Venba (video game)
A narrative cooking game about an immigrant mother's life.
Venba is a narrative cooking video game from Visai Games, which handled both development and publishing. The story starts in 1988 and centers on an Indian couple who immigrate to Canada, working to adapt to their new daily lives. Players control Venba, an Indian woman who relocates with her husband to Toronto, where they later have a son. The game heavily incorporates Tamil culture and South Indian cuisine.
The game launched on July 31, 2023, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. No official release date for a macOS version has been announced by Visai Games.
**Gameplay**
The main gameplay involves Venba working to restore lost recipes through trial and error. Each chapter shows Venba and her son, Kavin, exploring their family bonds through food, presented as puzzles. Venba’s mother’s cookbook is damaged over time, leaving smudged instructions that make recipes hard to follow. Players consult the cookbook to recreate dishes while Venba draws on her own memories to fill in missing steps. These obstacles start with a line or two missing from a recipe and later progress to entire pages with only diagrams and no readable instructions. Beyond cooking, players choose dialogue options in conversations. The game offers replayability through different dialogue choices or by revisiting past dishes to cook them without mistakes.
**Plot**
The story follows Venba and her husband Paavalan as they leave Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India, to start fresh in Toronto, Canada. They struggle with a new language, unfamiliar culture, and poor job prospects, but hope their newborn son will have an easier life. As Kavin grows, Venba tries to instill an appreciation for Tamil language and culture in him, but faces challenges as Kavin quickly adopts Canadian ways. Paavalan dies, Kavin becomes more distant, and without steady income, Venba eventually returns to India alone. Years later, an adult Kavin comes to value the unique culture his parents tried to teach him. He travels to India to visit Venba, apologizing for dismissing his heritage, and asks her to teach him more. Each short chapter is a vignette capturing a year in Venba’s life.
**Development and release**
In an interview with Eurogamer, lead developer Abhi explained that most immigrant stories focus on second-generation children rather than their parents, but parents have “a co
- Developer
- Visai Games
- Release date
- July 31, 2023
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
- Genre
- Narrative cooking
- Setting
- Toronto, Canada, beginning in 1988
- Protagonist
- Venba
Lore & Background
The story begins in 1988 and follows Venba and her husband Paavalan, who leave Tamil Nadu, India, to start a new life in Toronto, Canada. The couple struggles with language, culture, and job prospects, but hopes their son Kavin will have an easier time. As Kavin grows up, he assimilates into Canadian culture, causing distance between him and his mother. Paavalan passes away, and Venba eventually returns to India alone. Years later, an adult Kavin visits Venba in India, apologizing for dismissing his heritage and seeking to learn more.
Reader's Guide
Venba is significant for centering the immigrant parent's perspective, a viewpoint often overlooked in media about diaspora experiences. The game uses a damaged cookbook mechanic to weave narrative into gameplay, requiring players to reconstruct recipes through trial and error. Its authentic representation of Tamil cuisine and culture, developed by a South Asian team, was praised for its authenticity. The soundtrack, inspired by decades of Tamil film music, includes a track performed by famed composer Deva. The game received generally favorable reviews, though some critics noted its short length. In June 2024, a mobile clone called Sofra was reported, which critics said whitewashed the original's cultural elements.
Did You Know?
- The game's sound designer Neha Patel cooked meals and recorded sounds step by step to capture authentic Foley.
- Venba features a track titled 'Chellakutty' performed by Indian film composer Deva.
- The cookbook mechanic starts with one or two missing recipe lines and progresses to entire pages with only diagrams.
- A mobile game clone called Sofra was reported in June 2024, described as a 'sloppy mobile cash grab' that whitewashed Venba's cultural elements.
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