Games to give you #MalaysiaPride

We all love our games – on console, PC or mobile! And since we’re just past Malaysia day, we thought we’d mention a couple of games where we can proudly point and say: we made that.

The actual roadtrip is how you can tell it’s fantasy in 2020. 

First on the list is The Big One: Final Fantasy XV, the latest release in a long and legendary franchise at the time of this article. Under the watchful eye of Lead Game Designer Wan Hazmer, the in-game destination of Lestallum gained our everpresent food carts (complete with glass display cases), and familiar local favourites to eat for in-game perks, including teh tarik, chicken curry and roti canai. Malaysia-based Streamline Studios also developed many of the in-game assets.

And then after all that, Hazmer set his sights on home with another project in mind… 

Hazmer and his cousin Daim Dziauddin (Concept Artist for Street Fighter V) set up game company Metronomik, fuelled by their shared love for music and visual storytelling. Their first game, No Straight Roads, hit the market earlier in 2020 and tells the tale of a scrappy rock duet, Mayday and Zuke, fighting against a gatekeeping EDM empire and social injustice. The game itself is unapologetically Malaysian, and local players will delight (or groan) at the many lovely easter eggs on display. Case in point: game boss D.K. West.

On the mobile side of things, what if we told you that a Malaysian game was the first ever winner of the SEA International Mobile Gaming Awards Grand Prix and one of Google Play’s Best Games of that year? Postknight was the little game that could – and did.

In Postknight, you play the half-postman, half-hero who must battle their way past various enemies to deliver the mail, level up, and possibly get the cute girl. The game was released in 2017, and developed by local company Kurechii, a team of young and passionate gamers and storytellers. Their upcoming release, Postknight II, will be starting alpha testing very soon (and you can apply right here!)

Remember we mentioned Streamline Studios earlier in this article? They do work on several AAA games that we all know and love, including, Gears of War, Marvel vs Capcom, and Final Fantasy. They were also responsible for the models used in Street Fighter V, so when you’re next appreciating Chun Li’s deadly legs or Abigail’s abs…you know who to thank.

With that said, off, that’s gotta hurt.

You probably know this one. Heck, even if you’re not a gamer, you still probably know this one. Dark Souls has made a name for itself as a fitting end to the game trilogy, with fantastic graphics, epic combat, and unrelenting difficulty.

Nope. Sorry. Not today. I’m taking MC.

Local studio Passion Republic created the player outfit, boss characters, and monsters you find in-game. So when you get crushed (for the x thousandth time) on your way to save the world…you know who to thank for the ugly mug that just took your last HP.

Finally, an article about Malaysians in gaming wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Lemonsky,  the studio working furiously behind the scenes to get our favourite games looking like they do. When Diablo III: Eternal Collection was released on the Switch, Blizzard turned to Lemonsky for the creation of various fighters and other assets. The team has also worked on (deep breath now) Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, Uncharted, The Last of Us, World of Warcraft and many others.

If all that national pride has you geared up to the game, there’s one more way to celebrate Malaysian skill and tenacity in video games: by cheering on the gamers taking on national footballers in our FIFA 20 challenge!

Look out for the Grand Finale broadcast online as our contestants compete for a share of RM5,000 and official La Liga Goodie Bags with a shirt, ball and intro book. We’ll also be holding a live contest on the stream, where one very lucky viewer will win a La Liga official match ball and autographed cap, while five more will win a La Liga official match ball on its own. Forget the teams, the states, and where the players are from: simply cheer for fellow Malaysians showcasing their top skills. See you online!