Venba

何意味剧情，老婆不做饭男的就要饿肚子了，太傻叉了。

First playthrough review time. Venba is a short story-driven game where cooking is used as the main way of progressing through the experience. It follows a family adjusting to life in a new country while trying to hold on to their cultural roots through everyday routines and food traditions. The focus stays on small, personal moments shaped by daily life and relationships. The presentation is simple but has a clear artistic style. Each section has a slightly different tone, and the cooking parts are straightforward without feeling complex or demanding attention. The music carries a strong cultural influence and fits well with what is happening on screen. Nothing feels overdone, but everything is arranged in a steady way. I got this game from a third-party website for 0.68 dollars, and on Steam the all time low till date was 4.94 dollars. Overall, the game handles its themes in a simple way and stays respectful in the way it presents emotional moments. The cooking puzzles are simple and not repetitive, and the story stays the main focus while the gameplay is only used to continue the story. It also shows parts of Indian culture and food in a clear and natural way.

很好的故事，把一代移民和二代移民的心境写得很真实。 一代移民在另一个国家重新开始，母国的工作经验和学历很多时候并不能很好地适应当地的需求。甚至有些原本是医生的人，移民后也不得不从头开始。 我还在上学的时候，也见过不少加拿大出生的二代移民，中国，印度，韩国的等等。很多人基本上只会说英语了，对于父母的母语，能说得磕磕绊绊已经算不错，会听说读写的更是少数。如果能非常流利地听说读写，往往不是在加拿大出生的二代，更可能是小学之后才跟着父母移民过来的。 我也在网上看过很多父母说，孩子小时候希望家里能做西餐，而不是母国的饭，因为味道太大，带去学校会被同学嘲笑。很多孩子都是长大之后，才慢慢和自己的文化，家庭，身份和解。游戏里对这一点的描写也很好

What if I cried? What if I was moved? What if I cry while making dinner tonight??? It's a good experience, callyourmom/10

The story is beautiful but there's so little gameplay, I can't help but think this would have worked better as a short film. You kinda feel like you're just clicking through a short story with a couple vague dialogue choices here and there, and that's it. Even the cooking segments don't require much player input; sometimes you don't even get to do basic things like drag ingredients to pots or turn dials yourself, you just click once and watch it happen for you. It's hard to decide whether to recommend this or not because the story is heartfelt (not particularly complex, but that's okay) and I adore the art style, but if this were recommended to me as a game at its usual price of $20+ I'd probably be disappointed with how little there is in comparison to what I paid. It's not even that the game is short for me--I knew it was short going in. It's the length combined with the lack of tangible gameplay and seeing that it usually costs far more than what I paid that turns me off from it. At its current steep discount it's much less of a blow to be let down, but still. Once that sale ends I wouldn't be jumping to recommend all my friends pay twenty bucks for it.

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.

一开始是被《Venba》温馨的画风吸引来的，原本以为会是一款轻松治愈的做饭游戏，实际体验却和想象中不太一样。随着剧情推进，音乐和故事都带着淡淡的悲伤，也让我感受到作者想借这款游戏向玩家分享自己的文化与家庭故事。 做菜部分比较简单，音效很舒服，整体流程轻松。不过游戏内容偏少，几个小时就能通关。如果你喜欢剧情向的小品级游戏，我觉得还是值得体验的。 ⸻ I was first drawn to Venba by its warm and charming art style, expecting a cozy cooking game. However, the experience turned out to be quite different from what I had imagined. As the story unfolds, the music and narrative carry a quiet sense of sadness, while beautifully conveying the developer’s culture and family heritage. The cooking mechanics are simple, and the sound design makes preparing each dish feel satisfying. Although the game is fairly short and can be completed in just a few hours, it’s still a worthwhile experience if you enjoy story-driven indie games.

[h1]Came for the Cooking, Stayed for the Story[/h1] A calm and relaxing game about a family of Indian immigrants in Canada. The game tells the story of this family over the years, showing the challenges they eventually face as they build a new life. It's short, though very cozy. Cooking here shows us how even everyday things, such as the smell and sound of food cooking, can instantly bring back memories. Along the way, you also discover South Indian culture through its cuisine and Tamil songs. And yeah, like many calm games, it can get really emotional. Venba shows love, choices, regrets, and even tragic events, such as loss. It also reminds us to appreciate who we are, what we have today, and where we came from, whether it's our culture or our family. At the same time, it quietly tells you, "You shouldn't be afraid to be yourself just because it's not 'normal.'" [hr][/hr] I loved how the game told a slow-paced story that could easily happen in real life. Throughout the game, I felt like I was living with this family, experiencing every event alongside them. It was as if someone was sharing their own story with me. For a small project like this, it can teach you a lot and quietly stay with you long after you finish it.