Venba review – a tale of food and family that leaves you hungry for more

PC, PlayStation 4/5 (version tested), Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch; Visai Studios
The biggest drawback to this mouthwatering narrative cooking game is that there isn't enough of it

Venba and her husband are two Tamil immigrants who live in Canada, struggling with a new language, culture and a lack of job prospects - and hoping that their son Kavin may have an easier time than them. As Kavin grows up, Venba wants nothing more than to instil an appreciation for Tamil language and culture in him. But she doesn't meet with much success.

Venba does most of her talking through food. Whether it's announcing her pregnancy or teaching Kavin about his country of origin, everything leads back to the kitchen. As the player, you prepare a small number of dishes, all inspired by a battered recipe book brought along from India. Because the recipes have become hard to read in places, and many western players are unlikely to have seen some of the kitchen paraphernalia used to make Tamil dishes, making food isn't so much about following a set of instructions as it is solving a puzzle.

Venba is out now; 13.49