Loved the cooking mechanics here - they actually felt like the process of learning a new recipe. And the integration with the story and the way cooking intersects with life and memories was great too. The story was pretty heavily tragic and it was interesting how it balances that with the lighter aspects of life!
While it doesn't go into detail, I guess for time's sake and the overall tone of the game, it speaks a lot to the waves of immigration from one country to the 'friendly first world white countries'. While this is a specific family's story, the general sense of helplessness the family feels as their kid negotiates multiple cultures feels very 21st/20th century to me - having your original identity ripped away from you as you're forced to adapt into Canadian/American society. I feel like it's a very 21st century condition to be feeling alienated from some sense of cultural roots due to how easy travel is nowadays.
What then is there to do? I liked how Venba's story ends - the mom moves back home, and the child reconnects with his mom. It's not framed as the solution but it feels right for Venba who was very isolated in Canada.
While it doesn't go into detail, I guess for time's sake and the overall tone of the game, it speaks a lot to the waves of immigration from one country to the 'friendly first world white countries'. While this is a specific family's story, the general sense of helplessness the family feels as their kid negotiates multiple cultures feels very 21st/20th century to me - having your original identity ripped away from you as you're forced to adapt into Canadian/American society. I feel like it's a very 21st century condition to be feeling alienated from some sense of cultural roots due to how easy travel is nowadays.
What then is there to do? I liked how Venba's story ends - the mom moves back home, and the child reconnects with his mom. It's not framed as the solution but it feels right for Venba who was very isolated in Canada.