Venba

 PlayStation 5
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. PLAY
    Sep 6, 2023
    90
    Short but focussed, Venba embraces the medium to tell a family’s intimate story as you join them for some important family meals, both thick and thin. [Issue#31, p.75]
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  2. God is a Geek
    Jul 31, 2023
    90
    Venba is a lovely little narrative game about the struggle of raising a child as immigrants told via food, but it'll be over too quickly for some.
  3. Push Square
    Jul 31, 2023
    90
    As the end credits appeared on our screen it felt like we'd been on a generational journey — one that was both happy and sad, disappointing and hopeful, and above all, sincerely moving. We had a tear in our eye and everything. Four days later, writing this review and thinking about our experience playing Venba, we're smiling, and considering going back for a second helping.
  5. PlayStation Universe
    Aug 3, 2023
    85
    While slightly too short for its own good, Venba is an exciting cooking narrative game exploring Tamil food. It tells an important, yet heart-wrenching story of a family as they struggle to fit in a new country.
  6. Player 2
    Jul 31, 2023
    83
    Venba’s story will draw heightened emotion from players no matter their background, while the cooking systems are fantastically fresh.
  7. Guardian
    Aug 2, 2023
    80
    Venba is a great example of stories we need to see more of. It would just have been nice to see more of this particular story, too.
  8. GameSpew
    Jul 31, 2023
    80
    Our time with Venba and her family may have been short, but we quickly came to care for each of them as we watched them struggle through life. This is a beautiful portrait of a couple and their son who feel just as real as you or I. It’s a celebration of being Indian, of being human, of being a parent, of culture, of food. It reminds us of the importance of family and tradition – and the joy that eating (and preparing) a good meal can bring even in the darkest of times. Brief as it may be, Venba has left a lasting impact – and it’s made us desperate to try some traditional Tamil cooking of our own.
  9. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Jul 31, 2023
    70
    All of the delicacies in Venba look filling, so it’s a bit of a shame that the experience as a whole isn’t quite as hearty. But while its puzzles can lack stakes and its story often hastily skips over subtlety, Venba is still a transportive experience that shows players a perspective they are likely unfamiliar with. Using cooking as a central mechanic also makes that experience more poignant since, while the ingredients change, food is a ubiquitous part of life that makes other cultures that much more relatable. It’s less of a meal and more of a snack, but it’s still one made with heart.