Falling in love is great, but the reality of most relationships is that not all couples are meant to last. It's a frustrating yet familiar story all of us have experienced or know someone who's gone through it. Florence may just seem like another love story on paper, but it's so much more than that.
Like the video game equivalent of a classical orchestration and Studio Ghibli film hybrid, Florence is a beautiful, intimate, and emotional portrait at the heartbreaking re𓂃ality of falling in and out of love.
A Sweet & Short Tale
Florence tells the story of 25-year-old Florence Yeoh, a young woman who spends her days crunching numbers at her accounting job and mindlessly scrolling through social media on her daily commute. One day, after her phone dies while walking about, she follows the sound of cello music to a park where she meets Krish, a street performer. After falling in love with his music, she eventually falls for - both literally and figuratively - the young man. Following a series of dates, the two end u𓃲p starting a relationship, with Krish eventually moving in𝄹 with her, with their story playing out from there.
The game, developed by the Australian video game studio Mountains and published by Annapurna Interactive, is perhaps closest in genre to an interactive visual novel, though there are no words ever spoken by the characters or shown in text bubbles. Players click and scroll through different scenes in Florence's story, as well as participate in various minigames representing different tasks and events (e.g. brushing her teeth, choosing which photos to like and share on social media, unpacking Krish's things, etc.).
In total, the game is told through twenty chapters, divided into six acts that represent a period of Florence's life. The story moves relatively quickly, and a single playthrough will likely take around half an hour to complete.
An Artistic And Emotional Experience
Florence may appear simple on the outside - and honestly, part of the title's charm is in how emotionally relatable the story is - but it's clear that a labor of love has gone into producing this game.
The adorable artwork, though straightforward in rendering, is used to visually convey the emotional beats of Florence's journey. From the greys when we first meet her as she follows her mundane routine, to the gradual brightening shades as she falls deeper and deeper into love with Krish - it's a gorgeous and artistic masterpiece.
Speaking of a masterpiece, we have to talk about the gorgeous music that accompanies the game. As mentioned above, there are no words ever spoken in the game, as well as no voice acting to supplement Florence and Krish's story. Music, therefore, plays an important role in the game to evoke emotional beats that the art can't always reach. The score is overall extremely calming, fitting with the game's relatively chill and feel-good vibe.
The use of piano in each chapter's unique song is so effective in communicating Florence's feelings: the slow and timid notes when Florence goes on her first dates with Krish, the jaunty and bouncy sounds when they're both at the apex of their love are all so powerful. Truly, one could simply listen to the soundtrack on its own and get a complete narrative. But it's nice to have both art and music together.
Romanticizing The Mundane
Like a Studio Ghibli film, Florence does a fantastic job turning the seemingly banal parts of everyday life into quaint little tasks through its unique minigames. Some of the games are straightforward, like moving the left and right stick back and forth to simulate moving a toothbrush. Other times they're more complex, like when players have to solve a puzzle that symbolizes Florence's comfort with Krish on their first dates. At first, the puzzles are more challenging, with ten or so different pieces. But as she gets more comfortable talking with her crush, the puzzles get easier, with two or even one singular puzzle piece.
Even emotional tasks have been commodified into a game. When Krish first moves into Florence's home, players have to figure out where his stuff will fit into her home and remove some of Florence's own items to make space.
In terms of game mechanics, all of the minigames are relatively simple, calming in effect, and don't take away from the overall narrative. The Switch controls are a little annoying for certain games (specifically, the sticks can be a little tricky to use for games that are more precise), but it's only a minute annoyance rather than an actual detriment.
A Masterpiece Of A Video Game
Like the video game equivalent of an orchestra, Florence is comprised of so many different elements that all work seamlessly together to create an emotional masterpiece. Video games exploring romance is nothing new - but this short and sweet game is probably the best and most realistic title that portrays what the realities of falling in lov𓆏e is actually like.
A Nintendo Switch copy of Florence was purchased by TheGamer for this review. Florence is availabღle for ꦫMicrosoft Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices in addition to the Nintendo Switch.