I had intended to get some alone time, curl up on the couch, and get cosy while I reviewed the charming indie puzzler Neko Bento. That all went out the window when my five-year-old daughter saw the adorable bento game icon, and claimed it for herself, turning my solo review into a group project. Not that I’m complaining, I love it when I can share my love of games with my daughter, and I’m always in awe of how quickly she can pick up new game mechanics and genres.
What’s on the menu?
Neko Bento is a sweet puzzle game where you arrange various food items into a bento (lunch) box. The various snacks are a myriad of Tetris-like shapes that you need to fit together to form a full box. As you advance through the levels, more complex shapes are added, like ‘L’ shaped sardines, or enoki mushrooms shaped like a USB symbol. Like in Tetris, shapes can be rotated to help find a place for them to fit.
Puzzle sizes vary throughout the different levels, from smaller 4×4 grids fit for a kid’s lunchbox, to monster sized 8×8 bentos that would satisfy even the hungriest of tradies.
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The game is presented in a simple cartoon style, with cutesy food items, like the adorable sausage octopuses that are almost too precious to eat. Easy-listening lounge music works in concert with the visuals to bring more of those cosy vibes.
There’s no time limits or fail states, you can take the puzzles at your own pace. The challenge comes from the complexity of the later levels. The puzzles start off cute and relaxing, not requiring too many tries to complete; as you go on, and more odd shapes are added in, they can get frustratingly difficult! That in itself isn’t a bad thing, puzzle games shouldn’t be easy, but it’s a bit at odds with its cosy presentation.
Neko Bento is pretty straight up and down, not straying or evolving from its core premise as the levels progress. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it left me wanting a little more from the game. An endless mode where you arrange bento boxes per customer requests would’ve gone a long way to extend the life of the game.
Touchscreen controls would’ve also fit perfectly into a game like this, but unfortunately, they’re nowhere to be found. Instead of a simple drag and drop, you need to cycle through the snacks with a barely visible reticle, then move them into position with the thumbstick. It’s more clunky than it needs to be.
A Healthy Snack
For the first fifty levels or so — before they began to get too hard — my daughter was loving the challenge of figuring out where each snack fit into the bento, often telling me she wanted to do the level all by herself, with no input from me. I was happy to let her have free reign over the game, impressed at how her young mind worked through the puzzles and amazed with her spatial recognition.
The first half of the game provides a simple, relaxing experience for a teenager or adult, while offering a younger gamer something to sink their teeth into and really get their brain working. But as the levels got progressively harder, they eventually became too much for my five-year-old, and the emotions turned from chill to heated. Even for my old-ass self, the fun vibes were often replaced with frustration when I just couldn’t crack a puzzle with multiple odd shapes. But for a puzzle fanatic, the difficulty would be welcome I’m sure.
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Is it worth your lunch money?
With 96 levels and almost 30 different snacks to pack, Neko Bento is a cute little nibble that left me somewhat satisfied. Its simple presentation, mechanics, and controls make it a game that anyone can pick up and play — no prior video game knowledge required. While a seasoned gamer might be hungry for more than it offers, what is there leaves a pleasant aftertaste.
I’m always on the lookout for games that I can share and experience with my daughter, and Neko Bento delivered that on a platter. She adored the artwork and would get excited when a new food item showed up ready for packing. It also challenged her to think about the shapes in different ways and figure out how to get everything to slot together nicely.
It’s currently 71% off on the Nintendo Switch store, and while I don’t really understand why a brand new game would launch with such a heavy discount, it means that its current $2.99 AUD price tag is an absolute steal. You can grab it at the sale price until December 14th.
Quest Daily scores Neko Bento:
7.5/10
A review copy of Neko Bento was supplied to Quest Daily for the purpose of this review.
