy to understand, though it does take some getting used to. If you’ve never played Flower, you may be tempted to keep the wind blowing at a rapid rate, but this isn’t exactly ideal. Choosing the right speeds and tilting the handheld as necessary are actions that allow  you to transport the petals across lush environments so that you can spread life to wilting grass and dying trees.

Flower looks absolutely stunning on the Vita’s screen. The game has always been a visual treat, so it’s great to see that nothing was lost in translation here. In fact, it’s actually quite impressive seeing the lovely game world unfolding and coming to life at your fingertips. While playing Flower on a big screen TV has been known to make for an awe-inspiring experience, taking said experience and putting it on a handheld almost makes everything look pleasantly surreal.

As has always been the case with Flower, a beautiful and serene soundtrack accompanies you on your ride. The entire mood of the game is calming throughout, and the music presented is perfectly fitting. It should be noted that you’ll probably get the best audio experience if you put on some headphones and just drown out the world around you. I quickly learned that that’s just the type of game Flower is, and that’s why its arrival on the Vita is really awesome. Everything, from the look to the sound, is now much more personal.

One thing I noticed during my time playing Flower at the IndieCade booth was that a lot of folks who tried it out didn’t “get” it. This was actually a bit disheartening, because this is exactly the type of title that should be able to captivate anyone. Still, it’s easy to see how someone who’s unaware of its premise and purpose wouldn’t really see the point within the first few seconds without word of mouth to give a little push. Thankfully, if you’re buying Flower on the Vita, you know exactly why you’re purchasing it.

If you’ve yet to play Flower and own a Vita, this may very well be the version to check out. It creates an even more personal experience than the PlayStation 3 original, and it gives you something really awesome to play on your Vita. If you have played the game before, it’s possible that this particular iteration may be worth checking out, too. I finished the Flower demo at E3 wanting to continue playing. This is a great game to bring to the Vita, and I would highly recommend you keep your eyes peeled for it. Here’s hoping the wonderful Journey follows suit and lands on Sony’s portable in the near future.

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