Flow: the awesome flash game

AllUrHiveRblong2usAllUrHiveRblong2us By Your Powers Combined... Join Date: 2002-12-20 Member: 11244Members
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">Hopefully this isn't really old news to everyone else.</div>I was adventuring around the internet today, when I stumbled upon this beauty of a flash game that some guy made as his thesis project.
<a href="http://intihuatani.usc.edu/cloud/flowing/" target="_blank">http://intihuatani.usc.edu/cloud/flowing/</a>

Basically you're this little fishy-thing and your goal is to eat the other fishy things. You get bigger and evolve to be faster as time goes on and you go through the different levels. It's extremely simplistic and addictive, I couldn't stop playing until I had beat everything including the absolutely infuriating last boss in one sitting, took me about 2 hours. There's only 2 parts to the game right now, and I believe it is still being developed, but that doesn't stop it from being the most fun flash game outside of orisinal.com. Play it! Have fun and become the ultimate little fishy thing!
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Comments

  • SkulkBaitSkulkBait Join Date: 2003-02-11 Member: 13423Members
    Sounds a bit like ye old <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_shark" target="_blank">Shark! Shark!</a>.
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  • Cold_NiTeCold_NiTe Join Date: 2003-09-15 Member: 20875Members
    I like it a lot. The concept is like spore, but the first phase, water only. Which is fine, because that's the most interesting part in my mind. Thanks.
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  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
    I don't like it, it's way too frustrating when you get to the later levels playing as the circular orb monster.
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  • Cold_NiTeCold_NiTe Join Date: 2003-09-15 Member: 20875Members
    Yeah that guy's defense sucks. He can't be a predator, not with that setup.
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  • ComproxComprox *chortle* Canada Join Date: 2002-01-23 Member: 7Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, NS1 Playtester, NS2 Developer, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Silver, Subnautica Developer, Subnautica Playtester, Pistachionauts
    Everytime I play this, the game just bugs out. I usually get pretty big, mostly complete, but then the boss doesnt show up or something stupid <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />
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  • RustySpoonRustySpoon Join Date: 2003-07-10 Member: 18069Members
    ololo ye owlde flash game?

    Seriously thou, I didn't even know the thing evolves. I just kinda gave up after it got repetitive the last time I played it.
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  • TyrainTyrain Join Date: 2003-01-03 Member: 11746Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1582626:date=Dec 1 2006, 10:51 AM:name=RustySpoon)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RustySpoon @ Dec 1 2006, 10:51 AM) [snapback]1582626[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    ololo ye owlde flash game?

    Seriously thou, I didn't even know the thing evolves. I just kinda gave up after it got repetitive the last time I played it.
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    It evolves? How and when? I thought that was and endless game of modified snake with cooler graphics.
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  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
    You see, the list of flaws in this game grows almost as fast as the posts in the thread. Too hard at later levels, buggy at later levels, didn't even know there WERE later levels...
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  • AlignAlign Remain Calm Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 5216Forum Moderators, Constellation
    Is this a MMO or not? I can't tell if I'm being really mean or just productive.
    Eat hexagons to evolve your currently highlighted bodypart. If there are no hexagons, eat someone else rather than the tiny thingeys floating aimlessly.
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  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
    Uh, no, it's not an MMO. Not by a long shot. This is as much an MMO as Pacman is.
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  • DiscoZombieDiscoZombie Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
    I thought it was easy <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" /> unless they changed it since I played. some of the mobs need some strategy to kill though. like the trapezoid shaped ones, you have to dodge them like you're a bullfighter and then sneak up behind them...

    the last boss is pretty hard no matter how you look at it, at least when you're playing as the second life form after you beat it the first time.
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  • RatonetwothreetwooneRatonetwothreetwoone Join Date: 2004-03-23 Member: 27504Members
    ok ive been playing this for a while now...

    is there some trick? i cant get past the snake phase....

    do i have to eat things in a certain order?

    ive devoured everything in the sea >_<
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  • AlignAlign Remain Calm Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 5216Forum Moderators, Constellation
    Eat blips and blobs that are roundish to increase your growth - your tail parts(hit points) are highlighted as you eat more. Once all are highlighted and you eat something, it'll count down to the end of the tail and then add another part.
    Eat pentagons to evolve the currently highlighted piece(or the next if it's maxed out = fins are ~1 cm on each side). These usually only appear if you eat other creatures hit points, killing them and turning them into more bite-sized pieces. Only the larger parts are hit points.
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  • pardzhpardzh Join Date: 2002-10-25 Member: 1601Members
    I don't think I've seen a more vague set of instructions for a game.
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  • MelatoninMelatonin Babbler Join Date: 2003-03-15 Member: 14551Members, Constellation
    edited December 2006
    amazing game, shame the boss levels are such a chore as the 2nd life form. <strike>I cant kill the final boss at all, simple mechanics prevent it.</strike> *edit* oh yeah! take that ######!, what no caek?! shame.

