Flower, Sun and Rain for DS is not a bad game. It's just difficult and very text-heavy. If this sounds ideal to you, then it'll taste of sugar and gumdrops. It's completely non-mainstream - niche, in fact - and while that's off-putting to a lot of casual or straightforward gamers, the more alternative amongst the gamer set will love how wacky and off-the-rails this ride is.
Essentially, it's a masterfully written detective and mystery story to rival Twin Peaks, presented through the cerebral fish-eye lens of Alice in Wonderland, but as dense and literate as War & Peace and will slice your thought process in two.
Today's release of No More Heroes 2 is not only a chance to step into the foul-mouthed beam-sword-weilding shoes of Travis Touchdown, but also to reflect on the progeny of Tokyo-based Grasshopper Manufacture. Helmed by the enigmatic Suda 51 (so named because his actual first name, Goichi, means 51 in Japanese), the company is known for its wildly inventive, original, and financially risky software. Adopting the slogan "Punk's Not Dead," the company represents the rebellious, individualistic, and at times crude and violent mentality of punk music. Let's take a look at some of the developer's more memorable games.
Yeah I dunno what's up with that, GamerGrenade's been chugging lately. Someone needs to go wind up the turnkey on the server again or something.
If there's one thing that Flower Sun and Rain definitely delivers, it's that typical Suda 51 charm and humor, filled with so many random pop culture references and off-the-wall humor that it's actually kind of hard to believe it's a Japanese-made game. While there's atmosphere galore here, the puzzles themselves are somewhat obtuse, especially the optional ones, which often feel more like doing math homework than solving a mystery.
Fans of Grasshopper's original work will not be disappointed, but adventure game fans that don't have any previous experience with Suda's work may want to think twice about this one.
I like what I see, I'm a fan of Suda 51, and this is a very well written review.
Gamertell has posted a positive review of XSeed's DS game titled Flower, Sun and Rain.
From the review:
"Flower, Sun and Rain has everything you expect from a Goichi Suda game. It's stylish, has an incredibly complicated and interesting plot, unusual gameplay mechanics and a wonderful sense of ambiance. While the visuals aren't stellar and the camera constantly fails the player, the controls, characters and stories more than make up for it. And, if the graphics annoy you a bit, keep playing. As the game goes on and Sumio experiences the same day over and over, things start to look different. Sadly, after playing and finishing Flower, Sun and Rain, I get the feeling that only Suda51 and point-and-click adventure fans will pick up and persevere through this wonderful story."
