The simplistic (yet vibrant) visuals and animation and its condensed runtime also don’t help since Venba doesn’t have the most emotive characters nor the time to dive into the details. Seeing Venba and Paavalan intimately communicate their insecurities before falling asleep grounds them as people, but moments like these are sometimes expedient to a fault. Emotional states are overtly vocalized, not always just shown, an inelegance that misses what often makes for great writing. None of these are particularly new ideas, but framing them within the context of an Indian-Canadian family is, once again, enough of a novelty.īut as heartfelt as it is, a lot of Venba’s dialogue is overly direct. Venba and her husband Paavalan’s journey to this foreign land touches on adapting to unfamiliar customs, bigotry, being homesick, and trying to pass on old traditions in a new land, all of which come into play over Venba’s decades-spanning narrative. Indian culture plays a big role in the narrative, too, since that part of Venba’s identity is under siege upon moving to Canada. Cooking is sometimes a bonding exercise for the family, linking the gameplay and narrative. It’s disappointing that the recipes aren’t coupled with actual recipes or historical background - games like Assassin’s Creed have shown how fruitful providing in-game history can be - but that doesn’t dull its effect much. Venba’s experiences might not overlap exactly with most other people, but the way she ties food to certain places or family members is universal and key to the game’s ability to be much more than a collection of cooking puzzles. They’re the ways humans share their time together, and these small flashbacks highlight that. These dishes are more than just rice, spices, meat, vegetables, and oils jammed together. Venba, the titular main character, reminisces about these meals and what human memories they are attached to. Catchy ambient music inspired from the region plays as wannabe chefs prepare their dishes and short tales tell the personal context behind each dish. Many of the spice-rich flavors in Venba are given life through the culture surrounding each recipe.
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