Venba

"A story full of color and flavor, which will allow us to live an interesting narrative experience with great attention to detail."

"Venba is a short, impactful, and beautifully presented look into the lives of an immigrant family that&s;ll likely stay with you for a long time."

"Venba is ultimately over quite soon, but I’d rather have a beautiful but small experience that will stay with me than one that lingers too long and wears out its welcome. There are a few parts of its story that …"

"Venba is a small game with big heart that really captures a lot of the experiences that immigrants and their children go through. It tells a simple story, but layers it in complex and engaging themes. The cooking sections could …"

"Rarely have I felt so many emotions when playing a videogame. I love the story of Venba, how the story is told and how Indian food is presented."

"Venba is a sweet, short-lived episode that presents the place held by food and cooking within our lives and cultures as near-on divine. It explores familiar relationships, as well as the ones we keep, for better or worse, with food …"

"While slightly too short for its own good, Venba is an exciting cooking narrative game exploring Tamil food. It tells an important, yet heart-wrenching story of a family as they struggle to fit in a new country."

"Alas, Venba is an exercise in brevity. I greatly enjoyed my peek into the lives of strangers who exposed me to a culture different than mine. I just wish I could have got a longer look at it."

"Venba is a real joy to play with its awesome art style highlighting representation in Indian cuisine, along with a heartfelt story and amazing soundtrack to boot. Like any new food, you just have to try it."

"Venba is a heartfelt tale of an immigrant mother doing her best to raise a son in Canada while passing on her Tamil culture. It&s;s a story not often told, and it will stick with you long after the credits …"

"Venba beautifully depicts the struggle of the first-generation immigrant experience — fighting to give your family better opportunities while holding true to your roots. It’s a golden example of how games can give players an authentic peek into underrepresented cultures …"

"An exploration of the immigrant experience straight from the horse&s;s mouth, Venba tackles a Tamil family&s;s struggles of a loving and living in a strange land, and the turbulence that follows, with a heartwrenching flair."

"Food and family converge in this beautiful slice-of-life tale."

"Venba delivers an elegantly nuanced story about cultural identity through sharply written dialogue and meaningful cooking interludes."

""Venba perfectly melds together a story of generational anxieties and dreams""

"Venba is an adventure that seeks to value the simple habits passed from one generation to the next. The title is especially suitable for those who want a touching and short experience. However, its short duration also leads to the …"

"Venba is a lovely, quaint tale that successfully captures the notion of an immigrant family struggling in Canada. The story is heartfelt and manages to tackle subjects in a sensitive and realistic manner. While the cooking aspects are a little …"

"As the end credits appeared on our screen it felt like we&s;d been on a generational journey — one that was both happy and sad, disappointing and hopeful, and above all, sincerely moving. We had a tear in our eye …"

"There&s;s more to this narrative and this family that deserves to be included in the experience, and while the cooking segments definitely sing, I&s;m ultimately left feeling like I&s;ve been served an appetizer rather than a main course. It&s;s beautiful …"

"Venba is a great game and has an even more remarkable story. It gives us a brief glimpse at what an immigrant family goes through, the hardships and the joys. Venba also gives us an idea of how difficult it …"

"Through a exploration of Southern Indian cuisine and the preparation of it that&s;s been given a slight puzzler twist, Venba manages to serve up a captivating story about culture, motherhood, immigrant life and more, spiced up with likeable characters and …"

"Visai Games&s; narrative-cooking debut is a special case of over-relying on flavorful spices – music, art design, etc. – to compensate for paltry servings."

"Venba is a love letter to many things, not just food. It beautifully depicts the story of two immigrants and their struggle to keep their culture alive in a Western society that does not seem to understand or appreciate it. …"

"Venba is a lovely little narrative game about the struggle of raising a child as immigrants told via food, but it&s;ll be over too quickly for some."

"Venba is a golden example of how video games can authentically represent underrepresented cultures when developed with care. Its short but impactful two-hour gameplay is a testament to the game&s;s focus on quality over quantity."

"All of the delicacies in Venba look filling, so it’s a bit of a shame that the experience as a whole isn’t quite as hearty."

"In Venba&s;s short play time, the narrative-led cooking game conveys so much of this family&s;s experience. The stirring story is presented in snackable chapters, each with an emotional tale tied to a dish. The puzzles aren&s;t too challenging, making for …"

"Venba is a delectable slice of a game that offers a subtly moving story that ought to appeal to Tamil people, first-generation immigrants and their children, and wider audiences alike. It’s also a fantastic cooking game, capturing the sights, sounds, …"

"Venba is a gorgeous-looking, sonically-rich game with minimal gameplay but a heartfelt and nuanced story about cultural identity, parenthood, and self-acceptance that more than makes up for it. A couple of omitted accessibility features and the short length aside, Venba …"

"Venba could have been my story. Or your story, if you know what means to be the son (or the daughter) of a couple who moved to give you a better future at the cost of giving up to pass …"

"A spicy blend of story and delicious South Indian cooking, Venba is a unique indie tale that deserves to be savoured. As developer Visai&s;s debut game, this is stellar stuff."

"Venba is an interesting and thoughtful experience that lasts as it should and that, in about a couple of hours, is able to make you feel attached to its characters and themes."

"Only toward the end does Venba hit upon a cohesive solution for both its story and its puzzles. The perspective shifts from Venba to Kavin, whose complicated relationship with his parents’ culture reframes the friction inherent to the game’s cooking …"

"Venba is a tale about an Indian immigrant family in Canada that does most of its storytelling through cooking and leaves you wanting seconds."

"Venba does not just make me feel seen, Venba makes me feel acknowledged and reassured in ways video games have never explored so profoundly."

"Venba presents a totally unique experience for players, with a touching story about the struggles of immigrants and the importance of culture, held back only by its short length."