Game Review #228: Little Shopping (Nintendo Switch)
Reviewer: Bradford “TheWaffinator87” E.
Developer: Ultimate Games
Publisher: Ultimate Games
Category: Education
Release Date: 3.12.19
Price (at time of review): $1.49
Buy Little Shopping from the eShop here.
Where My Toddlers At?
Little Shopping from Ultimate Games is a shopping simulator geared towards toddlers and preschoolers. First grade, I would say, is too old, as my six-year-old was able to complete the game in no time. Little Shopping has 4 different shops to choose from for the kids to complete. Each stage gives them a shopping list of specific items to shop for. There is a “Coming Soon” section, but I can’t really tell if that is just there to be a little more pleasing for the kids, or if there really are some more shops coming for the little buckaroos.
Controls
You can tell by the simplicity of the controls that it was made for younger children. You use the Left Thumbstick to move the cursor around, and A button to grab and drag the item from your shopping list on the retailer’s wall into your shopping basket. When ringing the items out, you can use your finger on the touchscreen to drag the items over the scanner, and when you are giving the change once you get a total, you can use the touchscreen (or controller) to choose the type of coins to give the cashier.
Audio/Visuals
The game looks like something that Netflix would have made as an exclusive for itself for children shows. The overall cartoon layout was crisp and colorful, and when the cashier would talk, she sounded like an adult that was straight from Peanuts. The background music is well-composed to help keep the attention for its target audience (toddlers).
Wrapping Up
Little Shopping is great for teaching shapes (items on the shopping list) and how to count coins. The coins have 3 values. 1, 2, and 5. So, when you are checking out the cashier will give you a total and you must give correct change with the 3 coins. So, say the final total was 13. You would give two 5 coins, one 2 coin and 1 of the 1 coins. It plays like something you would get from ABC Mouse, and I was a big fan of it for my older kid—and I’m sure I’ll feel the same when my younger kid is a toddler.
For the price point, I feel like the game is a good value for what you get. I hope down the road they add more to the game—for maybe a little more money—and add a few more options to try and help keep the child’s attention. The loading screen was the most random loading screen ever, and pretty eye-catching. Overall, the kids were entertained, but not for long. They would quickly lose interest and just want to play another game.
Score: 6/10
Buy Little Shopping from the eShop here.
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*Review Code Provided by Ultimate Games