Game On: A powerful mix of nostalgia, diaspora, and Indian Cuisine
A review of Venba, a game that uses food to weave the tale of a Tamil family in Canada.
Hyderabad: This review starts with a disclaimer: there are many elements within Venba’s narrative that deeply resonate on a personal and emotional level. Particularly, aspects of the diasporic experience that many immigrants encounter when far from their home, such as the yearning for particular foods, flavors, music, and festivities.
Venba, in its short playable campaign, manages to repackage this and a lot more as it blends food, family recipes, and the desire for a better life to weave a touching story.
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Set in 1980s Canada, the game narrates the story of its titular character Venba and her husband Paavalan, a Tamil couple who have relocated from India in the hope to start a new life. The game’s opening sequence depicts Paavalan about to leave for work and Venba resting, as she asks Paavalan if he could make some Idlis for himself.
In the exchange, Venba realizes that her husband would rather spend the day on coffee (than make idlis). This exchange leads to the game’s first playable sequence as Venba figures out how to make idlis that are soft and puffed just like her mother used to.
As the story progresses, players are challenged to solve recipe-based mysteries for dishes like puttu, as Venba convinces her young son, Kavin that the rocket like hiss from making puttu is far more exciting than pizza.
The strength of Venba lies not just in its ability to tap into nostalgia and Tamil culture but also how it offers increasingly complex recipes to players as Kavin grows older. The blend of food, nostalgia, diasporic loss of the homeland, and some humorous dialogue is simply too powerful. There is a heartrending sequence where Venba is figuring out how to make layered Biryani with Kavin leaving home for college and all Paavalan is concerned about is, that all the “pieces” of meat in the Biryani would end up on Kavin’s plate. The narrative strength of Venba is top-notch.
In terms of gameplay, the simple cooking style is well implemented but animations are a bit jerky. However, for an indie studio making its first foray the experience is a memorable one. The music chosen is apt and the character design, while simple is cohesive with the game’s overall style and feel.
I recommend playing Venba not only for its delectable food elements and superb dialogue but also to gain insight into the challenges that Indian immigrants encounter. Alongside Tchia, this is one of the finest indie experiences of 2023.
