I first saw Visai Games’ Venba during Nintendo’s Indie World Showcase in late 2022. As someone who loves to cook, part of what grabbed my attention was the cooking simulation element of the game. However, that’s a very small part of what piqued my interest. What really got me eager to try it was its look into Indian culture. I’ve been saying for a very long time that there’s a noticeable lack of cultural diversity in video games, especially when it comes to certain areas of the world. In fact, the only game I can think of in recent years that delved into India’s rich cultural history, is Raji: An Ancient Epic, which I highly recommend. Would Venba be able to provide a genuine glimpse into Tamil culture, or would it turn out to be a curry-coated slice of life sim?

Venba is about a mother who migrates from India to Canada in the 1980s, along with her husband, Paavalan. Throughout the game, we follow the titular Venba, and eventually her son, Kavin, as they learn to adapt in an unfamiliar land. Venba explores the difficulties of being an immigrant; from learning a new language, to finding employment, and to striving for mere acceptance in their new home. Themes of immigration have been covered before, but Venba explores this in a completely new way: through cooking.

At its core, Venba is a visual novel/cooking simulator. A good portion of the story is told through flashbacks, with Venba reminiscing about the past while cooking. Although, this isn’t just a simple cooking simulator. Venba’s cookbook has seen better days, and large sections of each recipe have either been obscured by smudges from cooking debris or torn away. This leaves Venba the task of figuring out the missing steps in each recipe, so she can successfully recreate her family’s traditional dishes. While the majority of the game is a casual experience, solving the puzzle of what’s missing and what order ingredients are added occasionally provided a decent challenge. For those looking for a fully casual experience, Venba also has a hint button for those who want a little extra help.

Visually, Venba is quite striking, albeit simplistic. Its stylized art style gives a charming, cartoonish look to its characters, all while making each recipe look absolutely delectable. The graphics are clean and easily legible, making navigating the cooking space easy to handle. Once again, I also can’t stress enough how delicious each dish looks. If you’re not hungry going into Venba, you will be before too long.

Much like the graphics, the sound design is also simple, yet memorable. Venba features a completely original soundtrack, which is inspired by a variety of Tamil music throughout the generations. There’s a radio that plays as you cook, making it feel like you’re truly in someone’s kitchen whipping up mouth-watering culinary delicacies. The tunes are authentic, upbeat, and wholly enjoyable.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Venba, even more than I was anticipating. I expected a laid-back cooking sim, but what I got was a deeply moving narrative about generational struggles with immigration and creating a home for yourself in an unfamiliar land. Solving the puzzles of the missing steps in each recipe is surprisingly fun as well. Even though it’s a short experience, taking only about two hours to complete, it still a journey worth taking. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m about to pop on my apron, throw on the soundtrack, and try my hand at making biriyani.

 

Graphics: 7.0 The stylized art style gives a charming, cartoonish look to its characters, all while making each recipe look absolutely delectable.	Gameplay: 7.0 Part cooking simulator, part visual-novel, Venba is a casual experience that’s accessible for everyone. Figuring out the missing steps in each recipe occasionally provided a decent challenge.
Sound: 8.0 An original soundtrack that stays true to Tamil music over generations.	Fun Factor: 8.0 Beneath its cutesy exterior lies a deeply moving narrative about generational struggles with immigration and creating a home for yourself in an unfamiliar land. Solving the puzzles of the missing steps in each recipe is surprisingly fun as well.
Final Verdict: 7.5

Venba is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch.

A copy of Venba was provided by the publisher.