Venba

I played Venba and at first I thought it was just a simple cooking game, but it’s actually about much more than that. In the game, you follow Venba, a mother who moves from India to a new country with her family. It also shows immigrant life in a very quiet and real way. It feels like starting over in a new country, trying to fit in, and still holding on to your own culture at the same time. Sometimes it feels like no one can fully understand how hard that is. The gameplay is cooking, it makes you feel like you are really learning and remembering family traditions through food. I liked how the cooking connects to culture and memory. The food looks and sounds really good, and it makes the game feel warm and real. The art and music are simple but very emotional. The only downside is that the game is very short, and the story moves very fast, so some moments feel skipped. Overall, it’s a short but powerful game about immigrant life, family, and identity. It’s emotional, meaningful, and highly recommended!

A lovely game about culture, about growing apart over time and finding each other again, and about everything we pass on to future generations, all wrapped up in an entertaining cooking game. Works great on the Steam Deck.

Beautiful story, I cried by the end. Actual gameplay is simple but teaches actual cooking methods. I cried again realizing there are actual full recipes and song names. Highly recommend.