Those who tuned into the Nintendo Indie World Showcase back in November 2022 will undoubtedly remember the upcoming narrative cooking game Venba. Hosting a cute art style and telling the story of an Indian mother who immigrated to Canada in the 1980s with her family Venba was a showcase standout.
Xbox Game Pass subscribers are set to be in for a treat as Venba is set to make its way to Xbox Game Pass on release day alongside PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC and Nintendo Switch and is set to release later on in 2023. Xbox Game Pass is no stranger to indie games making their way to the platform with critically acclaimed titles such as Tunic, Vampire Survivors, Hollow Knight, and even Valheim making their way to the service in recent years.
Visai Games, the developers behind Venba, took to the Venba Twitter account today to share the news stating: “We’re so excited to announce that Venba will come to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Xbox One, and Gamepass!!!”
Venba’s gameplay focuses heavily on cooking mechanics with the beautifully crafted 2D animated art style. Venba’s recipe book is unfortunately damaged on the family’s move to Canada so the player will have to attempt to restore each recipe as a way to connect Venba and her family with home. The story is set to focus on family, love, loss and more. The gameplay itself will act similar to that of puzzles in more adventure-driven games where a strict recipe must be followed. Alongside this, there’s also the added benefit of learning more about Venba’s family and the history behind each authentic Indian meal. If you’re looking for a reference point think of immersive cooking games like Overcooked.
Venba’s main draw however is its ability to take more classic game mechanics and make something new out of them. Similar to adventure games like the Monkey Island series Venba adds a cultural culinary twist to create something unique. The title was originally set to release in Spring 2023 but has been moved to Summer 2023.
Venba’s Steam page notes that players will be able to indulge in and cook authentic recipes handpicked from regional southern Indian cuisine, have branching conversations and explore various narrative beats, and enjoy beautiful visuals and animations all while this is complimented by a unique soundtrack inspired by Indian musicals.
Venba is set to release in Summer 2023 on PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Game Pass.