AMONG the things that unite Malaysians is the love for our own food, so much so that it unofficially becomes the symbol of our national pride.
One way to show the world that "we were here and we made it" is to place a truly Malaysian dish in a game that is played across the world.
But is it true that Malaysian food made an appearance in one of Japan's best-known video-game franchises?
Verdict:
TRUE
Malaysian game designer Wan Hazmer Wan Abd Halim helped bring Malaysian food references into Final Fantasy XV while working at Japanese game developer Square Enix.
Wan Hazmer was a lead game designer on the role-playing game, which was released in 2016.
He later founded Kuala Lumpur-based game studio Metronomik.
In an interview with mStar before the game's release, Wan Hazmer said he had tried to introduce elements of Malaysian culture into Final Fantasy XV.
One location in the game, the city of Lestallum, was inspired in part by the food culture of Malaysian mamak restaurants.
The game's food references included roti canai, satay and teh tarik.
GamesIndustry.biz reported that the dish was included in Final Fantasy XV as a tribute to Wan Hazmer's cultural heritage.
Wan Hazmer also said that Lestallum's architecture drew from Cuban influences while aiming to evoke the look of a hotel that could be seen in Taiping, Perak.
However, not every proposed Malaysian reference made it into the final game.
Wan Hazmer said his suggestion to include Pontianak and Orang Minyak as enemies was rejected because they did not fit the world of Final Fantasy XV.
But we're more than happy and very thankful for the everlasting mark Wan Hazmer left for us in the world of Final Fantasy.
Sources:
1. https://www.mstar.com.my/
2. https://www.metronomik.net/
3. https://www.square-enix-games.
