Venona: A Cold War Affair

Venona: A Cold War Affair is a narrative-driven rhythm game in which you play as a young codebreaker embarking on a risky affair in the paranoid atmosphere of post-WWII Washington. As you learn information so sensitive that it's even kept from the president, true intimacy becomes an increasingly difficult challenge--and so does choosing where your loyalty lies.

Play as Francine Pesca, a young woman with a mind for numbers and a love of music, as she leaves her small town, travels to Washington, and meets a charming stranger.

Choose from one of three love interests:

BILL KUZMICH: A charming smooth-talker who was born in Russia and works alongside you in cryptanalysis. Once you get to know him, you find his bravado is all for show.

LEONTINE NOWAK: A glamourous diplomat's daughter with a short fuse. She's passionate in all things, including her radical political beliefs. 

TED GALLAGHER: A junior politician who works at the White House and sees the world in black and white. He is loyal and adoring, but also naive. 

Note: This game is a fictional depiction based on real events and loosely inspired by some real people. It is not one-hundred percent historically accurate but, as much as the narrative allows, it hews as closely to historical accounts as possible. To view the VENONA documents yourself, check out the NSA's VENONA webpage.

This game was made in a week for the Historically Accurate Game Jam 3!

GAME WRITER: Rose Behar.

ARTIST: Jessica Andrade.

MUSIC COMPOSER: Mark Riachi.

PROGRAMMER: Michael Johnston.