{"id":96074,"date":"2026-10-28T14:58:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T06:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=96074"},"modified":"2026-10-28T14:58:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T06:58:01","slug":"from-cryptids-to-carinderias-here-are-8-games-to-celebrate-filipino-american-history-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=96074","title":{"rendered":"From Cryptids To Carinderias, Here Are 8 Games To Celebrate Filipino American History Month"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The Philippines is far from the first country you think of when it comes to the video game industry, but it\u2019s quietly evolved into a budding hub for game development. The island nation initially had a tenuous relationship with the medium, as for a brief period of time in the 1980s, video games were banned in the country. Now, the Philippines has a reputation for its thriving esports scene, and the output of quality Filipino-made games is gradually rising.<\/p>\n

To observe Filipino American History Month, we\u2019re looking at several recent games made in the Philippines, many of which include distinctly Filipino cultural elements showcased for players around the world. From explorations of Manila-inspired urban areas to bouts with terrifying aswang creatures from Filipino mythology, these are some of our favorites coming out of the motherland.<\/p>\n

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Until Then<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Until Then has been one of the best-known Philippine video games since its release in 2024. Mark Borja is just another high schooler in Manila, Philippines, until supernatural happenings upend his ordinary life. Despite these extraordinary circumstances, Until Then brings me back to my own high school days with its lighthearted antics and passionate friendships, and its magical realism feels straight out of an anime.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As an interactive visual novel, Until Then shares DNA with coming-of-age narrative adventures like A Space for the Unbound and Night in the Woods, though it sets itself apart with its distinct characters and Manila setting, which adds a particular flavor to the story. It also features plenty of novel interactive elements, as in between meaningful dialogue moments, you surf social media, stab fish balls at the local snack stand, run through hallways, and so on. You may need to play a couple of times before you piece together the full story, but it\u2019s well worth it for the entertainment along the way. If you finish the full game, you can also try the recently released Until Then: Afterimages DLC. – Jess Reyes<\/em><\/p>\n

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Lutong Bahay: Lola\u2019s Home Cooking<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Lutong Bahay is like if Cooking Mama were made into a Filipino visual novel. Young Maricela is set on taking over her grandma\u2019s carinderia (eatery) and has learned to copy her grandma\u2019s recipes exactly. However, before she takes over, her grandma encourages her to travel to learn more about cooking from others and develop her own style. Throughout Lutong Bahay, you cook Filipino comfort-food classics from sinangag (garlic rice) to turon (fried banana rolls), each accompanied by a short story related to the dish.<\/p>\n

The anime-style art helps Lutong Bahay feel warm and cozy–like what I\u2019d expect from a cooking game with personal stories peppered throughout. Also, the food looks so tasty that I feel compelled to look them up or try them myself. Outside of the food, I also appreciated the small bits of Tagalog sprinkled throughout the dialogue–just enough so that English speakers could still guess at what\u2019s going on without being too confused. As a bonus, Lutong Bahay: Lola\u2019s Home Cooking is currently free on itch.io. – Jess Reyes<\/em><\/p>\n

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Plantabi: Little Garden<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I can now start killing houseplants in real life and<\/em> video games thanks to Plantabi: Little Garden. In this plant-tending sim, you grow plants and sell them for money. Plants generate passive income as they live, and you get even more cash from nurturing them. You can speed up time so that your plants grow faster. However, this also means quickly tending to your plants whenever they need water or other care, and if you don\u2019t do it quickly enough, they will lose health. Besides plants, you can use your cash to buy furniture to decorate your room. Whenever you get into a decorative mood and don\u2019t want to constantly take care of plants, you can slow down time and move furniture and plants as you please.<\/p>\n

Plantabi: Little Garden isn\u2019t an inherently Filipino game in terms of culture, but it does come from solo Filipino developer Adrian Corpuz. I\u2019ll admit that there isn\u2019t much to do and the UI sometimes feels clunky, like how you can\u2019t just drag a plant between the store and inventory without selecting it first. However, it\u2019s easy to overlook once you understand the few controls, and different unlockable plants and furniture keep me from putting it down. – Jess Reyes<\/em><\/p>\n

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High Times<\/strong><\/h2>\n

High Times hooked me right away with its prologue of cryptic questions from a mysterious woman about my character’s current and past loves. Like Coffee Talk, High Times asks players to entertain friends and strangers alike with conversation, as well as form relationships with them. However, instead of coffee and tea, you’ll be offering guests mood-enhancing donuts; For example, the flavor Vanilla Cheer gives the customer a positivity boost.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition to serving the food, High Times sees you  make it fresh right in front of the guest, from molding the dough to icing the top. I haven\u2019t met every character yet, but so far each one is a joy to interact with and seems like they have baggage to unpack. It helps that dialogue from the main cast is fully voiced, and includes work from big names like LilyPichu and Johnny Young Bosh.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not surprising, considering Yangyang Mobile\u2019s track record with intriguing visual novels. Even if a donut-making dating sim doesn\u2019t sound like your type of game, I\u2019d consider one of its other positively reviewed visual novels like The Letter, Love Esquire, or Perfect Gold. – Jess Reyes<\/em><\/p>\n

