The Flower Collectors review

The Flower Collectors is a detective adventure game with a gripping story in which you become "that annoying neighbor watching you from the window"

I, of course, exaggerate. The protagonist of the game is a retired cop, a former member of the Flower Pickers, a special unit whose members cracked down on dissident people who posed a threat to the state.

In video games, I always put the story first and then the gameplay. Take episodic Telltale Games (R.I.P.), Dontnod Entertainment's Life is Strange franchise, or much bigger AAA titles like Last of Us. Such titles will leave a much deeper imprint, you continue to remember them even a few weeks after you put the final point. The Flower Collectors is a captivating detective story with a unique premise and several innovative ideas.

Events take place in an alternative Barcelona in 1977, where anthropomorphic (intelligent) animals live instead of people. Two years have passed since the death of Francisco Franco (the real-life monarch of Spain), the nationalist dictator who has ruled Spain since the end of the civil war in the 1930s. Now the state is striving by leaps and bounds to get away from the nationalist regime?and to create a modern democratic society. However, these changes are only superficial. In fact, the rights of citizens continue to be infringed.

You play as Jorge, a wheelchair-bound ex-cop with a lot of skeletons in his closet. Due to his injury, he can no longer roam the streets of the city freely, so instead he prefers to spend time on an open balcony, looking around through his favorite binoculars. One night, he witnesses a murder that brings aspiring journalist Melinda into his apartment. The bear and the cat team up to find the culprit. The plot looks simple, but in fact there are much more interesting facts in this story.

The Flower Collectors is not afraid to touch the dark side of politics, talk about the harsh events that really happened in those years, and show the corrupt and brutal police. I do not want to reveal all the cards, and it will be much more pleasant for you to get to the bottom of the truth yourself, but I emphasize once again: The Flower Collectors tells an amazing and exciting story.

The passage of the game will take you 2-3 hours of time. The gameplay is divided into several days. Every day you guide Jorge, who with binoculars or an osmat camera?walks the street, looking for some sights and registering events, and then gives commands to Melinda. Melinda is downstairs. At the request of Jorge, she can pick up some thing or chat with certain characters. Despite the fact that the whole game proceeds in this way, the events of each day are unique in their own way, so they will not let you get bored. However, Melinda's long walks from one point of the street to another may seem a little dull, especially if she moves slowly or has to go up to old Anna's apartment. And at the end of the day, the heroes meet in Jorge's apartment, putting together the collected evidence.

The concept is amazing and ambiguous. You are offered to solve the murder, literally without leaving your home. At the same time, daily observations create a true sense of life. You see that the same neighbor children are playing in the yard. You are convinced that a real friendship is born between the priest and the beggar. And with the observations, the neighbor's old woman from the house opposite helps you. This is the same stereotypical granny who has nothing better to do than watch other people. On the other hand, closely examining a cabaret, a car repair shop and a local cafe, the desire to visit these places will gradually increase. However, the game won't let you do that. A little disappointing, but that explains it, doesn't it?It is both the concept of the game and the fact that the main character is disabled.

The game flow is somewhat confusing. After a strong start, the first half of the game seems to be drawn out, it is not entirely clear what and why you need, who is worth spying on. And the ending does not explain a few things: for example, why did you help (or not help) auto mechanics with the search for all the missing parts from the moped. And in general, the game ends, one might say, at the most interesting moment. The ending does not look terrible, but there is a feeling that something more was wanted.

The Flower Collectors can't be compared to the video games it draws inspiration from, but it's still a rich and incredibly addictive 2-3 hours of story-driven gameplay. Therefore, I highly recommend the game for review!