Play Chibi Maruko-Chan - Uki Uki Shopping (Japan) Online

Chibi Maruko-Chan: Uki Uki Shopping came out for the NES in 1992, developed and published by Konami. It was part of that wave of Japanese family-oriented games based on popular anime, a niche but familiar presence on the system. You don't see many titles like it outside Japan, which made stumbling across it an interesting discovery back then.

You control Maruko, a little girl, and your goal is to help her grandmother by shopping for specific grocery items within a time limit. The gameplay involves navigating through different screens of your neighborhood, entering shops like the fish market or vegetable stand, and carefully spending your limited allowance. Key mechanics include avoiding obstacles like stray shopping carts or impatient shoppers, comparing prices between vendors to stay on budget, and sometimes playing simple minigames to earn extra money. The pace is generally relaxed, though the timer adds a light pressure; it's not a difficult game, but it makes you think about efficiency. It feels like a small, cheerful slice of ordinary life turned into a quiet challenge.