Venba
Quick Facts ✅
Title: Venba
Genre: Cooking, Narrative, Puzzle
System(s): Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox
Developer | Publisher: Visai Games
Age Rating: Teen
Price: 14.99 USD
Release Date: July 31st, 2023
Time to Play: Approximately 1.5-2 hours
Steam Description: Venba is a short narrative cooking game, where you play as an Indian mom, who immigrates to Canada with her family in the 1980s. Players will cook various dishes and restore lost recipes, hold branching conversations and explore in this story about family, love, loss and more.
Why Venba?
💡 There are many factors I take into account when selecting the month’s title. Price, platforms, accessibility, narrative, and more. Here are some of the reasons for Venba!
Short — this is a game that you can complete in one sitting (and I would highly recommend doing so!)
This is a story I haven’t seen told in games at this level of specificity and polish. Motherhood, parenthood, growing up first generation, impact of immigration on identity, and more.
Cooking games! This is a genre I always hope to see more developers explore.
Keep in Mind
Content Warnings
💡 I do my best to flag content that may impact your decision to play so you can go in as informed as possible (without spoiling the plot of the game) — if you think I’ve missed something, please let me know!
General note that this game deals with grief, diaspora, family dynamics, and cultural identity.
Reference to physical assault (no violence is shown in-game)
Timeline & Topic Guide
💡 This timeline is a general guide to help you stay on track to finish by the end of the month, as well as have an idea of the topics we may focus on that week. You know yourself best, though, and please play however suits you!
Week 01 — “Think well before you dare, and never ruminate once in action.”
Play VENBA
IF you would like to divide it between two weeks, stop at the calendar saying starting “Nothing, no matter how dear…” I highly recommend playing this one in one sitting if you can, though.
Week 02 — “A humble porridge can taste sweeter than nectar, when fed by the little hands of one’s child.”
Finish VENBA (if you haven’t yet!)
Week 03 — “Longing for those who have forsaken you diminishes the beauty of the soul.”
OPTIONAL PLAY: A TASTE OF THE PAST
Week 04 — “Nothing, no matter how dear, should be sought at the expense of one’s honor.”
OPTIONAL PLAY: HALF
