The lead designer from Monument Valley has a beautiful game about love in the App Store. Florence doesn’t take long to leave a lasting impression. Read more in this review.
Florence: interactive story about love and smartphones
When someone behind the beautiful Monument Valley creates a new game, our attention is immediately piqued. Florence also stands out for its amazing drawing style. The app is more of an interactive storybook than a game, but couldn’t be told in any other way than through your iPhone’s touchscreen.
The story is about Florence. She is 25 years old, has a somewhat boring job and her mother does not want to stop asking if she already has a boyfriend. One day she bumps into the talented and handsome cello player Krish and a beautiful relationship soon develops.
Short but sweet
The game is not long. With forty minutes you have gone through the story and it is finished. Still, Florence manages to make a big impression in that short time and the game lingers longer than titles that we have spent many hours in.
This is partly due to the honest and realistic story, about a blossoming relationship that does not only have nice moments. In addition, it is the style that leaves an impression, from the beautiful drawings to the beautiful music. What the game also shines in is the interaction.
Interactive comics
Florence shows the power of interactive comics. The way you go through the story as a reader / player is original and actually adds something. If the game wants to convey a routine or an argument, it will always be done through your input. Even the way in which the conversations between the two at the start of their relationship progress more and more easily is conveyed through puzzles. With your finger you make dreams appear, but you also conjure up the harsh reality on the screen.
You have no choices to change the story, but you don’t need to in this case. It is a fixed story that you experience.
Smartphones
Smartphones play a prominent role in this story. Of course you play the game on a phone, but the device is also an integral part of Florence’s life. That is recognizable for everyone who plays the game. For example, it is the device with which she compares her life with her friends on social media. It’s also the place where she can talk to her love when they’re not together, but also the device she reaches for when she doesn’t want to talk after an argument.
The smartphone can no longer be separated from our lives and our relationships, and Florence shows this in a unique way. The game costs 3.49 euros and can be downloaded from the App Store via the link below.
→ Download Florence from the App Store (3.49 euros)
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