Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 81 | 70 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 85 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 92% | 87 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 93% | 87 | 42 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 111 reviews sampled · 121 total reviews in window · weighted 27 up / 2 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (57)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 90
“Venba is not only an excellent video game, but a powerful sociocultural message. At one point, characters discuss how a piece of art had the potential to make a stronger impact with an audience in the way than a protest or traditional statement. Venba meets this potential, and then some. I'm hungry for more.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Only toward the end does Venba hit upon a cohesive solution for both its story and its puzzles. The perspective shifts from Venba to Kavin, whose complicated relationship with his parents’ culture reframes the friction inherent to the game’s cooking segments: He has difficulty because he hasn’t prepared these dishes before and hasn’t cared to pay attention. Furthermore, his grasp on the Tamil language is rusty, so while he can refer to instructions at the top of the screen, they’ll be inaccurately translated and require the player to experiment while surmising their true meaning. This late change allows the game to finish strong, though the irritation of its earliest puzzles never quite dissipates, like a lingering taste from a dish whose flavors don’t fully cohere.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“In Venba's short play time, the narrative-led cooking game conveys so much of this family's experience. The stirring story is presented in snackable chapters, each with an emotional tale tied to a dish. The puzzles aren't too challenging, making for a comforting, cosy playthrough as you prepare each meal. Be warned though: this game will make you hungry. And it may also make you cry.”
read full review ↗ - 55
“Visai Games' narrative-cooking debut is a special case of over-relying on flavorful spices, music, art design, etc., to compensate for paltry servings.”
read full review ↗ - 77
“One part exploration of culture, another puzzles in the form of food prep, Venba has a fresh feel but requires some patience”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Venba is a gorgeous-looking, sonically-rich game with minimal gameplay but a heartfelt and nuanced story about cultural identity, parenthood, and self-acceptance that more than makes up for it. A couple of omitted accessibility features and the short length aside, Venba is a beautiful representation of the immigrant experience, messiness and all, thus cleverly avoiding glorification in favor of authenticity.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Venba is a golden example of how video games can authentically represent underrepresented cultures when developed with care. Its short but impactful two-hour gameplay is a testament to the game's focus on quality over quantity.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Venba is a unique experience that clearly offers a different way of telling a story. While gameplay isn't the title's masterpiece, it's still fun to understand the recipes and try to complete them. Clearly, the title would have benefited from more stages in the preparation of dishes to prolong the adventure. In a way, while the game doesn't do anything particularly bad, we're left a little disappointed. Perhaps I'd have liked the gameplay phases to have been a little longer, even if this shifts the way the story is told. There's no doubt that the Visai Studios team is talented, and we'll have to keep an eye on their next projects!”
read full review ↗ - 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.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“There's more to this narrative and this family that deserves to be included in the experience, and while the cooking segments definitely sing, I'm ultimately left feeling like I've been served an appetizer rather than a main course. It's beautiful in its colorful but minimalistic presentation and has a fitting musical score. I'm just longing to spend more time in Venba's charming kitchen and to be invited to share in more of the moments in her life.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Venba is an incredibly heartfelt, yet short, experience that offers glimpses into a family's life, culture, and delicious-looking meals.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Venba might feel somewhat too brief to fully do justice to its character paths, but it has a lot to say about the importance of preserving one’s culture, the difficulties of generational friction, and the excruciating irony of realizing the value of something after you’ve already lost it. Furthermore, as if all of that weren’t enough, you get to prepare some amazing-looking Indian food while watching the movie. Therefore, fans of narrative-heavy games with a twist might give Venba a look if they are willing to keep their expectations in check concerning the amount of information they get here.”
read full review ↗
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Patch history
- Hotfix to patch Unity security vulnerabilityOct 7, 2025
- July Update: Biriyani LevelJul 29, 2022
- May Update: Park LevelMay 30, 2022
- October Update: IdlisOct 29, 2021
- Venba: September Update!Sep 8, 2021