Dosa Divas Review - Full Of Flavour
“Outerloop Games is a minority led, fully distributed indie game studio that creates accessible games with depth about underrepresented cultures and themes.” This statement comes directly from the homepage of Outerloop Games’ own website. It has been immediately apparent in every game that has come from the studio to date, beginning with their fantastic VR debut title Falcon Age, to 2023’s Thirsty Suitors, and now their 2026 release, Dosa Divas. As Outerloop has grown as a studio, the team has begun to expand its ambition, while simultaneously honing in on some core pillars that make their games distinctly their own, and with Dosa Divas, the team has created a game that represents their team better than anything they’ve previously done.
Dosa Divas is a game about culture; it’s a game about the family dynamic, and the fractures that form in them; it’s a game about monopolisation and corporate greed; and it’s also about the importance of cooking and the sense of community that it brings. Dosa Divas is about a lot, all within a 12-14-hour duration, and yet, every topic and theme that the game explores it does so comprehensively and successfully. Dosa Divas tells the story of three sisters, their love of cooking, the rivalry that formed between them, and the community fracture that this created. Just like Outerloop’s previous work in Thirsty Suitors, the personalities of the world are larger than life, and the representation of the game’s themes are amplified significantly, but it all coalesces in a narrative package that seamlessly works. As two of the sisters, Amani and Samara, set out on a journey to reunite their family and bring down the gigantic corporation LinaMeals, helmed by their own sister Lina, the DiVA, their spirit-mech Goddess, and the importance of the other DiVA’s, all come into sharp focus, driving a fascinating narrative forward.
Similar to Thirsty Suitors, Dosa Divas embraces a JRPG-inspired turn-based combat system, evoking memories of genre favourites such as Paper Mario and more recent works such as Sea Of Stars, with numerous ways to actively engage in what is typically a more passive gameplay style. These systems complement the world and tone of Dosa Divas and play incredibly well. The brevity of the game means that some opportunities to dive deeper into its systems, create additional challenge, and offer more player choice have been lost, but the result is that the game doesn’t outstay its welcome.
Outside of combat, there’s a some light platforming to engage with, and the bulkiest part of the playing experience – the cooking. The sisters can prepare a large number of different dishes, each addressing the specific hunger needs ot the many residents of the explorable space. Upon determining the meal you’ll prepare, players then complete a pair of QTE mini-games, designed to simulate the stirring of the meal, the pouring of liquid, chopping vegetables, and more. Each take only a few seconds to complete, and unless you’re going on a completionist run, you won’t feel compelled to spend excessive amounts of time crafting new meals for yourself or others. Of course, any that you do create can also be consumed in combat, where the dish in question will restore HP, SP, or remove an affliction such as silence or confusion. A town-by-town rank can be attained by preparing enough meals for the locals and taking down the LinaMeals advertisements strewn all around the playspace. It’s ultimately an optional element to engage with, but it isn’t a huge lift for players who want to maximise their standing in each township.
As previously seen in Outerloop’s prior works, Dosa Divas is a vibrant game, filled with life and colour. The game creates constant explosions of colour that light up the screen, and while the world itself is more static, it is still super attractive on the eye. Character designs, from the human to the DiVA cast, are all top shelf, while the voicework for each member of the cast is again excellent. Dosa Divas’ soundtrack is another important string in the game’s bow, featuring powerful percussive beats, to a rhythm that you’ll be hooked by.
Dosa Divas isn’t an enormous game, but it gives you a lot to chew on despite its brief stay. Combining a strong, engaging cast of characters, with a very real story, with a sprinkling of wacky, well-refined gameplay systems, and a lot of heart, Dosa Divas is a meal worth adding to the menu.
Dosa Divas was reviewed on PS5 with a code kindly provided by PopAgenda.
