Hello Kitty: Rhythm Cooking Is Exactly What It Sounds Like

Cooking! Everyone loves good, home-cooked food. And what better way to prepare it with love and affection than to have it helped along by… Examu?

More famed for their fighting games like Aquapazza and Arcana Heart, these guys have also put out, since 2010, an arcade game that celebrated (is still celebrating?) the 50th anniversary of Sanrio called Apron of Magic. The arcade game features Sanrio characters we all know, love and sometimes even fight over such as Kitty herself, Mimi, My Melody and more. Now, there’s a 3DS version.

While there was apparently an iOS version last year, the Nintendo 3DS version is called Hello Kitty & Apron of Magic: Rhythm Cooking. It’s got the Cooking Mama vibe of preparing a dish and a simple and sedate version of the tappity tap tap of rhythm games like Hatsune Miku or Ouendan.

Players choose a dish to prepare, be it hamburger, steak or curry rice, and a character to prepare the dish with. As the chosen Sanrio character sings the song, you’ll have to tap along to the rhythm of the music in order to slice, peel, chop or do whatever else to prepare the dish. The upper screen will have the Sanrio character singing and preparing their half, while the lower half of the 3DS will show the music as well as the step you’re currently on. How well you do determines the final rating for the dish itself.

There’s also Apron Town to explore if you’re done cooking for the day. Here, you’ll wander around meeting both human and Sanrio characters to chat with. There’s also mini-games such as match-the-picture and simple spot-the-difference games. Hey, this is a game for kids after all. There’s also a deco-camera function that lets you take shots with the Nintendo 3DS camera and then decorate it with Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters.

Parents worried their kids will spend all their time with this delectably cute game needn’t worry—there’s a parent-lock timer function in the game, too.

Hello Kitty & Apron of Magic: Rhythm Cooking will be out for the Nintendo 3DS December 12th.