Ninja Usagimaru – The Gem of Blessings review

Ninja Usagimaru - The Gem of Blessings (1)

What is the concept? Like any good puzzler, there’s more to Ninja Usagimaru – The Gem of Blessings that a first impression might imply. On the surface, the game seems downright simple, as a succession of sixty single-screen stages each task Usagimaru with rescuing a trapped villager. Standing between the shinobi and success are Mononoke- dark spirits who strive to stop the protagonist from escorting the captives to a Usagi Statue. Not only are these immobile and shifting onryō lethal to the touch, but when a villager is adjacent to one, the hapless hostages becomes paralyzed with fear, refusing to follow their rescuer.

Fortunately, players are given an authoritative arsenal. Movement is accomplished with the directional pad, allowing Usagimaru to traverse the game’s two-dimensional levels. Although the characters leaping abilities are limited to elevations no more than one block high, the character’s block moving abilities are much more potent. Standing next to a movable block permits players to push or pull the object, while a throw allows the item to be hurled horizontally. These capabilities are invaluable, as captives are typically out of reach, with the weight of a rock on a trigger switch causing the Mononoke to release its prey.

Ninja Usagimaru - The Gem of Blessings (2)

What are the game’s strengths? While the player’s toolset is formidable, Ninja Usagimaru quickly runs through nearly every puzzle permeation. Thankfully, beating a stage rewards players with items, which are automatically assembled into new tools like a kunai which allows players to free cracked blocks or a ninja kite which allows players to soar upward on the irregular air current. These tools help to broaden Usagimaru’s puzzling lexicon, without ever overwhelming introductory players. The title’s progression system is just as friendly with entire sets of levels unlocking at once, rather that restricting players to a rigid succession of stages.

Although the game’s uses a limited amount of art, what’s exhibited is quite beautiful. Ninja Usagimaru’s menu screens offer amenities like falling sakura, while levels extend picturesque, sumi-e-styled backdrops. While Usagimaru has a limited amount of animation, his jumps and ducks manage to convey adorability. Likewise, The Gem of Blessings’ soundtrack has a limited number of tracks, but what’s there is quite exquisite, with the gentle strains of the shakuhachi accented by the signature sound of a shishi-odoshi.

What are the game’s weaknesses? Given the complexity of Ninja Usagimaru’s puzzles, repetition is often necessary. Save for a handful of tutorial stages, many of the conundrums provide no margin of error. As such, if you flub a jump or push a block in the wrong direction, expect to restart the entire level. Ideally, The Gem of Blessings would include some time of rewind functionality to soften the tedium of performing the same tasks repeatedly.

Is it worth the money? Given Ninja Usagimaru – The Gem of Blessings’ reasonable $4.99 price and plentiful collection of puzzles, the game comes recommended for fans of brain-teasers. Given the intricacy of each stage, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to devote upwards of eight hours in an attempt to rescue each last captive.

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Ninja Usagimaru – The Gem of Blessings was played on the 3DS with review code provided by the publisher.

Ninja Usagimaru – The Gem of Blessings
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Developer: F K Digital
Publisher: Aksys Games
Release date: June 11th, 2015
Price: $4.99 via Nintendo eShop
What is the concept? Like any good puzzler, there’s more to Ninja Usagimaru - The Gem of Blessings that a first impression might imply. On the surface, the game seems downright simple, as a succession of sixty single-screen stages each task Usagimaru with rescuing a trapped villager. Standing between the shinobi and success are Mononoke- dark spirits who strive to stop the protagonist from escorting the captives to a Usagi Statue. Not only are these immobile and shifting onryō lethal to the touch, but when a villager is adjacent to one, the hapless hostages becomes paralyzed with fear, refusing to…

Review Overview

Gameplay - 75%
Controls - 70%
Aesthetics - 80%
Content - 80%
Accessibility - 70%

75%

Good

Summary : Filled with intricate puzzles and exquisite Japanese aesthetics, Ninja Usagimaru - The Gem of Blessings will delight brains, eyes, and wallets.

User Rating: 4.01 ( 5 votes)

About Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

11 comments

  1. I like the shorter reviews. Maybe more reviews but keep them brief.

    • Seconded.

      Sometimes I can’t get through an entire review during a dump. Make sure you keep the reviews “bathroom sized”

  2. What’s the proper pronunciation of “F K Digital” ? FK right?

  3. Thanks for the review. Never heard of the game until now.

  4. Toyo-Uke-Bime is the goddess of earth, food and agriculture. (Once wrote a school report) Looks like the mythology is authentic.

  5. Catman Dangerous

    It would be great if Arc System Works made this for the Vita as well.

  6. 50% off sale and we’ll talk.

  7. looks pretty meh. I’ve probably seen 5 or 6 other games that look pretty much the same.

  8. You seem to have the only review of this game on the entire internet.

  9. Arc System Works should stick to fighters.

  10. Bought it. Already stuck on one of the puzzles.