The fun of this game lies in the system of combining ingredients to create new sweets. For example, if you add red bean paste to a dorayaki skin and then add a chestnut, a ”Chestnut Dorayaki” is completed. However, as you continue through trial and error, unexpected Japanese sweets are sometimes born. Once you can make types of sweets different from dorayaki, such as sakuramochi or three-color dango, you naturally want to experiment, thinking, ”What kind of combination will succeed next?” Because you can play with a feeling like researching cooking recipes, it doesn’t stop at being a simple management game; the joy of discovery continues on, which is impressive.

Speaking of fun unique to a Doraemon game, it is definitely the ”Secret Gadgets.” Familiar gadgets play a huge role in this work as well. For example, you can install facilities full of playfulness in your shop, such as a rocking chair using ”Koe Katamarin” or a trampoline made with ”Pee Hyoro Rope.” Furthermore, you can create specialty shops that handle the characters’ favorite foods, and as unique buildings like croquette shops line up, the shop becomes increasingly lively. Since the atmosphere of the shop changes depending on what facilities you place, you can feel the depth as a management simulation, and the time spent letting your imagination run wild, thinking ”What kind of cityscape should I make next?” is very enjoyable.

The more smoothly management progresses, the more new materials and gadgets you will need. That is where Doraemon’s Time Machine comes in. If you go to the Future Department Store, you can get convenient gadgets, and if you use the Anywhere Door, you can go on journeys to find ingredients. Furthermore, gimmicks typical of Doraemon appear one after another, such as Mini-Doras helping out at the shop or using ”Anki Pan” to increase the abilities of your companions. By layering these elements, a ”feeling of living in the world of Doraemon” is naturally born, rather than just simple store management.

The ultimate goal of the game is to become the number one Japanese sweets shop in Japan, and even the world, by winning Japanese sweets contests or reaching first place in sales rankings. In that process, an original story also unfolds, and you can enjoy a tale of expanding the shop while cooperating with Doraemon, Nobita, and the others. The flow of working together with the characters to gradually get closer to success makes you feel as if you are experiencing a feature-length episode. It is the type of game where you might find yourself losing track of time while thinking, ”I’ll just play for a little bit more.”

”Doraemon Dorayaki Shop Story” is a work that focuses on the fun of slowly growing a shop, rather than flashy action or difficult controls. The process of making Japanese sweets, increasing facilities, and interacting with characters while completing your ideal shop has a comfort like watching a warm story of daily life. It is a calm and charming game that can be recommended not only to people who like Doraemon but also to those who like management simulations.