Pick up and play is perhaps a term overused in the gaming industry, but it perfectly describes Bonsai Barber, the quirky WiiWare title developed by
Zoonami.
The concept is very simple, you work at a salon as a barber and you must trim the overgrown foliage of your vegetable customers. This
may sound ridiculous to say the least, but the game is remarkably endearing and exactly the type of game WiiWare was made for.
The game is
controlled entirely by the Wii remote as you use various tools to trim the hair of your vegetable friends. You have a handful of tools at your
disposal including scissors to cut twigs and leaves, clippers to trim leaves, a spray can to regrow twigs and leaves (should anything go wrong…)
and various other tools to give your customer the new cut they’ve always dreamed of. The use of the Wii remote lends itself perfectly to this
game. You can cut your customer’s overgrown hair with impressive precision. You get a subtle yet satisfying vibration with each cut you make and
you can even rotate the scissors as you make the final precise cuts to finish off the style. Your final cut is assessed with a star rating out of
five. You can reach four stars without too much trouble but reaching the full five stars can be a challenge.
One of your tools includes a paint brush to paint leaves
As the game progresses, you unlock more and more templates (i.e. styles) for cutting your customer’s hair. You get five customers a day in your salon and the game is played in real time, so after your five customers are up you literally have to wait for the next day to come by before you can get cutting again. This is a slight drawback of the game as five customers a day is perhaps too few to get you fully into the swing of things. However, at any time you can practice on a plant in your salon using the templates you have unlocked from the main game. If you’re not in the mood to follow the template, the game has enough flexibility to let you veer of the tracks and go freestyle although you will not be rewarded for your efforts. At the end of your practice you are timed and given a star rating, giving you incentive to sharpen your skills and beat your times.
Achieving a five star rating is harder than you think
The graphics are simple, colourful and exactly suited to this type of game - as is the presentation; cute, friendly and inviting. You can even have three save profiles meaning your family or friends can set up their own salon and get snipping. The sound effects and music in the game are again in tune with the style and really cannot be faulted.
Overall, Bonsai Barber is a cute, quirky and ultimately fun pick up and play title for the Wii. It’s a game where you’ll find yourself admiring your chopping efforts as you give the vegetable people their various haircuts. Bonsai Barber is perhaps held back by the fact that you can only do five haircuts a day and the expensive 1000 points price tag but don’t let that stop you from buying a game that’s oozing with character and will have you smiling every time you make a snip.
