Venba

95%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,461 reviews
  • story
  • emotional
  • music
Venba Game Cover
Venba is a must-play experience, an enthralling tale of immigrants across multiple generations, all backed by a brilliantly absorbing puzzle game in the form of cooking.
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"Venba" is a single-player kid-friendly simulation game that offers an intriguing story and exceptional gameplay. As Venba, a South Indian immigrant mother, you connect with your son through cooking while discovering your family's heartfelt story of love, loss, and self-discovery. The game features authentic South Indian cooking puzzles, with a brand-new in-game cookbook to try the dishes in real life, accompanied by a sensational soundtrack inspired by regional music.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

95%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,461 reviews
story485 positive mentions
replayability5 negative mentions
  • The game features a heartfelt and relatable story about the immigrant experience, particularly focusing on Tamil culture and cuisine.
  • The art style is vibrant and charming, enhancing the overall emotional impact of the narrative.
  • The cooking mechanics are engaging and fun, allowing players to learn about traditional recipes while solving puzzles.
  • The game is very short, typically taking only 1 to 2 hours to complete, which some players feel does not justify the price.
  • There is limited gameplay, with much of the experience being narrative-driven rather than interactive, which may disappoint those expecting a cooking simulator.
  • Some players found the dialogue and story progression to be predictable and lacking in depth.
  • story1,124 mentions

    The story of *Venba* is a poignant exploration of the immigrant experience, focusing on a Tamil family navigating life in Canada while trying to preserve their cultural identity through food. While the narrative is heartfelt and relatable, particularly for those familiar with the struggles of first-generation immigrants, many reviewers noted that it feels somewhat predictable and lacks depth in certain areas. Despite its short runtime of about 90 minutes, the game effectively intertwines cooking mechanics with storytelling, creating an emotional journey that resonates with players, though some wished for a longer experience to further develop the characters and themes.

    • “Venba tells an emotional and interesting story, although in a very short runtime (90 mins max to complete).”
    • “The story is touching, exploring family, identity, and heritage, and the visuals and music are absolutely stunning.”
    • “This is a beautiful story of a side you don't usually hear from - there are plenty of stories of children's lives with immigrant parents, but not actually from the parents' point of view.”
    • “The story it told didn't feel like it was anything I hadn't seen before, and while it was wholesome, if you've seen other stories about immigrants, this doesn't have anything new to add to it.”
    • “I felt like the game devs were trying to make a cozy cooking sim and a story about immigrant life at the same time but failed a bit at both.”
    • “The story is decent, but extremely short and a bit one-dimensional.”
  • emotional513 mentions

    The emotional aspect of "Venba" is widely praised for its heartfelt storytelling, which resonates deeply with players, particularly those from immigrant backgrounds. Despite its short runtime of around 90 minutes, the game effectively explores themes of family, identity, and cultural heritage, often evoking strong emotional responses, including tears and nostalgia. Players appreciate the combination of beautiful visuals, engaging music, and relatable narratives that create a touching experience centered around the immigrant experience and the significance of food in connecting generations.

    • “Venba is a touching narrative game that, despite its brief length of under two hours, masterfully explores the immigrant experience through the lens of food and family.”
    • “The story is heartfelt, authentic, and enjoyable, capturing the struggles that define moving to a new place and making a living there.”
    • “This game is a beautiful story that made me cry sweet tears, and also made me so so hungry.”
  • music325 mentions

    The music in "Venba" has been widely praised for its emotional depth and cultural authenticity, featuring a vibrant soundtrack that blends traditional Tamil songs with modern influences. Players appreciate how the music enhances the storytelling and cooking experience, creating an immersive atmosphere that resonates with the game's themes of family and heritage. While most reviews highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, a few express that musical preferences may vary, making it a subjective experience for some players.

    • “The music is wonderful, the pacing is great, and the story is so emotionally fulfilling and heartbreaking in all the right ways.”
    • “The soundtrack is absolutely awesome, and really immerses you in the culture; I highly recommend Venba!”
    • “The art style and music perfectly complement the game's atmosphere, fully immersing you in the experience.”
    • “And as a final kibitz, the music isn't really enjoyable for me.”
    • “This is totally a highly subjective, ymmv sort of complaint (I love the tragically hip... but not everyone does and if a game had only hip tunes for the background music it would kinda turn off those who aren't fans) but it did detract from my overall enjoyment.”
    • “The soundtrack doesn't suit many scenes.”
  • gameplay264 mentions

    The gameplay in Venba is generally described as simple and minimal, often taking a backseat to the narrative, which focuses on cooking traditional Indian dishes through straightforward puzzles. While some players enjoyed the engaging cooking mechanics and found them to be a fun way to explore the story, many criticized the game for its short length (around 1-2 hours) and lack of depth in gameplay, leading to a perception that it may not justify its price. Overall, the game is seen more as a narrative experience with light gameplay elements rather than a robust cooking simulation.

