inbento

Released Jul 2021

A cooking puzzle game about arranging beautiful bento lunches! Solve 120+ recipes, play with food, think inside the box and enjoy a heartwarming story in this culinary brain-teaser!

96% positive · 2,891 reviews

Done

All announced content has been released

High confidence

Done

All announced content has been released

High confidence

Where to buy

Green Man Gaming Steam key Updated 12 Oct 2026 Lowest $0.66 $4.99 −87% Steam Updated 12 Oct 2026 $4.99

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Evaluation

inbento launched on July 30, 2021 as a complete, self-contained puzzle game with 120+ recipes and a full story. The developer (Afterburn) has been transparent about its content status throughout the game's life. The most definitive statement came on September 3, 2024, when Afterburn explicitly wrote: "We don't have any content (read: new puzzles) planned for inbento at this moment." This was in the context of a 5th anniversary post explaining that the upcoming v2.50 update was purely a maintenance and accessibility patch — no new puzzles, no new story content. All subsequent updates (v2.50 through v2.54, released November 2024 and November 2025) have been consistent with that statement: bug fixes, a Unity engine security update, accessibility toggles, and display improvements. None have added new gameplay content. The game shipped as a finished product and has been maintained with technical patches since, but the developer has clearly communicated that no new content is planned.

Evidence

Developer explicitly stated: 'We don't have any content (read: new puzzles) planned for inbento at this moment.' The v2.50 update was described as maintenance-only with no new puzzles or story artwork.

news post · Sep 3, 2024 source development ending

high

v2.50 Birthday/Cooking Fest Update released — confirmed as a maintenance update with no new puzzles, adding accessibility features and display improvements only.

news post · Nov 12, 2024 source development ending

medium

Media

Details

Developer

Afterburn

Publisher

Afterburn

Achievements

Platform

Windows, macOS

Controller

full support

Steam Deck

Verified

Players

Single-player

Casual Cute Puzzle Funny 2D Nature Relaxing Simulation Top-Down Stylized Linear Female Protagonist Resource Management Cooking Atmospheric

About this game

inbento is a chill pattern-matching puzzle game where you prepare Japanese lunch boxes (bento) while enjoying a cute story about parenthood and growing up. Recreate over 120 puzzling recipes, master tricky mechanics and learn about the life of the kitten family as you pour your love into the food you create.

SOLVE THE RECIPES

In each puzzle you start with a limited number of ingredients and a picture of the final result - rotate, move and insert the food in the right order to rediscover the original recipe and make a delicious dish!

A HEARTWARMING STORY

Finishing each chapter will reward you with interactive illustrations offering glimpses into the life of a cat family and the ups & downs of parenthood.

120+ MEALS TO PREPARE

Over the course of the game you will encounter new mechanics that allow you to swap, remove and copy ingredients in order to make the puzzles more exciting!

ZERO UNDERSTANDING OF COOKING REQUIRED

You don’t need to be a pro chef to play inbento - the game’s relaxed pace and textless tutorial will offer all the guidance you need to have a great time!