Reviews from

in the past


Had to pull the ultimate move for two levels: asking big bro for help.
This is harder than you’d expect but satisfying once you solve it

sobre comida e tradição e gerações e gatinhos. no último level cada puzzle é tão difícil que você tem que aprender uma linguagem nova. foi agradável e meio sacana.

A soothing game about packing bento lunches. You follow the story of a mother cat and her child as you pack lunches through 14 chapters of 9 levels each. Confronted with tiles of food to place in specific patterns, you must determine the order and rotation of the tiles to form the pattern in the lunch box. The game is extremely cheap, providing you with a couple hours of relaxation for peanuts.

My one criticism is that the music loops are a bit short, so you end up listening to the same loop over and over again per chapter, which can get somewhat repetitive. The visuals, however, are perfectly calming, and I found myself delighted by the little images that tell the story of the cats.

4/5, with a star knocked off for the music irritating me a bit at one point. This is, however, a problem easily remedied by muting the music and playing your own tunes in the background.

Such a cute game! The gameplay is very simple to grasp and new mechanics are consistently being added throughout the experience.


Extremely cute, good puzzle game. Will never actually finish because I am dumb.

Very cute. I'm proud that I only had to use a guide for 2 levels.

it's cute, it's 2 bucks, and the puzzling is fine. i will probably finish this on a plane sometime

It’s been a while since I’ve played a puzzle game on par with Inbento. Not only is it adorable, as promised by the felines and food it advertises, but it ended up being much more challenging than I’d expected! I did have to use a guide for a few (and my boyfriend for others), but that was ultimately only a small blemish on my enjoyment.
Inbento’s selling point for me was definitely the presentation. The game is mascotted by two cute cats, who pack cute little boxes of bento full of different foods. How could you not love that? The art is flat and lineless - simple, but colorful and warm. It feels like a cartoon from your childhood.
The game’s UI is surprisingly smooth, too, despite Inbento’s overall warmth; its colors and rounded shapes really help to carry that over. One of my favorite details in the whole game is that all of the menus are ringed ‘cookbooks’!
Although I already knew that I liked the art style going in, I was pleasantly surprised by how dynamic the music was. Most of the songs are led by the beautiful, relaxing combination of piano and xylophone. A new track accompanies each two chapters; and this music is not only important in setting an atmosphere, but also in keeping the narrative flowing.
Our main characters are those two adorable cats - a new mother and her baby. We follow their lives through a series of photos (one earned for each chapter finished.) These serve as snapshots into their relationship with not only each other, but cooking as well.
It’s a simple story at the end of the day, far from anything groundbreaking; yet it’s also incredibly warm and pleasant (again, just like a childhood cartoon.) Since there’s limited photos to directly communicate, though, the music is a big factor in keeping the narrative pacing and vibe intact during the puzzle portions.
You could say that the worldbuilding is a bit lackluster because there are so few actual story moments. I mean, the only time you earn more than one photo at a time is during the beginning and end. Still, there are plenty of cute details and inclusions. Spoilers, but I thought it was funny and cute how the mother is seemingly a single parent, and her child later becomes one as well. Pretty accurate to cats.
As for the puzzles themselves, well… as I’ve said, they were way tougher than I expected! The goal is to match your bento box to the solution shown, with the pieces provided. Sounds simple enough - but it quickly becomes challenging as you work with bigger boxes and more complex pieces.
I did get stuck multiple times in later stages. Although I eventually figured out a lot of them, I needed help from a guide or my boyfriend for many others. If I’m being honest, it did get frustrating; there were a few times where I honestly felt like I would’ve never figured out the solution on my own. Once, I swear it wasn’t even my fault! There was a trick involved that I just didn’t know about and hadn’t used at all up to that point.
Still, I came away feeling that most of Inbento’s puzzles were very fun and inventive. The mechanics build off of each other so naturally, as you gradually unlock pieces that can move, swap, or clone your cubes. And as the puzzles start getting harder, there’s a great feeling of accomplishment when you finally beat one. I also appreciated the sheer number of puzzles included - 127 total! It’s a great amount of content, able to keep me entertained for hours.
So, if you’re looking for an adorable puzzle game that’ll also give mind-bending challenge, I’d definitely recommend Inbento! I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it, minus a few instances where I truly felt like I was hitting my head against a wall. Even then, the beautiful music and charming visuals easily balanced it out to keep me engaged; and the puzzles are so much fun, especially when you piece together a particularly difficult one all on your own.

Visuals: 4/5
Sound: 4/5
Gameplay: 3.5/5
Story: 3.5/5
Worldbuilding: 3.5/5
Overall Game Score: 3.5/5 [3.7/5]

If you’re reading this before January 4th, 2024, Inbento is on sale for 1.49 on Steam right now, which is an amazing deal!

Inbento is a fun, cute, and simple puzzle game. One that is able to truly use its concept to the fullest with great complexity. I am unsure as to if this concept of "Bento Box" like puzzles has been done before, but I am very impressed by the originality of the concept and quite enjoyed playing.

Elegant puzzle design that starts off simple before turning deviously complex. A lack of music and visual variety starts to grate, even with the relatively short runtime.

Sokoban donde preparas las típicas fiambreras de los animes. Aviso: este juego da mucha hambre.

