It’s not so often that a game comes your way and occupies the maximum space in your head for the rest of the day absolutely rent-free. Venba is definitely one of those kinds of experiences - short-lived yet absolutely impactful, digging every emotion out of you. Here’s our take on the one-hour emotional roller-coaster that is Venba.
Delicious Plot
When first revealed, nobody expected Venba to have such a deep, inspired-by-life plot that really tugs at the heartstrings. The story follows Venba, an immigrant new in Canada, and takes place over a span of years from the 1980s. The thoughts in the minds of first- and second-generation immigrants form the crux of the plot, and it's a searing privilege check for generations today. Venba's amma’s recipe book is central to the story, too. Casually trudging through love, difficulty, loss, culture, and cuisine combined, Venba’s story will leave you feeling absolutely guilty for some of your decisions in life at some level.
Simplistic Gameplay
Venba is the kind of game that focuses more on story and less on mechanics. For the most part, you will be reading through the main plot of the game before coming across simplified point-and-click methods of play. This works for the game as it keeps you focused on the story, giving the gameplay little room to erase the emotions you’ve been feeling through the course of it. It’s also perhaps intentional to make it accessible for those who aren’t very invested in gaming as a hobby and are just there to enjoy the storyline.
Delectable Cuisine
South Indian, particularly Tamil, cuisine is a treasure trove waiting to be discovered by the uninitiated. While most food-based games explore global favorites from Hamburgers to Steaks, Venba portrays the difficult and time-consuming nature of preparing layered biryani or chicken rasam.
A lot of the flavour text is aimed at educating the player about the cuisines - there are some cheeky comments thrown in there as a nice garnish to the tome of text you’ll be going through.
Gorgeous Art And Earworm Score
Taking a crayon-esq approach to its art style, Venba is definitely one of the more colourful games you will experience this year. Each frame has been visibly given time to cook with a lot of care given to it.
The music too is an absolute treat. Bringing in songs reminiscent of '80s and '90s South-Indian cinema, each time Venba turned the dial before beginning a cooking session, you could expect a banger score that will have you looking up the song on YouTube. Here’s a quick flavour of the music you can expect in Venba.
Should You Play Venba?
Venba is a recommended experience for those who enjoy a short story that keeps you emotionally invested. Those who like artistic narrative games such as Florence, A Memoir Blue and the like are sure to feel connected with this new approach to an indie narrative. If you’re into frantic cooking games like Overcooked 2, this is probably not what you’re looking for as Venba speaks more about the chef than the recipe. If you love a wholesome game that keeps you thinking about it for hours after, then Venba is the main course you need for the day.
Reviewed on Playstation 5. Also available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows and Nintendo Switch.
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