A ten-step guide to videogame morphine

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Ten games to mellow you out, with no risk of a drug bust

flOw

2007 | SCE | PS3

2007 | SCE | PS3

The kind of game Brian Eno would make. Available on both PSN and the internet proper as a Flash game, Flow is ambience made tangible. Almost an interactive visualisation program, it requires you to do nothing more than guide an absract geometric creature around a sea of pulsing, soothing colours as gentle sounds trickle into your ears. Using the simplest controls imaginable, youlead it around on a 2D plane consuming your kaleidoscopic neighbours in order to evolve into ever more intricate and pretty shapes. And that's about it.

But that's about all it needs to be. It's possible to playflOw for hours without ever feeling the need to really achieve anything except to absorb yourself in it, and that's exactly what you need from a chill-out game.

David Houghton
David Houghton
Former GamesRadar+ Features Writer

Former (and long-time) GamesRadar+ writer, Dave has been gaming with immense dedication ever since he failed dismally at some '80s arcade racer on a childhood day at the seaside (due to being too small to reach the controls without help). These days he's an enigmatic blend of beard-stroking narrative discussion and hard-hitting Psycho Crushers.