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Fallen Tear: The Ascension<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Manila-based team at CMD Studios made its own contribution to the ever-growing metroidvania genre with Fallen Tear: The Ascension. The developers cite the Ori series as an inspiration, along with JRPGs like the Suikoden franchise, and that shows in how Fallen Tear looks and plays. Following an aspiring hunter named Hira, Fallen Tear sees you explore the high-fantasy world of Raoah as it faces its possible destruction.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll gain \u201cAscension\u201d skills, which are your basic metroidvania traversal abilities, and you\u2019ll make \u201cFated Bonds\u201d with other characters, letting you summon them for special attacks and other abilities. There is definitely a lot to take in story-wise, with a ton of world-building from the get-go. Visually, Fallen Tear is quite pretty, with 2D hand-drawn graphics and bright colors, and any of the monsters I\u2019ve encountered are actually adorable, which made me feel bad for cutting them down with Hira\u2019s blade. The party characters are charming and endearing, which is essential if you\u2019re going on a lengthy adventure with them. Best of all, the game\u2019s map promises to be massive, with 26 biomes to explore–this is great news for a metroidvania freak like myself. – Chris Compendio<\/em><\/p>\n

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Jeepney Simulator and Jeepney Simulator 2<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One of the most recognizable icons from the Philippines is the jeepney, an often-crowded road vehicle adorned with vibrant, custom decorations and artwork. These gorgeous gas-guzzlers serve as public transportation vehicles, and they\u2019re at the center of not one, but two simulator games from developer Spacezero Interactive.<\/p>\n

Both Jeepney Simulator and its sequel have you operate a jeepney on busy streets (and believe me, they\u2019re busy<\/em>), while also having to manage fares by hand. The first game has a simplistic, blocky art style, while the sequel has a more realistic aesthetic, also adding some Tagalog voice lines that add life to the fictional Manella City (a parody of the real-life Manila). True to the promise of being jeepney simulators, you can customize and decorate your hot rods. Both games have great senses of humor, with the sequel even adding a wanted system that brands you as the \u201cManella Madman.\u201d The games ask for a lot of multitasking from the player, but having ridden actual jeepneys in the past, I can say that it\u2019s true to life. And now, I need someone to make a tricycle simulator. – Chris Compendio<\/em><\/p>\n

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Jeep Horror and Aswang Hunter<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Neuroticfly Games specializes in a very specific type of horror game, with the studio\u2019s inspirations coming from the likes of the SCP universe, Backrooms lore, and Creepypastas. Two of the studio\u2019s upcoming titles are rooted in Filipino mythology, and they both have demos available to the public. They also serve as excellent entryways to the team\u2019s large body of work, which includes Hapunan and Interdimensional Vending Machine.<\/p>\n

Jeep Horror is a different type of jeepney game–instead of driving, gameplay focuses on interacting with your passengers, as some of them are actually aswang (shape-shifting monsters in Filipino mythology) in disguise. Root them out by observing their odd behaviors or splashing them with holy water, or you might find yourself cannibalized by the end of the night. Meanwhile, Aswang Hunter has you directly fighting these cryptid-like creatures, defending a family with rudimentary weapons like a frying pan. Think of the creatures in these games as absolutely messed-up versions of the fun monsters you saw in the movie Forgotten Island. – Chris Compendio<\/em><\/p>\n

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Bayani<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What if historic Filipino figures were superheroes? That\u2019s the premise of Bayani, a fighting game from Ranida Games. The word \u201cbayani\u201d in Tagalog translates to \u201chero,\u201d but the term is more generally used for brave, selfless individuals who made sacrifices for their community. The game, sporting an anime-like art style (with a full, animated intro video and all), reimagines these figures and their heroism to new, over-the-top heights.<\/p>\n

For example, the real-life revolutionary writer and scholar Jos\u00e9 Rizal inspired the character of Joe, a fencer who also happens to shoot fireballs. There are eight characters in the early-access release of Bayani, each based on a different historical person. Control-wise, Bayani is a six-button fighting game, but it\u2019s still easy to pick up. Unfortunately, it doesn\u2019t look like Bayani has been in active development for a while, with the last social media update from developers dating back to June 2024. The developers didn\u2019t respond to an inquiry about the current state of the game, but it\u2019s still available to purchase and play. – Chris Compendio<\/em><\/p>\n


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