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Senran Kagura Bon Appétit! Review — Rhythm Cooking Is Fun, But There’s Only Ten Levels

A rhythm game wherein the ninja maidens of Senran Kagura must cook with melody, a tale of ten dishes and one secret wish.

By mitch·2 min read
A maiden of Senran Kagura stands before her bubbling pot, hands raised as though dancing to some unseen melody.

Senran Kagura: Bon Appétit! is a rhythm game about cooking, and it is a spinoff in the Senran Kagura series. Players tap along with music to build combos, and those combos improve the food they cook. The game launched in 2014 on the PlayStation Store for PlayStation Vita, with an enhanced version called Full Course arriving in 2016 for both Microsoft Windows and the original platform.

The Cooking System

Each level in Bon Appétit! asks players to make one dish. Ten levels means ten dishes in total. Combos matter here: the more taps land in time with the beat, the better the result on screen. The game tracks performance across every level.

Every other level reveals more of the player’s shinobi character’s story. That pacing keeps the campaign from feeling like a straight run of menus. The story follows Master Hanzo, who holds a cooking competition among the shinobi warriors of Senran Kagura. First prize is a Secret Ninja Art Scroll, which grants one wish.

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Character and Costume Support

All of the character and costume DLC from Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus is compatible with Bon Appétit!. That support means players who owned the earlier game’s content can bring it over directly.

Bon Appétit! was released on the PlayStation Store for PlayStation Vita in 2014, followed by the Full Course version for Microsoft Windows in 2016.

A Narrow Focus

Bon Appétit! is a niche product. It asks players to master a rhythm-based cooking system that differs from anything else in the genre. The game’s core loop is simple to explain but demanding to execute well. Missing beats early in a level can hurt the final score badly, which gives the game a steep learning curve.

Judged on its own terms, Bon Appétit! succeeds at what it sets out to do. The rhythm cooking system is distinct, the DLC support is generous, and the story centers on Master Hanzo’s cooking competition. Where it falls short is scope: ten levels is a modest amount of content, and the cooking theme will not appeal to everyone.

Platform Release Year
PlayStation Vita 2014
Microsoft Windows 2016

Final Word

Bon Appétit! is a competent spinoff that knows its limits. The rhythm cooking system is inventive, the DLC support is strong, and the story centers on Master Hanzo’s competition. It is not a long game, and it will not appeal to players outside the Senran Kagura fanbase. But for fans looking for a new way to play with familiar characters, Bon Appétit! delivers on its promise.

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