Venba, a video game about the emotional resonance of food

Developer Visai Studio's debut tells a story of how food bridges the gap between generations

Food is much more than mere sustenance. It's an expression of love; for a culture, and for those eating. Venba isn't so much a cooking game as it is a game about cooking - a narrative puzzle about restoring an old cookbook that made its way into the titular character's hands. Venba is a Tamil woman who left India for Canada with her husband to start over; they're already thinking about leaving when she gets the news of her pregnancy. The very first dish you make in the game, a savoury rice cake called idli, becomes a way for Venba to break the news to her husband, a clever way to show how food can be part of any memory.

Regardless of what's happening on any particular day, the kitchen is always busy in south Asian homes," says the lead designer, who goes by the name Abhi. When kids grow up and assimilate [into a new culture], they may forget their mother tongue, but they never forget the food that's cooked."

Venba will be released later this year for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.