Title: Chibi Maruko-Chan: Harikiri 365-Nichi no Maki (Chibi Maruko's Volume of 365 Days)
Release: 12/13/91 (JP only)
Developer: SAS Sakata
Publisher: Epoch
Okay so we have another Japanese only title, but this one seems to have utterly stumped me as to what it can be about. It looks like a children's game, and the box-art is positively charming. I love the child's artwork aesthetic. I am curious as to how well I can dig into this game, but to be honest...I probably won't make it too far due to the language gap.
Background
Chibi Maruko started as a manga from the mid-80's by Momoko Sakura. This was a pretty standard "slice of life" manga. Interestingly enough it seems to be semi-autobiographical, as the main character is a little girl named Momoko Sakura, and is about Momoko growing up in the suburbs of Shimizu during the 1970s. The story follows Momoko, her friends, and her family, which includes her parents, grandparents, and older sister. This series, in general, was a wildly popular manga due to its unique aesthetic (apparently drawn in the style that 3rd grade Momoko would draw in) and its sublime innocence. Of course, from here, there was an anime, OVAs, and video game adaptations.
Now this game was developed by SAS Sakata, which seemed to be a very small and local developer to Japan, as not many of their games ever made it to the shores of North America. Epoch Co. as well, seemed to specialize in developing/publishing manga and anime based games, as they exclusively published the Doraemon video game series (another popular and pretty well known manga series).
Overall, not too well known a developer or publisher.
Gameplay
Now the game itself is a boardgame style of video game in the vein of Monopoly. The goal is to collect the largest amount of money out of all the players over the course of a year. Players take turns rolling the dice, and each turn each player may find or lose yen depending on the space they land on. Each space, to correspond with the gain or loss in money, basically functions like a "chance"or "community chest" card in Monopoly by giving you a little synopsis of how you won/lost the money. At certain intervals, as well, there are finish lines that grant players 100 yen bonuses for crossing them first.
Gameplay
Now the game itself is a boardgame style of video game in the vein of Monopoly. The goal is to collect the largest amount of money out of all the players over the course of a year. Players take turns rolling the dice, and each turn each player may find or lose yen depending on the space they land on. Each space, to correspond with the gain or loss in money, basically functions like a "chance"or "community chest" card in Monopoly by giving you a little synopsis of how you won/lost the money. At certain intervals, as well, there are finish lines that grant players 100 yen bonuses for crossing them first.
The game does allow for a good bit of strategy, as you can either run and hit the checkpoints before the other players, which gives you yen bonuses, or you can take your time and hope the odds from the random gains/losses plays out in your favor.
The aesthetic of the game is really whimsical and sweet. It is very child-like and cute! The music, as well, fits this aesthetic and complements it very well.
Sadly, though, the enjoyment of a board game simulation is lost on me with the obvious language barrier. None of the jokes or cute anecdotes land, which makes this game pretty boring and seemingly just an RNG simulator. I did manage to win a game, somehow though, so it can't be too hard. The game doesn't really have anything to break up the action either, like mini-games or "events" either. Overall, it is a really cute and charming game, just not one that is really accessible without an English language patch, which is currently not available.
Music
The music really digs into the whimsy. It is very cute.
Final Verdict
Watch the anime instead! It is really cute.
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