i am really, really enjoying Venba! i was always drawn in by the art style and the conceit, but i'm delighted to see that there's so much more to it. this isn't to say that the rest of the game isn't well done -- visually and sonically it captures the sensuality of steaming and frying with the same love as any documentary
but one thing i'm also really drawn to is how the story is fundamentally about being part of a first-generation immigrant family in a way that encapsulates longing really well. minor gameplay spoilers below:
the cooking segments themselves are neat -- there's an element of puzzle solving where the recipes are incomplete and you're sussing out the fragments by either applying in-game hints or reasoning out from the end goal (a game like Obra Dinn but for cooking would be as incredible as, i'm sure, it would be incomprehensible)
there's also the decision to focus on the mother of the family versus the more familiar (to me) lens of the child growing up in America. as the story progresses and they grow older (and older, and older) i cannot help but see my parents in Venba and Paavalan
i am seeing my parents for the first time in about five years on friday -- they moved back to Taiwan almost 10 years ago when i was 25. i've tried to visit, but the last trip was derailed by COVID-19. i think i've made them proud. is that enough? what would be?