    also the way the camera sometimes jumps, and the player takes turns in ways you would rather not, tarnishes an otherwise very competant professional game.
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  • DiscoZombieDiscoZombie Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
    it's ironic that this game, which was designed to prove a theory that games and activities that are self-explanatory and intuitive are more fun, is just frustrating people because it's not self-explanatory or intuitive.
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  • pardzhpardzh Join Date: 2002-10-25 Member: 1601Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1582888:date=Dec 1 2006, 02:44 PM:name=DiscoZombie)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DiscoZombie @ Dec 1 2006, 02:44 PM) [snapback]1582888[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    it's ironic that this game, which was designed to prove a theory that games and activities that are self-explanatory and intuitive are more fun, is just frustrating people because it's not self-explanatory or intuitive.
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    Hypothesis firmly rejected.
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  • QuaunautQuaunaut The longest seven days in history... Join Date: 2003-03-21 Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    I think its more in terms of scope or thinking. For example, my first time playing it, I didn't get it at all(this was several months back). I left it running on the computer, and went to watch a movie with my dad. I come back, and my mom had been playing it for almost a half hour- she had become a Jellyfish already. I think its that were used to games spelling it out for us, or it being completely obvious, as opposed to just trying and seeing(a good example of this, is when I played Splinter Cell at first, I never used a lot of the features it had because MGS never had them).

    I could be wrong for others, but thats what happened with me. I now enjoy it.
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  • AllUrHiveRblong2usAllUrHiveRblong2us By Your Powers Combined... Join Date: 2002-12-20 Member: 11244Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1582888:date=Dec 1 2006, 02:44 PM:name=DiscoZombie)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DiscoZombie @ Dec 1 2006, 02:44 PM) [snapback]1582888[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    it's ironic that this game, which was designed to prove a theory that games and activities that are self-explanatory and intuitive are more fun, is just frustrating people because it's not self-explanatory or intuitive.
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    It's not frustrating because it isn't intuitive, on the contrary. I found that the rules of the game came very simply without any explanation beyond "Eat everything." Just needed a bit of time to explore is all.

    The reason that the game is so frustrating is because that last freaking boss is ungodly hard to beat until you figure out the trick, or at least I thought so.
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  • MerkabaMerkaba Digital Harmony Join Date: 2002-01-24 Member: 22Members, Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester
    I played this some time ago. I adore the style, and I LOVE big creatures in any game (cos frankly they scare me!). I managed to kill all the big creatures I could find I think, I definately killed the boss at the bottom of the ocean anyway. However, I didn't know you could evolve! I managed to get some fins, but that's about it - I really don't think it matters though. If you didn't know you could evolve, you wouldn't know that you were missing something and thus wouldn't care - so complaining that it needs instructions is a mute point to me. I think it's largely an experience-game....play it for the sheer pleasure of playing it, not to reach and sort of goal. Although, knowing that there are goals you can reach make it more interesting to play again.

    I did spend some time trying to evolve my creature but could only make it longer. I think because I had killed all the big creatures already.

    This game reminds me of classic early 90s gaming for some reason - maybe due to games like Ecco the Dolphin.
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  • RPG_JssmfulhudRPG_Jssmfulhud Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 4006Members
    Not sure why people say this game is frustrating to learn. All you need to do is look at the very simple instructions. Eat blue - go up. Eat red - go deeper. Simple.

    After that, all you have to do is eat some, go deeper and you will quickly learn all the little tricks of how and why.

    Allurhive - thanks for this great link! Loved this little game. It's fun, simplistic and the style is awesome. Thumbs up!

    PS: Too bad I was too busy playing to notice the "Play in Black" link at the top. Now my eyes need an hour to cool down. x_x
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  • AlignAlign Remain Calm Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 5216Forum Moderators, Constellation
    edited December 2006
    They're not discernible as blue or red until you reach the orange levels, for me...
    And the instructions are very vague in the evolution department. Like the plus signs, which were presumably in a different version.
    EDIT: Well, black mode helps. It's all there, just difficult to see when everything's bright like the sun.
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  • RatonetwothreetwooneRatonetwothreetwoone Join Date: 2004-03-23 Member: 27504Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1583301:date=Dec 2 2006, 02:04 PM:name=Align)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Align @ Dec 2 2006, 02:04 PM) [snapback]1583301[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    They're not discernible as blue or red until you reach the orange levels, for me...
    And the instructions are very vague in the evolution department. Like the plus signs, which were presumably in a different version.
    EDIT: Well, black mode helps. It's all there, just difficult to see when everything's bright like the sun.
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    the plus signs are the pentagons i think.... when i first read that i started hitting the + key on my keyboard :/...

    the game is fun... i did figure how to eat everything just fine... i just cant evolve...

    and is everyone talking about the snake at the very bottom as being the last boss? because i thought that was terribly easy...
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