flOw Trophy Guide & Road Map

flOw
flOw Trophy Guide

Overview

+ Estimated trophy difficulty: 5.32/10
+ Offline: 13 (1 + 3 + 9)
+ PS4 DLC: 1
+ PS3 DLC: 1
+ Trophy Total per console: 14 (1 + 3 + 10)
+ Approximate time: 3-6 hours
+ Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 1
+ Missable trophies: 0 (Top layer is creature/chapter select)
+ Glitched trophies: Yes, see install info
+ Cheats: No cheats

PS3 Install information

You can switch freely between the proper install and glitch-install by deleting and redownloading the game from the PSN store. Your game save file will work with BOTH installs, so DO NOT delete the game save!
Every trophy is attainable with a proper install.
To install the bundle properly you need to install the game first (do not run the game yet), then install the expansion. Now run it, it will patch, and you can run the whole thing normally and obtain all trophies.
To force a glitched-install: first install the expansion, then the main game, the run it and patch. For glitched installs, when you complete the credits, you will get Beauty, Vegetarian, Peace and Giant trophies instead of Gaia and Gratitude trophies. You will NOT get Memory either with a glitch-install.
(Credit to Hirnforscher for detailing how to reproduce the installed glitch)
If you got the free valentine's day game and NEVER patched it ("in the bubble" or out of the patch every time), then and only then you can buy the expansion and it will work if you follow the precise instructions on a proper install above. If you patched it, the expansion itself will not work: so live with 95% or buy the bundle.
If you have the Journey/Flower/flOw Collector's Edition, the DLC is NOT included. Originally, people could not get the DLC to work with the disc. rennelf has found out how to do it: delete all flOw data (if you have any), install the game from the disc, do NOT launch the game yet, and install the expansion pack. Now it should launch fine with all trophies attainable.

About the game

flOw is a unique games. If you’ve played Flower, you know what to expect. This was arguably the most relaxing and calming game you could ever play on your PS3, or was before the trophies got added. The concept is that you’re going through a body of water as some fish-like creature, calmly trying to survive down to the deepest part of the sea. As you eat each food and other creatures you grow in size. You start out as one creature, and as you get to the end of each level, you will have one more creature's to choose from.

How to play the game

You tilt the controller to control which direction you go.
flOw into any of the things mentioned below to eat it.
There are things resembling (+) and (-) on each layer of the sea, which take you up or down layers.
On the bottom layer is an egg, which completes that level and unlocks a new creature for you to use.
Food (these are the white colored cell-like things all over the place, they have from 1 to 4 dots in them) - eat these to increase the creature's segments.
Gems eat these to decorate the empty segments (add segments by eating food or other creatures).
Advanced creatures All creatures that eat other stuff AND creatures that attack you (turn red)
Creatures you don't have to worry about (ie. Doesn't require to be eaten for either Vegetarian or Cannibalism): Camera triggers (SOS) AND the small squid creature (Totally white, Food usually sticks to its tentacles when it floats around and it is eaten by advance creatures)
Hitting the button will take you to a temporary safe spot for a breather. You can eat the (+) to go back to the character select screen. Eat (-) OR hit to go back to the layer you were on.

General Tips

The outer-rim (meaning the far top/bottom/left/right is accessible to you, but not the other creatures. That means the big angry red creature can spin all it wants while you sit inches from it deciding what to chew on!
If you are doing a run that you need to be careful what you eat or prevent from being hit, hit the button if you are about to mess up! (credit to Throw7)

The unique creature list

Original - This is the creature you start with. Hitting any key will make it swim faster.
Hellraiser (face w/ hooks) - Hitting any key will make you spin into a whirlpool, pulling nearby objects towards you.
The Dolphin - Hitting a button will make you shoot forward, and the more food/gems you eat, the more you can do so in succession. Each use will also deplete one of your 'tails'.
Capt. Yellow Hook - Unique ability is you can hit any key to turn yellow for a few seconds. While in this mode, if you touch any other creature, you will paralyze it, and you can then easily munch on it to kill it. Also, while yellow, you will not eat anything other than paralyzed enemies. In addition, hitting any button while white will scare away anything directly in front of you. Lastly, if you hold down any button, you will move slowly and also turn invisible to opponents ~ thus you can flOw in their direction and surprise attack them!
Red Phoenix - Hitting any button will have you shoot directly at an creature to eat it. If there is no advanced creature in sight, you will just turn red.
Bubble Boy (requires expansion pack) - Hitting any button will have you pull in a protective bubble and make you feel all safe and protected from the scary world. Also can be used to bounce objects away from you.
Credits Snake - This is the creature that does the credits stage. You can at any time redo credits by going to this creature.

Roadmap

Perform a glitch-install if you want this done quicker (see top of post to reproduce).

Step One: Begin the Adventure (10 minutes, if you run through it)

You will start with your first creature, tilt your SIXAXIS in different directions and you will quickly get the hang of the movement. Now swim into the (-) sign. You just got the Adventure trophy and most of the others come just as easily. In this first portion, don't worry so much about how much food or creatures or whatever you eat, just look for the (-) symbols and make it to the bottom, where you will find an egg in the center. That takes you back to the starting screen, with a new creature unlocked. Most of the other creatures are somewhat similar, and you need to get to the bottom layer and get into the egg.

