Venba is an extremely short experience, but one that manages to maintain a certain consistency throughout its entire runtime. Even so, while it works well as a narrative, it didn't fully convince me as a video game — largely due to its near absence of deeper gameplay elements.
Nominated at The Game Awards for Best Independent Game Debut, Venba presents itself as a "culinary narrative," and that description turns out to be quite accurate. Player interaction is essentially limited to small mini-games tied to preparing traditional Indian dishes which, while interesting within the thematic context, are quite simple and underdeveloped. At many points, the experience feels closer to an interactive film than to a game in the traditional sense.
That said, it's in the narrative that Venba finds its greatest merit. The story approaches the theme of migration in a sensitive and humane way, exploring the difficulties faced by families who leave their country in search of better living conditions. At the same time, it portrays the culture shock and the way traditions, identity, and memory are preserved or transformed over time. It's an emotional, well-executed approach that manages to convey its message clearly and effectively.
Visually, the game is very well realized, with an appealing art style that reinforces the experience's intimate side. The soundtrack perfectly accompanies the narrative moments and helps create a cohesive, engaging atmosphere.
However, when you look at the interactive side, Venba ends up falling short. The lack of gameplay depth causes the experience to lose impact as a video game, leaving the sensation that the concept could have been explored more on a mechanical level, and not just a narrative one.
At its core, Venba is a game with an interesting idea and an emotionally strong story — but it would need a more robust layer of gameplay to establish itself as a truly memorable experience within the medium.
out of 10
Pros
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Game Venba Released 2023 Available on PC · PlayStation 5 · Xbox One · Xbox Series X|S · Nintendo Switch Reviewed on Xbox Series X|S |  Cover: IGDB |
| PL | Pedro Lopes Writer · Portugal |
A games writer from Portugal running on a highly irresponsible amount of coffee — his blood type is officially "espresso". He has been a content creator at Lisbon Games Week, a jury member at Over & Out ’25 and an attendee of DevGAMM Lisbon 2025 (mostly for the free coffee). He has a Pac-Man tattoo on his finger, which contractually obliges him to chase ghosts forever.