Venba Xbox Series X Review
| Game: | Venba |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Visai Games |
| Developer: |
Venba isn’t a lengthy game, but it skillfully intertwines its narrative while incorporating food to enhance the storytelling. Not every game needs to be a sprawling 40+ hour epic, and Venba serves as a perfect illustration of a bite size game, offering a total playtime of approximately 2 hours, although perhaps one or two hours extra would have further enhanced this otherwise lovely story.
Venba doesn’t feature extensive gameplay and is primarily a narrative-driven experience. Fortunately, the story it presents is exceptionally well-crafted. Beginning in the 1980’s, the narrative revolves around the central characters, Venba and her husband Paavalan, who are Indian immigrants in Canada, facing challenges in both assimilating into Canadian society and securing employment. The storyline unfolds over several years and introduces their son, Kavin, who grapples with his own challenges of maintaining his cultural heritage while growing up in Canada.
More than anything else, Venba is a profoundly human drama. However, it’s regrettable that we don’t have the opportunity to delve deeper into the characters’ backgrounds, as our understanding of them is primarily derived from their challenges and the theme of food. The brevity of the game may be the primary reason for this limitation, compounded by the fact that the story is intricately interwoven with the culinary theme.
Utilizing food as a central element is undeniably an intriguing approach. The gameplay revolves around Venba’s efforts to recreate dishes from her mother’s well-worn recipe book, presenting a subtle challenge due to the book’s age and wear. While preparing specific dishes can pose a bit of a puzzle, it remains manageable without becoming excessively complex. Additionally, the game provides a hint system to assist you when needed.
The vibrant and colourful art style effectively showcases the delectable food, enhancing its visual appeal and making it look good enough to eat. The inclusion of Indian music further immerses you in the cultural ambiance, creating a distinctly Indian atmosphere. It’s evident that this game is crafted by an Indian immigrant, as every aspect of it exudes the essence of Indian culture.
In certain aspects, Venba could have potentially benefited from an extended duration, allowing for more comprehensive character development over the span of the game’s narrative years. Nevertheless, it remarkably excels in narrating the challenges faced by an immigrant family in an unfamiliar environment. This two-hour experience has the potential to leave a lasting impression, and just so happens to utilize food as a unique storytelling vehicle.
