It goes without saying that Roti Canai and Teh Tarik are the staple breakfast for most Malaysians. They are so delicious that even the characters in the newly released Final Fantasy XV are eating them in the game now!
Apparently food that we normally eat in mamak stalls like roti canai, teh tarik and satay are making appearances in the newly released Final Fantasy XV, and Malaysians are going absolutely crazy over it.
Seriously, just look at those super realistic renderings shared by a fellow gamer!
Source: Kevin Wong Facebook
Dam, that roti canai is complete with dhal, curry and sambal!
Malaysians who got their hands on the game were ecstatic over these elements that made the game. I mean, there was even a queue where Malaysians lined up overnight for the official launch in Berjaya Times Square!
Andddd this is actually all thanks to Wan Hazmer Wan Abd Halim, the lead game designer of Final Fantasy XV from… you guessed it, Malaysia!
He incorporated several Malaysian culture in the game such as the lepak and santai culture because he wants the world to know more about the beauty of our Malaysian culture. Gua respek sama lu bro!
Source: The Star Online
Final Fantasy XV is the fifteenth installment of the Final Fantasy game series. It is an open-world role-playing game which means you have freedom to explore the game based on your personal preference.
So, Wan Hazmer thought it would be cool to introduce some of Malaysian culture into the game.
Source: Comicbook.com
Giving an example, he included the laid-back culture which is, as we all know, a very Malaysian thing.
“That is exactly how the Lestallum town looks like. Everyone is laid-back, enjoying food, and talk and enjoy the weather,” said Hazmer in an interview.
Source: Youtube
Not from FF XV
Since food takes up a huge part in our Malaysian culture, Hazmer included food like roti canai, teh tarik and satay. So now your game character knows where to go if they get hungry at night!
Source: youtube
Although it was an INCREDIBLY hard design, Hazmer was determined to have the famous Malaysian drink ‘Teh Tarik’ incorporated into the game.
“The developer was scolding me for it because to create the liquid coming from one cup to another is hell on earth to design,” said Hazmer.
Source: Youtube
To make sure the developer truly understood our Malaysian culture, he brought his production team to a Malaysian restaurant in Ikebukuro, Japan called Malaychan and got the animator to personally tarik the tea! He also apologized for spilling all the tea while tarik-ing it.
Hazmer was so detail-oriented that he even focused on the effects of fanning the satay in the game because these are the little things that constitute our culture. And also make us fat!
Source: Youtube
Not only that, the amazing Malaysian designer made one of the hotels in Lestallum to look like one of those hotel in Taiping, Perak that has colonial elements on it. Some other Malaysian elements that Hazmer included are the bazaar shopping, food carts with glass-fonted display boxes and an umbrella like you see at the roadside.
“It all lies in the little things,” said Hazmer.
Hats off to Hazmer for making Malaysia femes for the right reason, and not only for donation cases 😉
