Dosa Divas

Combat never really gets past 'OK', but excellent writing allows the experience to soar. It's a relievingly reasonable length, too; I finished the story in about nine hours with some extra stuff still to mop up (though the shine comes off a little when the busywork doesn't have the script to back it up). This is a beautiful gaming cake that I'd encourage you to devour – and I'm sure Kabi would be happy for you to pop in the kitchen and lick the spoon.

Despite its potential, Dosa Divas ultimately fails to satisfy, as its promising story is undercut by repetitive systems and inconsistent presentation that leave the overall experience feeling more bland than it could be.

Dosa Divas feels like an interesting proof of concept, stretched out into a full game. The ideas and early execution don’t really evolve, instead becoming worn down by the time it’s all said and done. While it doesn’t lack heart and soul, it’s unfortunately missing quite a few ingredients to make it a full course meal.

In Dosa Divas, the new RPG from Outerloop Games, cooking is the power capable of bringing together a world consumed by corporatism in an accessible yet deeply personal adventure about three sisters confronting their past.

Dosa Divas is a game that aesthetically represents a definite step forward for Outerloop Games, but mechanically it needed more attention, or simply time. Unable to distance myself from the culinary metaphors the game itself evokes, Dosa Divas may be a mix of tasty, certified-origin ingredients, but the resulting dish merely satisfies hunger, leaving nothing lasting in the memory and, above all, failing to make us feel any particular pleasure in consuming it, a disappointment to the narrative and art style that were instead guaranteed springboards.

A creative and flavorful RPG that starts strong but loses momentum due to uneven pacing and prolonged encounters.

Dosa Divas is a game that values emotions and imagination above all else. Story and gameplay are mixed in a way that makes it mesmerizing. It's mostly about national identity and feelings.

Dosa Divas starts strong with its creative mix of turn-based combat and cooking mechanics, but the experience loses momentum over time. Repetitive mini-games, limited gameplay variety, and low challenge hurt the overall experience, despite the game’s charming art style and solid story.

While I appreciate the smaller scale of Dosa Divas, the experience feels unpolished and unrefined. The combat is shallow, even for a 12-hour experience, and the story holds too many cards for the climax, so the moments leading up to it don't really resonate. The cooking mini-game is a highlight, and the themes about how important cooking is to both culture and community do hit, but the specific story ultimately feels flat.

Overall, however, this is a pleasant casual RPG with turn-based combat whose more compact scope may appeal to genre newcomers or players who simply do not have time for enormous games.