Florence

Right off the bat, Florence captivated me with its art style and somber music. The story is nothing new, but Annapurna Interactive manages to mesh in the right music, character development, and pacing to create a compelling and believable story. I imagine there will be lots of people who will identify with Florence- those who have been working meaningless full time jobs that make them feel hollow and unfulfilled. To those, Florence speaks that it is worth taking a step back to consider pursuing your dreams and passions- it is never too late. To those expecting a happily ever after ending, Florence affirms our understanding that despite our best wishes and intents, life doesn’t always go the way that we want it too. People come into our lives, and sometimes they go. But Florence teaches us to not let those experiences tear us down. In having new people come into our lives, we learn new things about them and about ourselves. Meeting new people is an essential part of self discovery that allows us to harness what we learn about ourselves and use that knowledge to shape a happier and better future.

Florence is what I think of when I think of the phrase “video games are art” mainly because of its carefully crafted aesthetic and subtly poignant narrative. It’s also what I think of when I hear the popular rebuttal: “This is a movie not a video game!” — a phrase one often hears when presented with interactive media with limited player choice. To be clear, I very much enjoyed Florence. At the heart of the game is the story of modern romance from start to end. The game pulls no punches narratively, reminding the player of the joys and difficulties of love. Alongside this is a clever use of artistic design, which can be described as accessibly gorgeous and reminiscent of art you may have kept in your high school notebook. This is partnered with music that seems diligently composed to reinforce the visual aspect. The drive to appeal to emotion does not stop there: the interactive aspect forces the player to be in the eponymous Florence’s story: you have to tap on the dating apps, drag his stuff into your home, and try to complete puzzles that mimic what it’s like to be in those conversations that define our relationships. The lack of options may be my biggest complaint with Florence. The other is the game’s short playtime. If it weren’t for my habit of playing only when I’m sitting in the subway, I imagine I would have finished in under an hour. Even then, these are complaint so I mutter halfheartedly. What is clear to me is that the developers of this game had a clear vision of a love story and stepped towards that vision — self-assured and deliberate — and a branching story as well as an extended playtime with only compromise that vision.

I was really impressed by how they told such a compelling engaging story in this medium- relying primarily on interactive visuals. It was such creative visual storytelling and a joy to experience this whole arc in florence's life. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The story's format and the tools they used to tell it was really impressive to me because of the skillfulness and partially because it's a novel format. Apps that tell stories artistically are fairly new to me, and fairly new in general! This app did a wonderful job. it seems like a really lovely way to explore a character-focused piece, which I love. it takes creativity to devise methods of communicating the highs and lows in such a clear and precise way... I loved it and thanks to the people who worked on it :-) To everyone else: I definitely recommend giving it a shot and supporting it if you can. the story itself explores heartbreak but is also very encouraging. 🌱🌿 The music and art and interactive elements all throughout worked together so beautifully.