Vena

Vena is an automation game played in self-contained runs of 15 to 50 minutes. You build an organism from hexagonal tiles, channel resources through six veins into a central tile called the Nexus, and survive nine phases. The Nexus consumes six resource types, with its demand increasing in each phase.

Build the network

Place tiles to supply the Nexus, chaining converters and duplicating production tiles as you shape the flow and layout of your organism. You can take high-risk, high-reward tiles, then inspect statistics to refine your design. Each run presents new tiles and perks, so you must adapt your strategy.

After each phase, a shop lets you roll dice to buy tiles for the next one. Hold and reroll dice to make a triplet and unlock a fourth die, or shuffle the available tiles to search for a particular combination. At the end of the shop, choose one of three perks to shape your run. More than 92 perks can change the rules, support different strategies or unlock powerful abilities.

Game modes

Vena has seven modes, with five difficulty tiers:

• Standard: Manage resources and survive all nine phases to win.
• Sandbox: Build freely with infinite resources and no impending doom.
• Compact: Play a shorter session on a small map with a reduced base deck.
• Star: Build on a star-shaped map that calls for different planning and building approaches.
• Islands: Build across six isolated map pieces and connect them with portals.
• Spiral: Build along an Archimedes spiral from the center, where creating separate branches is difficult.
• Daily: Play with a set of starting conditions that changes each day.

Every mode also has an Endless option, where you can keep building and see how far you get.

Tiles and progression

The game includes more than 85 rotatable hex tiles across five rarities, more than 92 perks and over 20 unlockable skins tied to achievements. Runs usually take 15 to 50 minutes, or longer in Endless mode; completing everything can take around 100 hours or more.

Presentation and options

Vena features detailed pixel art and a soundtrack composed with world instruments. Accessibility options include reduced visual overload, a static background, configurable controls and a hyperlegible font.