After playing something as intense and addictive as Baldur’s Gate III, it’s nice to have a calming experience where your choices don’t seem monumental and affect the world around you. Usagi Shima by Pui Pui Yu is a relaxing idle game where you decorate a space for bunnies to visit.
Similar to Animal Crossing and other idle animal games, there is no set goal for Usagi Shima except for relaxation. Not all idle games excel at this, but Usagi Shima does. While you can collect all of the bunnies and furniture, there’s never any pressure as to when you need to collect them. At your leisure is the name of the game. Unfortunately, there is no reward for collecting all of the furniture or bunnies.
Gotta Collect ‘Em All!
Usagi Shima features a total of 30 bunnies to discover and collect. Bunnies will slowly populate the area after you buy and place furniture. Each of the bunnies has a particular furniture preference. Some only like beach furniture, like a beach ball, an umbrella or a sandpit for building sandcastles. Others require establishments like ramen or boba shops. Still others prefer natural areas full of oak trees, cherry blossom trees, tree stumps and boulders.
Once on your island, the bunnies will want you to interact with them by completing a number of different activities. Sometimes they’ll want their photo taken or to be brushed, and other bunnies require you to play hide-and-seek with them. While it sounds taxing, all of these tasks take no more than a few moments to complete. Additionally, you can increase affection for each bunny after getting their favorite toys and interacting with them. Players can invite their bunnies to become permanent residents after reaching the maximum of 10 hearts with them. Bunnies will also gift you a keepsake in gratitude for your wooing.
Golden Ticket, Golden Carrot
There are two types of currency: regular carrots and golden carrots. (There are also seashells in the beach area, but those function as regular carrots.) Regular carrots are gained by checking in daily, interacting with the bunnies and tips from the bunnies. The regular carrots buy you basic furniture and natural set pieces. Golden carrots are used to buy buildings and unlock the beach area. Establishments like the ramen shop, boba shop, café and bakery are all bought with golden carrots.
Like most idle games, Usagi Shima features daily tasks and a daily check-in system, but I never felt punished for missing a day. You can spend real-world money to buy golden carrots, but golden carrots are easy to farm. Completing daily tasks and check-ins guarantees golden carrots; thus, Usagi Shima can be played for free. However, only one developer works on Usagi Shima, and your money helps them directly. Tipping them $3.99 removes all ads and permanently doubles your rewards.
Idleness = Boredom
Despite the bunnies’ cuteness and the game’s simplicity, I found it difficult to continue playing. For me, the novelty of idle games wears off quickly, as there’s no purpose other than aesthetics. I crave stimulation, effort and engrossing media. While Usagi Shima’s good for relaxation, I would rather start another playthrough of Baldur’s Gate III.