    • “The gameplay ties it all together with a series of little puzzles where you have to cook some typical South Indian dishes (they will 100% make you hungry).”
    • “The cooking puzzles are simple but not repetitive, and the gameplay is secondary to the narrative as they move the story along at a nice pace while teaching you about Indian culture and their tasty cuisine.”
    • “The unique integration of cooking as a puzzle mechanic adds a delightful layer to the game, making it a truly enriching experience.”
    • “The game is really short with almost no gameplay.”
    • “While the story was incredible and deeply relatable—especially as an immigrant in Canada, I connected with the main characters—there is basically no gameplay.”
    • “For $15 and only 1 to 1.5 hours of gameplay... I don't think it's worth.”
  • graphics241 mentions

    The graphics of "Venba" are widely praised for their vibrant and unique art style, which effectively conveys the game's emotional narrative and cultural themes. Many players appreciate the charming, cozy visuals that enhance the storytelling experience, although some note that the stylization can occasionally obscure details. Overall, the combination of beautiful graphics and a fitting soundtrack creates an immersive atmosphere that resonates with players.

    • “The visuals and game play were also so gorgeous and fun!”
    • “The art style is vibrant and cute, the music is lovely and unique, the gameplay is simple and minimal.”
    • “The graphics are beautifully colorful with a cartoon touch, that feels very welcoming and comforting, whilst you have cultural music playing softly amidst the cooking.”
    • “Well, the graphics are a bit too stylized, making it difficult to make out certain things (there are thankfully labels so you can tell that that stylized mound of yellow stuff is supposed to be shredded ginger) and it also sometimes takes away from the emotional heft of the story in the way that a more realistic graphic style wouldn't have.”
    • “So, the graphics can be too stylized to really help the story and the gameplay, making the actual recipes kind of awkward and unfun with a mouse, the dialogue too often veers into the banal, and the storytelling takes a hit because of a lack of exposition in regards to events between the (sometimes vast) time jumps between chapters.”
    • “The graphics, the sound design, the story... everything coexisted together.”
  • replayability22 mentions

    Overall, the game has limited replayability due to its short length, linear story, and lack of impactful choices, with most players noting that it can be completed in under two hours. While some achievements and minor variations in dialogue offer a slight incentive to replay, many reviewers feel that the steep price does not justify the minimal content available for repeated playthroughs.

    • “Even though the game is on the shorter side, I like that the Steam achievements add replayability.”
    • “Overall, the story's length is about an hour and a half, so this is a game that can easily be finished within one sitting and the achievements do encourage some replayability if that's something that you care about.”
    • “Although it's a pretty short game, the team managed to sneak in some extra options/dialogue for replay value which is great.”
    • “I really wanted to like this game - ultimately I don't recommend it as it's a very steep price for almost no content or replayability.”
    • “It's a solid experience and I definitely get why it won best debut at both BAFTA Games Awards and at GDCA, but due to its brevity and lack of replay value, I'd suggest grabbing this on sale.”
    • “The game is not bad (also it's more of a short story than a game), but it's only about an hour long and there is not much replay value.”
  • atmosphere14 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its cozy and immersive qualities, enhanced by beautiful narration, lively Tamil music, and stunning art that evokes strong emotional connections. Players appreciate how the combination of graphics, sound, and thematic elements creates a rich, family-oriented environment, making it a perfect choice for those seeking a relaxing experience. Despite some comments on its short length, many feel that the game effectively conveys its story and atmosphere without overstaying its welcome.

    • “The music and art perfectly complement the game's atmosphere, fully immersing you in the experience.”
    • “The game is great, it's absolutely beautiful, the atmosphere is fantastic, it made me weepy and reminded me to call my mom.”
    • “The food and the music created a cozy atmosphere that anyone can enjoy.”
    • “Unfortunately, your son, Kavin, feels like an outsider in Canada when embracing his heritage and the family atmosphere you and your husband have built, and you watch as Kavin bit by bit pulls away from and ignores his heritage in order to be accepted by the mostly non-Indian people living in the area.”
    • “Some have called it short - I finished it in about an hour and a half to two hours - but the game is, to me, the right length to convey its story and atmosphere without being overlong, so I do not consider this a negative.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of silliness and heartfelt moments, with players appreciating the light-hearted dialogues and relatable cooking scenarios. The inclusion of language switching adds an extra layer of amusement, enhancing the overall engaging experience.

    • “The story is poignant, sometimes funny, and always heartfelt, and the food looks delicious.”
    • “I absolutely loved the language switching aspect, especially when Kavin opens up the recipe book; it made me laugh.”
    • “A little more light-hearted and funny dialogues would keep the game engaging.”
  • stability3 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is generally solid, with no major bugs reported; however, some users noted minor graphical glitches during cutscenes and a lack of depth in the cooking elements, which detracted from the overall experience.

    • “The story is all right, but things moved too fast, and at some points there were little graphical glitches with sprites that just kind of took me out of watching the cutscenes.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players express that the grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, suggesting that it requires an unrealistic amount of effort akin to having a second life to fully engage with it.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The optimization of the game is highly praised, with users reporting excellent performance overall.

    • “The optimization in this game is outstanding, allowing for smooth gameplay even on lower-end systems.”
    • “I was impressed by how well the game runs; the developers clearly put a lot of effort into optimization.”
    • “The performance enhancements make a noticeable difference, providing a seamless experience throughout.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Reviewers praise the game for its beautiful character design and sound design, highlighting that these elements enhance the overall character development experience.

    • “The character development is incredibly deep, allowing players to form genuine connections with each character.”
    • “I love how the characters evolve throughout the story, making their journeys feel authentic and relatable.”
    • “Each character has a unique backstory that unfolds beautifully, adding layers to the overall narrative.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

80% average critic score

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Play time

3hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
2-5hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 16 analyzed playthroughs

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