Cooking video game is local studio's 'love letter to South-east Asia'

In soon-to-be-released video game Sedap!, players can serve up a feast of regional dishes such as nasi lemak and mango sticky rice while battling mythical South-east Asian beasts.

- Teo Kai Xiang

This two-player cooperative cooking action game marks the studio debut of home-grown game developer Kopiforge. It is set to be released on digital marketplace Steam on May 22, retailing at $14.50.

Despite the virtual feast on offer, the game's rocky development meant the studio's three co-founders had to survive on a menu of budget meals as they took home an average monthly salary of $700 each.

Co-founder Jay Wong says "eating only cai fan for a year" has become an inside joke at the studio to describe their meagre budget.

The 26-year-old graduated from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) with a degree in media art (with a specialisation in games).

The team also relied on hawker fare and cost-of-living hacks to finish their labour of love.

"Sedap! is our love letter to South-east Asia," says Mr Wong, who adds that the game's concept began from noticing how under-represented the region's culture was in video games.

This got him wondering, "What if we made a fantasy game, but instead of dragons and goblins, we featured creatures from our own myths? What if the food you cooked wasn't generic soup or steak, but nasi lemak or mango sticky rice?"