As a gamer of some 12 years now, I’ve often found that every games release can be put into one of two categories, either a ‘game’ or an ‘experience’. Now while everything released on a console or handheld is literally a game and an experience, the point of these two categories is to differentiate between a traditionally gamey title and something more oddball that despite its flaws deserves equally to be played because of the experience it offers.
The DS, thanks to its unique touch screen interface, has been home to more of these ‘experience’ titles than perhaps any other gaming format in history, with such standout examples as Elite Beat Agents and Another Code. This week I was fortunate to have another such experience plop through my letterbox in the form of Flower, Sun and Rain (FSR). With famously bizarre developing talent from Grasshopper (makers of Killer 7 and No More Heroes) behind it I was intrigued, to say the least, about what lay in store for me.
Flower, Sun and Rain is a mystery adventure game in which you take control of Sumio Mondo, a searcher (private detective), who has been hired by Lospas (a holiday island), to investigate a terrorist threat to blow up an aeroplane. This is a seemingly regular enough setup, unfortunately for Mondo, Lospas has a strange affect on him and consequently he spends most of his time in a dream like state solving hotel guests problems, drinking coffee and watching planes explode.
One of the first things you’re likely to notice about FSR is how obscure the interface is. The opening cinematic blends real life footage with bizarre CGI to create a truly mind boggling sequence which continues for an unnerving amount of time. When you’re into the game proper the graphics that greet you really are a dire state, blocky cars, atrocious textures and empty environments all seem more suited to a low standard Saturn game than a machine capable of reproducing N64 visuals. Mondo is also bizarrely incapable of walking in a straight line, unless you make use of stylus control, which with on screen buttons to activate items and objects can be extremely hit and miss.
Somehow though after a couple of hours play the niggles with the basic controls and appearance of the game seem to drift away as its weirdness really takes hold. To solve the games puzzles requires Mondo and his trusty suitcase Catherine (we were curious too) to ‘jack in’ to various objects and enter a numerical code to unlock its secrets. These codes are more often than not located within the in-game guide book to Lospas Island and provide a very unique way of progressing through the story. One example of this system in practice comes with a drunken lady, claiming to be a vampire, who requires a stiff drink. As you talk to a nearby barman he will reveal that vampires can be dispatched with a silver bullet, head into the guide book and you’ll find a cocktail so named, from here you take the measurements of the drinks ingredients ‘jack into’ the cocktail mixer and enter the appropriate numbers.
If this seems like a convoluted and not particularly pleasant gameplay mechanic to you then FSR is one to pass by because aside from walking around the island hotel talking to guests and getting clues, this is what the vast majority of your time will be spent doing. After you get used to the way that FSR wants you to think then this system all falls into place and has the ability to be immensely satisfying and actually a substantial amount of fun. The main issue is that once you’re accustomed to this way of problem solving each of the guests predicaments become dishearteningly easy to solve, with only a quick chat and a trip to the guidebook required to unearth the answer.
Fortunately for FSR the story with its Japanese wrestling fanatics, disappearing maids and pet crocodiles has plenty to keep the player interested for the time it takes to complete, which will be between 5 and 10 hours for most players. Should you crave more after this, there’s also a substantial quantity of side missions for you to indulge in which mainly require Mondo to recover lost items, some being more enjoyable to find than others.
With its quirky sense of humour, bizarre visual style and mind boggling story Flower, Sun and Rain is definitely one title that fits into the ‘experience’ category of games. I can perhaps best describe it as a psychedelic version of Hotel Dusk from the makers of No More Heroes, and if that’s enough to entice you then in all likelihood you will love it. Judging it as a game though FSR is certainly not without its flaws and unfortunately they’re substantial enough to make it a difficult to recommend it to the majority of DS owners.
Nometet.com says: 
+ Weird enough to be memorable
+ Unique problem solving mechanic
- Awkward input interface
- Repetitive gameplay
- A little easy
