Venba

Venba lulls the player into a sense of security with its cartoony and almost dreamlike aesthetic only to softly push the knife inside your heart with its story.

The food animations are particularly well done—the sizzling of spices, the rising steam of rice, the rich textures of curry—all crafted to evoke not just hunger, but nostalgia.

The ways in which it pays homage to Indian culture make it all the more immersive, notably the original soundtrack (which was absolutely gorgeous and I appreciated a lot), the recipe book (which is simplified for gameplay, but I was pleased to see that you have access to an actual detailed version to the recipes from the main menu too!), and the little blurbs of facts when cooking each recipe.

These visual elements are accompanied by a carefully curated soundtrack that features original Tamil music and ambient audio that deepens the mood without overpowering the storytelling.

The radio in the main menu, the fact that there are actual recipies in the game, the gorgeous art, use of cooking as both literal and metaphorical visualisation of culture, and of course, the deeply human story found at its core make Venba a MUST for anybody who gives two ♥♥♥♥♥ about games as not just entertainment, but a form of self-expression.

Lastly, I found the cooking sections pretty fun, the only one I had an issue with was the one in chapter 5, since all of them are just too easy, just click the button it tells you to.