Be prepared, this game will make you call your parents if still in contact. This game is the most unironic and heart-wrenching expression of a family relationship a game has presented me with in a long time. It will make your heart hurt as a child, and again as a parent or hopeful parent.

All of this emotional core is housed in a series of cooking minigames that, while mostly a vehicle, strongly communicate the themes through use of language, antiquity, and childhood memory. Food as a thread of life experience is one of my favorite narrative devices and no game presents it as close to the heart as Venba.

Please give this one a shot even if you think you won't like it. It simply packs so much life into such a short game that part of it will speak to you whether you're ready for it or not.