Step Two: Complete the game (35 minutes)

Once you finish all the creatures, you will unlock the last creature ~ which actually takes you to the credits. Eat each food pellet within each credit name, and once that layer is done, move to the next by eating the next (-). At any point put down the controller for thirty minutes and don't touch it for Zen (I strongly suggest you hit the PS button so your XMB is up, this way just in case you hit a button by mistake or the controller is even marginally tilted, the game won't know. Yes, I tested it and got the trophy, in fact the trophy will pop while you are still in XMB so you can check the flOw trophy rate every few minutes if you like.)

When you finish this level on a glitch-install, if you ate all the pellets, it will give you: Beauty, Vegetarian, Peace and Giant. Now re-install the game the proper way (see top of this post for details) and restart the credit level.

When you finish the credit level on a proper install, if you ate all the pellets, it will give you: Gaia and Gratitude.

Step Three: Clean Up

Wrap up any trophies you didn't get yet.

[PST Would Like to Thank TigerLust for this Road Map]

Beauty

Complete any campaign without being hurt.
(1)
NOTE: This trophy can be done as intended with a proper install. This is also awarded when you complete the credits on a glitch-install (see top of first post to reproduce)

Don't get damaged, this is especially easy with the red guy. On each layer, try jumping into (-) after (-), ignoring the creatures as much as possible. You can also see where you will end up on the lower layer, so use that to your advantage!
Peace

Complete any campaign without eating anything.
(2)
NOTE: This trophy can be done as intended with a proper install. This is also awarded when you complete the credits on a glitch-install (see top of first post to reproduce)

Kind of tricky, what you need to do is see what is on the layer beneath you while swimming into the (-). You will have a moment to maneuver while going to the lower layer of the sea, and you need to use that to ensure you do not hit some food. The trophy will pop on the final layer, before eating the egg, so likely you just cant land on food while hittin the last layer. CajunShooter suggests using DLC BubbleBoy, as hitting buttons will push away food ~ but also the up/down.
Swift

Complete any campaign within 120 seconds.
(1)
Swim quickly through a level, grabbing all the (-), then the egg at the end.
This is pretty easy to get, I did it with the original creature.
Adventure

Start the first campaign after installing.
(7)
This will unlock as soon as you begin the game.
Friendship

Complete any campaign with 4 players.
You can do this with one controller! Using any creature, swim to the deepest part of the sea (with the egg in the middle).

On PS3: Hold down the button and re-assign the controller to another port (port 2), then hit select and you will see the new player appear. Repeat for port 3 and port 4.

On PS4: Hold down the button and select Adjust Sound and Devices > Turn Off Device > DUALSHOCK 4. Hold down again and select a different profile (you will need four PSN profiles on your PS4 total). In game, choose "Options" to spawn.

When all four 'players' are present, eat the egg (with any of the players) to finish the stage and unlock the trophy. Good teamwork!
Giant

Complete any campaign with a creature of 25 segments or longer.
(3)
NOTE: This trophy can be done as intended with a proper install. This is also awarded when you complete the credits on a glitch-install (see top of first post to reproduce)

Note: The filled segments must be connected sequentially for a continuous 25, so if you get middle segments eaten by other creatures before eating the stage egg, you will NOT get the trophy.

The easiest way to do this is using the red "phoenix" creature. Kill everything on each layer, then go to the next using (-). When you get to the deepest layer, with the egg in the center, eat all creatures and food surrounding it. Unlike most other trophies that you are awarded upon arriving to the deepest level, this one require you to eat the egg.
Fashion

Decorate your creature with more than 10 alternating segments.
(6)
Food - There is one basic type of food. It looks like a little tadpole. Some have one tail, some have two, some have three, and some have four. Small pieces do not fill up your segments as quickly as large pieces. To fill 1 segment I believe you need to eat 4 single pieces of food or TWO double pieces, or ONE quadruple piece. The trick is to eat food SLOWLY and only ONE piece at a time. Each time you eat a piece of food WAIT and WATCH your creature. You will see the segments start to "pulse" through the body of your creature. If you fill all the segments of your creature, and then eat one more piece of food you will grow a new segment and all your filled segments will go empty again. Basically, you start over, but with one new body segment.
The picture here is a 2-tail piece of food.