Overall a surprising blind purchase I've made that turned out to be a very cute and well designed puzzle game. There is a simple but cozy story with nice art that made me continue the game till the end. The music is not something to brag about but it's chill and that's what matters in the end. Afterburn managed to win me over and will try other games from them and will follow their future games to come (hope they will be as solid as this one).
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⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⣶⣿⠟⠉⠉⠻⣿⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣤⣾⠿⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠹⣿⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣴⣾
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⣿⠟⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣴⣾⡿⠛⠉
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⣿⠟⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⣾⡿⠟⠁⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣀⣴⣿⡿⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣷⣶⣶⣦⣤⣤⣄⡀⠀⢀⣠⣾⣿⠿⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣼⣿⣿⡿⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⣤⠶⠞⣿⠟⠋⠉⠉⠙⣻⠿⢿⣿⣿⣿⠟⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡼⠁
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢰⣿⠁⠛⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣰⠟⠁⢠⡞⠁⠀⠀⠀⢀⡴⠋⠀⢀⡿⠋⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡞⠁⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⣼⣿⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣼⠃⠀⢠⠏⠀⠀⠀⠀⣰⠏⠀⠀⣠⠟⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⡥⠤⡀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣰⣿⠟⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠠⣇⠀⣠⡏⠀⠀⠀⠀⣼⠁⠀⠀⣰⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡴⠁
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣄⣄⣼⣿⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢻⡶⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣧⠀⠀⣴⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⢧⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣀⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣾⡿⠿⣿⡿⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⣶⣶⣶⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⠛⠛⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠳
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣾⠿⠛⢿⣿⣷⣄⡀⣿⠃⠀⠈⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⣠⣤⣦⣼⣿⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠀⠀⠀⢀⣀⣀⣀⣀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣤⣾⣿⣿⣿⣷⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⣠⣾⡿⠋⠉⠉⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⢯⡙⠻⣿⣿⣷⣤⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠃⢀⡤⠖⠋⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠒⠦⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⣾⣿⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⢦⣄⠉⠻⢿⣿⣷⣦⡀⠀⠈⠙⠛⠛⠋⠀⢰⠟⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠳⣄⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⣴⠟⣫⣿⣿⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⡶⢌⡙⠶⣤⡈⠛⠿⣿⣷⣦⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⢻⣄⠀⠀⣠⢷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡶⠀⠘⡆⠀⠀⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⣿⡇⠀⠀⢸⣟⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠈⠛⠦⣝⡳⢤⣈⠛⠻⣿⣷⣦⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠙⠋⠁⠀⠛⠦⠤⠤⠚⠁⠀⠀⢳⠀⠀⠀⠈⠛⠿⠿⠿⠟⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⣿⡇⠀⠀⠈⢿⣞⣿⣿⣿⠏⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⠳⢬⣛⠦⠀⠙⢻⣿⣷⣦⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡞⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠛⠋⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠁⠀⠀⠈⣿⠉⢻⣿⣷⣦⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡼⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⣄⠀⠀⢰⠶⠒⠒⢧⣄⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⠀⢸⡇⢸⡟⢿⣷⣦⣴⣶⣶⣶⣶⣤⣔⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⣿⡇⠀⠀⣤⠀⠀⠿⠿⠁⢀⡿⠀⠀⠀⡄⠈⠙⡷⢦⣄⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⠀⢸⡇⢸⡇⠀⣿⠙⣿⣿⣉⠉⠙⠿⣿⣧⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⣿⡇⠀⠀⠙⠷⢤⣀⣠⠴⠛⠁⠀⠀⠀⠇⠀⠀⡇⢸⡏⢹⡷⢦⣄⡀⠀⠀⠀⣿⡀⢸⡇⢸⡇⠀⡟⠀⢸⠀⢹⡷⢦⣄⣘⣿⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⣿⣿⠢⣤⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⠾⣿⣿⡷⣤⣀⡇⠸⡇⢸⡇⢸⠉⠙⠳⢦⣄⡻⢿⣾⣧⣸⣧⠀⡇⠀⢸⠀⢸⡇⢤⣈⠙⠻⣿⣆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⢹⣿⣷⣌⡉⠛⠲⢶⣶⠖⠛⠛⢶⣄⡉⠛⠿⣽⣿⣶⣧⣸⡇⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠙⠲⢮⣝⠻⣿⣷⣷⣄⣸⠀⢸⡇⠀⠈⠁⠀⢸⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠈⠙⠻⢿⣷⣶⣤⣉⡻⢶⣄⣀⠈⠙⠳⢦⣈⡉⠻⢿⣿⣷⣾⣦⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠙⠲⢭⣛⠿⣿⣷⣼⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠙⠻⢿⣿⣷⣶⣽⣻⡦⠀⠀⠈⠙⠷⣦⣌⡙⠻⢿⣟⣷⣤⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠙⠳⢯⣻⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⠀⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠳⣄⠀⠀⠀⢀⡏⠙⠛
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠛⠻⢿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣤⣤⣤⣀⣈⠛⠷⣤⣈⡛⠷⢽⡻⢶⣄⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠛⠳⢤⣀⠀⠀⢸⣿⡀⠈⠳⢤⣀⣀⣰⠃⠈⠛⠶⠶⠿⠃⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢈⣿⡿⠛⠉⠙⠛⠛⠻⢷⣦⣄⣩⣿⠶⠖⠛⠛⠛⠛⠛⠛⠿⢷⣶⣦⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⢻⣶⣿⣿⠇⠀⠀⠀⠉⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣼⣿⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⠖⠂⠀⠀⠀⠈⠙⠿⣿⣦⡄⠀⠀⣸⣿⠟⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢰⣿⡟⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⣰⠊⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠛⢿⣶⣄⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⣿⠇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣧⠀⠀⢀⠞⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡠⠙⢿⣿⣇⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡿⠿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⡿⠦⠠⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠧⠤⠄⠙⡿⠿⠦⠤⠤⠤⠤⠄⠀⠀⠀

Adorable and full of cats, what else could I ask for?

This review contains spoilers

I may have completed all the levels without a guide, but in the end I had to google how to find the hidden level so I still feel stupid.