In a land with bountiful green grass full of monsters that must be defeated resides a hero named Shiba Kari, the legendary grass-cutter! In The Legend of Kusakari for the Nintendo 3DS play as Shiba Kari and keep the plains nice and trim for the brave warriors of the world. Using a scythe, Shiba cuts down the grass gingerly around the wandering monsters and battling heroes. He has to be careful not to interfere with the battles or else he too will lose!
Players must be careful to cut grass in an efficient manner before all Shiba’s hearts disappear! He tends to become ill while cutting so much grass, so make sure to cut down the blue plants to revive a heart or two! This element makes the levels so much more difficult. The grass itself can be a challenge sometimes because some of it is too high to cut down in one stroke. The more grass players cut down the higher their level becomes. The higher the level, the wider range of spin cut available. This is highly desirable when progressing to the difficult game levels.
The first few levels are extremely simple and easy to gain a higher ranking. Yet, things become difficult quickly as you progress through the game. The number of monsters and battles increase as the player dives deeper and deeper in the world of grass. Eventually, the Green Thumb Almanac becomes available. This almanac documents the various grass, plants and weeds Shiba cuts down with some helpful info. Sometimes the out-of-tune trumpet music in between levels can become grating after hearing it several times, but it never lasts too long.
Honestly, when I saw the trailer my first impression was that the game would last me about 15 minutes of fun before I turned to another 3DS game. Before I knew what was happening, I completed several levels and lost track of how long I was playing. Kusakari is a fun summer surprise that can keep a gamer entertained for a while. It’s especially great to play if you are in a situation that only warrants a short few minutes of gameplay. For anyone who enjoys cutting the grass in Hyrule, they will probably love this digital treat.
The Legend of Kusakari, developed by Librage and published by Nnooo, is a fun homage to the Legend of Zelda series. You won’t find rupees in the grass but you are rewarded with a challenge of mowing the grass down while avoiding battles. With new patterns to think through during each level and the opportunity to compete for the best scores online, Kusakari is a sweet surprise to add to your digital 3DS library.
A 3DS Review Code was provided by Nnooo for the purpose of this review