Venba

these “puzzles” They’re not even puzzles. You have to cook dishes and parts of the cookbook are missing, leaving you to guess or use trial and error to make them. the art of the game is cute but i get very impatient with a lot of text that i cant skip. there is no substantial history that makes me cry , no explanation what happened to the father? very short with a lot of empty spaces that we have to leave in our imagination.

I first have to comment on the art style- it's SO cute... very simple, but does not skimp on any detail. The "chalky" brush used was a great decision and really fits the vibes of the game. The story is sad, but also heartwarming. Gave some insight into a culture I didn't know much about... and some new recipes to try! My only critique is the play time. I finished the game in one sitting feeling unsatisfied, the food puzzles were quite fun and I wanted more. I think it would have been really nice if [spoiler]Venba and Kavin finished the recipe book together, rather than Kavin just giving the finished book to Venba. The scene was cute but[/spoiler] I think it would have been good to give the player some more puzzles to solve. Would have really increased the play time.. I would recommend this game regardless though! The little time I had was very fun. Would love to experience it for the first time again.

This compact masterpiece completely reshaped my perspective on what independent developers can achieve. The craftsmanship is outstanding—from nuanced storytelling to flawless Steam Deck optimization. Every detail reflects a level of care and artistic vision that rivals studios with ten times the budget. This isn’t just polished—it’s a work of art that happens to be interactive. What resonated most was the cultural authenticity and emotional weight of the narrative. It doesn’t just entertain—it brings forward perspectives too often overlooked in games. I hope the developers continue exploring these depths, especially with communities like Mexican-Americans in the U.S., who deserve this same level of thoughtful representation. This is the kind of project that reminded me why I fell in love with games in the first place. Supporting work like this isn’t just a purchase—it’s an investment in the future of interactive storytelling. This game doesn’t just deserve your ...

It's a really beautiful game. I felt it very keenly. In a lot of ways it reminded me of my own home and family, and these ideas of connection and loss and identity in the diaspora. Plus some of the recipes look incredible and I can't wait to try them.

Thank you for making this game. My Nonna fled Rangoon and my cooker is Hawkins not Prestige, but almost everything else here resonated with me. I still have her recipes somewhere trying to make mohinga with only whitefella ingredients like spaghetti, tinned herring, and vegemite. Luckily in Australia I can nowadays buy everything except banana hearts (the core of the banana tree stem/trunk). 1kg bags of things like bengalgram flour or urad are easy and cheap. The game does not show how hard it is to get idli batter to ferment properly! The plates with pictures of banana leaves on them made me extra sad. PS: I was expecting more curry leaves in Tamil recipes :-)

This is a short but incredibly heartfelt and touching story about family and culture told through South Indian cuisine. I loved making dosas, biryani, and other dishes that tied into the family’s memories and struggles. Also, the art is beautiful. I took so many screenshots.

Genuinely such a lovely game. A simple story about diaspora and a first generation child's tension between his parents' culture and the culture he grew up with, told through food. I've seen a few playthroughs of this and am so grateful to be able to play it myself, as one of the small gamer Mac users. As a person very interested in cooking of all types and a fan of a well-written story, this does everything I want it to.

There's games that you play to feel something, then there's games that make you feel something. As an international student living in Australia, this game spoke to me in ways no other game has. It made me think about all the things that shaped me, for better or worse, and allowed me to be in the spot that I am today. Thank you Visai games. Thank you for this beautiful game. I think I'll go call my parents.

This thing was exactly what I expected it to be and I love it for that! You get what it says on the tin.

I cried.