Gems - Eating a red gem (from advanced creatures) will grant you growth in a set of wings from a segment. For this trophy, you will need to pay extra close attention to which segment closest to your tail is filled. If it is not the desired segment, eat more food and/or creatures, till you have the desired segment filled ~ then and only then, eat the gem. Check this each time before eating a gem.
- Choose the red phoenix creature.
  Your newly hatched creature should start with a slight growth on the first segment:
- Eat a single red gem, your creature should now have a small wing on the first segment:
- Eat another red gem, your creature should now have a full set of wings on the first segment:
- If you don't have a third segment, eat food SLOWLY, WAITING for your creature to stop "pulsing". Keep eating food this way so you have a third segment, and continue till the first three segments are full. If you have any additional segments, they should be empty:
- Eat another red gem, your creature should now enlarge on the third segment:
- Eat another red gem, your creature should now have a small wing on the third segment:
- Eat another red gem, your creature should now have a full set of wings on the third segment.
  Then continue eating food till the fifth segment can be enlarged by eating another red gem:
- Eat another two red gems, and your creature should now have full wings on segments 1, 3 & 5.
  By now you should have an understanding of the pattern.
  Now all you have to do is keep this up, fully extending segments 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9.
  Once your creature is 10 segments long in this manner, the FASHION trophy will unlock:
- Here is an example of a BAD creature:
Vegetarian

Eat all foods in a campaign without killing any advanced creature.
NOTE: This trophy can be done as intended with a proper install. This is also awarded when you complete the credits on a glitch-install (see top of first post to reproduce)

See How to play the game (in top post) for food/creature definition.

Easiest with the yellow guy. In addition to the tips below, you can hit any button to temp hide while yellow whenever an advanced creature attacks.
a) When you get to the layer where they enjoy eating the (-), relax.
What you need to do is stay in the area, and as they go running around eating them the (-) will re-spawn. Soon enough one (-) will spawn right next to you, jump in it quickly!
b) The advanced creatures like to also eat and guard the (-). The trick here is to go down to this layer when you are just above the (-) beneath you. You will also have a moment to maneuver while going to the lower layer of the sea, and you need to use that to ensure you do not eat or get eaten, but go directly to the (-).
c) There are some levels with "sleeper" creatures. These guys just float around, doing nothing at first glance ~ but they actually create food every few seconds. You will need to chill on any layer with these guys eating all the things they pop out until their supply of food is depleted. If you move on before they are done, you will not get the trophy. Just be patient on these layers, as tempting as it is to kill them!
Cannibalism

Eat all advanced creatures in a campaign without eating any food.
(1)
This is without a doubt the hardest trophy of this game. See "How to play the game" (in top post) for food/creature definition.

This is tricky, as there is food everywhere. Do it with the yellow guy. Pressing a button will scare away everything, from creatures to food to (+) and (-). If you are holding any button to stay yellow and you hit food with the hook, it will infect the food and turn it yellow. If the other creature eats the food while it is infected, it will get paralyzed for you to kill. If you use your two yellow hooks to infect food, you will no longer be yellow and WILL eat food by mistake, so be careful even with this guy. You CAN eat red gems (the ones with red in the center and three strings coming out of it), and doing so will now only allow you to paralyze with 4 or 6 hooks (instead of 2), and you will also withstand more hits without being sent up a layer. You CAN take hits, the most important thing is just not to eat food. One good strategy is to hit any button (I like R1) and then while in yellow creep up on a guy, paralyze it, and then eat it's highlighted segments. Also, try to eat the head first, and finish with it's tail, as you have less chance of eating food by mistake. As soon as you finish creatures, hit any key to turn yellow fast and avoid eating the food it drops. What you also need to do is see what is on the layer beneath you while swimming into the (-) (or if you get eaten, turn blue and pop up a level). You will have a moment to maneuver while going to another layer of the sea, and you can also to hit a button to turn yellow during transit, ensuring you do not hit some food. You will get the trophy shortly after arriving on layer 16, the one with the egg ~ you do NOT need to kill all the guys around the egg!

You can make it easy by first choosing yellow on 1st controller, then joining in on 2nd controller, and choosing the "original" creature. Now turn off the 2nd controller (he may flow around for a while, without eating anything, before going poof). You will have the original stage to play but with yellow, so will be relatively easy to flow through the stage!
Gratitude

Consume all credit foods.
For this trophy to unlock, your game must be installed properly, see top of first post.

The last creature you unlock actually takes you to the credits. Eat each food pellet by each credit name, and once that layer is done, move to the next by eating the next (-). After you eat all the pellets, then the egg, you will get both Gaia and Gratitude trophies.
Devious

Paralyse the same creature 5 times without killing it.
Using Capt. Yellow Hook, hold down any key and touch a creature to paralyze it, then move away. Do NOT eat it ~ let it recover and repeat four more times.

Zen

Leave game on idle in the end of credits for 30 minutes.
(2)
The last creature you unlock actually takes you to the credits. At any point in the credits put down the controller for thirty minutes and don't touch it for Zen (I strongly suggest you hit the PS button so your XMB is up, this way just in case you hit a button by mistake, the game won't know. Yes, I tested it and got the trophy, in fact the trophy will pop while you are still in XMB so you can check the flOw trophy rate every few minutes if you like).
Gaia

Eat every level complete egg.
For this trophy to unlock, your game must be installed properly, see top of first post.

See "Gratitude".

1 trophies

Memory

Take more than 10 screenshots.
(9)
You need to purchase the Expansion to get this and install properly ~ see top of first post for install info.

There are randomly, throughout each stage, special symbols that look like SOS (see trophy image). After eating this symbol, a yellow light will trail down your spine, moving all the way to the end of your creature, then it will look like your system crashed, but it is just taking a picture (you can find the picture in the photo section on your XMB). Get ten of these (can be multiple stages), and the trophy is yours.