Florence

 iOS
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
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  1. DarkStation
    Mar 22, 2018
    100
    Florence doesn’t last long but when it's finished, I was left with an overwhelming series of emotions. I don’t want to sound hyperbolic, but I found the simplicity of this game to be profound. Florence right now retails for $2.99 on the App Store and although it doesn't have any replayability, I think it’s worth every penny. I hope that Florence inspires more games of this kind that captured an hour of my day and transformed it into an intrinsic adventure that I’m not soon to forget.
  2. IGN Japan
    Feb 16, 2018
    96
    Anyone can pick this up and be moved. Florence is universal art.
  3. RPG Fan
    Apr 4, 2019
    90
    For less than an hour of your time, Florence is one of the most beautiful coming-of-age stories you can experience.
  5. Games.cz
    Jan 25, 2019
    90
    Every Android and iOS user should delight themselves by this fateful story. This is an almost perfect mobile game, an experience unlike any other. Florence will feel close and familiar to all the people in the world.
  6. games(TM)
    Apr 20, 2018
    90
    A stunning work of interactive art. [Issue#199, p.83]
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  7. The Sydney Morning Herald
    Mar 13, 2018
    90
    While the deeply relatable narrative, sketchy art and evocative music could all conceivably be delivered in a short film, it's the brilliant metaphors of the touchscreen play that make Florence truly special. It's breathtaking and emotionally affirming little game.
  8. Everyeye.it
    Mar 5, 2018
    90
    Florence is a love story, a story that merges videogames and comics, able to give shape to a delicate and poetic narration, but with an overwhelming emotional impact, which leaves you truly speechless: at the end of this short story, you will then find yourself with a lump in the throat that would only want to melt into tears.
  9. TouchArcade
    Feb 14, 2018
    90
    Experience-centric games like That Dragon, Cancer [$4.99], Gone Home and others have found massive audiences of people who love the experimental side of gaming that focuses more on conveying emotions than they do high scores. If those are the sorts of things you're into, chances are you're going to wish Florence didn't end so soon.
  10. AppAdvice
    Feb 28, 2018
    85
    Once I started Florence, it was hard to stop. I went from knowing nothing about Florence to knowing everything about her daily life and then about her and Krish. It reminded me of my relationships, and I'll admit it — I got quite emotional. I love slice of life experiences, and Florence is definitely one you don't want to miss.
  11. Edge Magazine
    Mar 29, 2018
    80
    Florence strikes a chord that resonates long after the cello fades. [May 2018, p.120]
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  12. Destructoid
    Feb 27, 2018
    80
    Florence is an imaginative, breathtaking, heartbreaking tale of two artists trying a love they’re not quite ready for. It’s as honest a look at the subject matter as you’ll find in a game -- or so I've been told by others who've been writing about it incessantly since its release. But as much as Florence focuses on love, I’m not quite sure it’s a fan of it.
  13. Guardian
    Feb 23, 2018
    80
    This short collection of small moments manages to cover a wide range of powerfully relatable emotional highs and lows, beautifully capturing what it’s like to fall in love for the first time.
  14. Meristation
    Feb 20, 2018
    80
    Florence's costumbrist love story touched us and surprised us. Its proposal is direct and effective. Its realization, in mechanics, drawing and sound, doesn't have objections. And each hint of colour, each musical note, helped us to see the credits with tears in our eyes.
  15. Game Informer
    Feb 20, 2018
    80
    Florence is a beautiful experience that isn’t afraid to tell an ordinary story. This isn’t an action-packed, heroic tale or a somber story filled with tragedy, but it still hits some of those notes in subdued ways. Florence is happy, distressing, and admirable in its reflection of young romance, and it left me with a sense of unexpected hopefulness.
  16. Press Start Australia
    Feb 16, 2018
    80
    In a medium so fixated on hurting others, it's refreshing to enjoy a slice of life story about the complexities of love, romance and life itself.
  17. 148Apps
    Feb 15, 2018
    80
    Florence takes a pretty familiar plot line and adds more life to it through clever gameplay mechanics and a bright aesthetic. It’s not the most involved game out there, but the relatively small amount of stuff Florence does have to offer is dang near close to perfectly executed.
  18. Pocket Gamer UK
    Feb 15, 2018
    80
    It might not last long, but Florence is an intriguing experience that's well worth checking out.
  19. Multiplayer.it
    Mar 1, 2018
    78
    Florence marks another interesting step in the exploration of narrative in videogames: its story is simple but meaningful, as is its interaction.
  20. Gameblog.fr
    Mar 5, 2018
    70
    Florence may be short, but it's still an excellent interactive graphic novel about love.
  21. Metro GameCentral
    Feb 28, 2018
    70
    Although not a game in any conventional sense, more a work of interactive fiction, Florence is about falling in love, its protagonist drifting through the tedium of adult existence before meeting the love of her life. From the mild awkwardness of their first date, to moving in, daily routine, arguments and beyond, your part in each scene sometimes amounting to no more than scrolling through its practically wordless pages, but making you feel a part of its story in a way that graphic novels and films can’t. At only 30 minutes long and with little replay value, this is not for everyone, but its unique emotional journey is an experience that stays with you.
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In Progress & Unscored

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  1. Ars Technica
    Feb 15, 2018
    By mixing some of the best features of comics, video games, and animation, Florence tells a sweet and memorable tale that isn't belabored with a lot of fluff or busywork. In a gaming world full of immense, sprawling epics, we could use more inventive short stories like this.
  2. The A.V. Club
    Mar 11, 2018
    If you have a decent-length commute or road trip in your future, you won’t regret the little bit of time it takes to experience it.
  3. The Verge
    Feb 14, 2018
    It’s a familiar story told in an unfamiliar way. With just a few taps, it shows you how it feels to fall in love.

Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Best iOS Game of 2018
4
#4 Most Discussed iOS Game of 2018
25
#25 Most Shared iOS Game of 2018

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 77 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 77
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 77
  3. Negative: 14 out of 77
  1. aditya1101
    Mar 1, 2020
    10
    Really beautiful and touching game, I love how this medium was used to tell this story. In many ways, this isn't that original of a story, butReally beautiful and touching game, I love how this medium was used to tell this story. In many ways, this isn't that original of a story, but the new way in which its presented makes the experience very novel. My only problem is that I wish the game were longer! I initially gave this an 8/10 because of the length, but two years later I still can't stop thinking about it so I'm upgrading it to a 10/10.… Full Review »
  2. ghostlysun
    Dec 21, 2018
    10
    This game within itself it's perfect. It's an amazing experience, mixing it's short narrative with a series of action that the players have toThis game within itself it's perfect. It's an amazing experience, mixing it's short narrative with a series of action that the players have to do while helping them connect with Florence, the protagonist. This game is full of tiny details like conversations growing easier to build when getting close to another person. Besides, the art (visually and musically) complement each other to add to the final product that, in my eyes, is a small masterpiece.… Full Review »
  3. TamiTea
    Dec 6, 2018
    10
    More an experience than a game. But still, amazing, beautiful and touching. Wholesome
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