The critically acclaimed mobile title Florence is coming to Nintendo Switch and PC next week. Gamers are much busier these days, and sometimes some of the best games are mobile titles. Florence may not have had very impressive sales on mobile, but was a massive critical hit when it released in February 2018. It won several “Best Mobile Game” awards with groups like The Game Awards, DICE Awards, GDC Awards, and the BAFTAs.
Florence is an interactive story that features puzzle gameplay in order to tell the main character’s story. The game follows a 25 year old cellist named Florence as she lives her monotonous and mindless life. On one of her morning commutes, Florence encounters a street performer named Krish who reignites her passion for her life and hobbies and eventually the two fall in love. The game is separated into 6 acts and 20 chapters chronicling Florence’s life. Players interact with the story by playing short minigames that reveal what Florence is thinking or doing.
PC Gamer reports that on February 13th Florence will be coming to Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam and GOG. According to the developers Florence will cost players $6 dollars on both PC and Switch, which is double the price that the game cost for iOS and Android, but this price does also include access to the game’s soundtrack as well. Steam currently lists the game as thirty minutes long, and the publisher Annapurna Interactive has described it as, “Short but meaningful.”
The game designer, Ken Wong, decided that he wanted to go a new direction with Florence. According to him, very few video games focus on the themes of love and emotion. By taking Florence in this direction his studio could do something that is very rarely seen in games. On top of this Wong wanted to avoid the game having any sort of violence. He believed that Florence could achieve the kinds of character dynamics he wanted without resorting to violent content. Ultimately, Wong and his team decided that the best fit for the game would be a linear experience, unlike many mobile games, so that they could ensure the story was as effective as possible.
Florence is quite possibly one of the most celebrated mobile titles of all time. Despite the game not reaching as many people as was originally intended, those that have played it were impacted heavily by the game’s story. It is very rare in the gaming community that we get to see something as innocent and lovely as the world that Wong and his team have created. It will be really nice as well to see Florence on the Switch as many games have gotten some wonderful Nintendo Switch ports. Hopefully now that Florence is getting a wider release, more gamers will finally give it a chance.
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Florence can currently be played on iOS and Android and is coming to PC and Nintendo Switch on February 13th, 2020.
Source: PC Gamer
