Zoonami’s Hollis On Bonsai Barber’s WiiWare Sprouting

Yesterday, Nintendo published Bonsai Barber for WiiWare, the first game in some time from Zoonami, GoldenEye game director Martin Hollis’ company, and Gamasutra had a chance to sit down with Hollis at GDC, check out the game, and discuss the company’s intention for the title and the process of its creation.

Bonsai Barber has a unique scenario — the game puts you in charge of cutting the leafy green hair of tree-people who come to your shop with very specific requests. A second player can help or hinder you — their choice — using simple-to-understand tools.

Former Rare developer Hollis and his colleagues designed Bonsai Barber to eliminate frustration and engender collaboration and conversation. The game is also meant to be a little at a time for a long time — you can only cut five heads of leaves a day and must return the next day to play again.