Trigger Cut Game Reviews

Venba is an interactive visual novel about family and cooking.  The game is incredibly short, clocking in at no more than 90 minutes however, it succeeds as a heartfelt celebration of Indian culture and cooking.  You are the daughter of two immigrants that are teaching you your grandmothers recipes.  The game has a storybook like structure with no spoken dialogue.  The gameplay consists of cooking minigames where you are presented with a recipe and ingredients.  The gameplay isn’t challenging however, the cooking minigames are fun and are a nice window into recipes and food that I personally have never heard of.  You follow Venba into adulthood and the narrative focuses on how food and tradition keeps a family together.  The game is mostly wordless yet is still able to convey emotion and the ending certainly pulled on my heartstrings.  If you are a foodie and are interested in other people’s cultures, Venba is a great way to spend 90 minutes or so.