Cover image via kopiforge / YouTube
A new two-player game launching this week is offering something fresh in the cooking game genre: iconic Southeast Asian dishes and mythical beasts
Image via kopiforge / YouTube
Titled Sedap!, the indie title is the debut release from Singaporean studio kopiforge.
Launching on 22 May on Steam for SGD14.50 (RM50), it lets players whip up over 50 regional favourites like nasi lemak and mango sticky rice while fending off creatures inspired by local folklore.
It's a bold move from a first-time studio that nearly didn't make it to launch.
kopiforge was founded by three friends in their 20s who met during their student days
Image via kopiforge / YouTube
What began in 2021 as a school project by Jay Wong and Nadiyah Toi evolved into a full-time pursuit in 2023, when Foo Jing Ting joined the team.
Funding, however, proved elusive.
"We were a first-time studio with no prior game experience. I could guess why we didn't attain funding," Wong told The Straits Times.
They pitched to over 100 publishers, missed out on grants, and took home just SGD700 (RM2,400) a month
Image via kopiforge / YouTube
Meals were mostly cai fun — cheap mixed rice dishes — a running joke that became a symbol of their struggle.
The team prioritised fair freelancer pay despite tight budgets. Foo left a job at HP, and Toi pushed past family pressure to pursue game art.
"Sedap! is our love letter to South-east Asia. What if the food you cooked wasn't steak, but nasi lemak? What if the monsters weren't dragons, but from our own myths?"
