“25 Hawaii-Related Video Games”

Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono! This is the motto of the state of Hawaii, and it is most often translated as “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness”. This past week, the world watched in horror as paradise burned. In the aftermath of historic wildfires, the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaiian history and the deadliest wilfire in 100 years of American history,the people of Maui must persevere and rebuild amid concerns of the damage done to heritage, culture, and the already fragile hold that native people have in their own land. As a Native Hawaiian myself born and raised in the Aloha State, this has been an emotional week. I’ve often felt helpless, but I can help with the resources, tools, and community available to me… and so can you.

At The Pixels we are running Maui Week, a multi-day event designed to raise awareness of this disaster and the suffering inflicted upon Hawaii. I had the privilege of being a part of an incredible charity event recently on Twitch where the community showed up to help us raise $2,505 for the Maui Strong Fund, but we don’t need to stop there. A lot of folk have asked me where and how they can help.

We will be directing people all week-long to the Hawaii Community Foundation – Maui Strong Fund where you can give to help the people of Hawaii, though I encourage you to explore other charity options if you’d like. A few others focus on animal needs or food for the population. The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness and you can be a part of that belief. Giving, an act of love, is doing the right thing. Please help us to perpetuate Hawaii, its traditions, its way of life, its history and heritage, and its peoples!

Through Maui Week, you can expect a range of Hawaii-related articles just like this one: 25 Hawaii-related video games (some of them much more loosely than others)! I did my best to find ones that were Hawaiian in nature and not broadly Polynesian or oceanic, just as one would distinguish, say, Japanese from Chinese and Korean. Here you will learn a little bit more about history and culture, as well as gain an impression of just how intimately Japanese game development has worked with Hawaiian themes. Mahalo nui loa!

1) Town & Country Surf Designs: Wood & Water Rage

Heʻe nalu or wave riding/sliding was an ancient pastime but did you know the modern sport of surfing was popularized by a Hawaiian? The Olympian Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku helped break the back of suppressed Hawaiian beliefs and traditions by making surfing a widely recognized sport.

Many years later, LJN would publish Atlus’ T&C Surf Designs for the NES. It featured surfing and skateboarding with the mascots of the titular surfboard company. Da Boys were Joe Cool, Tiki Man, Kool Kat, and Thrilla Gorilla. Pearl City, HI, where the original Town & Country Surf Shop opened in 1971, is proudly written beside the iconic Yin and Yang logo on the front cover of the game.

I can personally attest to its surfing mechanics being pretty unlike actual surfing, though! I remember playing this in my uncle’s apartment in Waikiki and wondering why we couldn’t just walk to the beach that afternoon instead.

2) Wakka from Final Fantasy X

Low-hanging fruit but I couldn’t not mention FFX. It featured one of the most unique RPG worlds of all time, eschewing the typical European medieval setting or swords & sorcery high fantasy D&D knockoff. No sleek sci-fi or steampunk motifs as in other games in its series, it opted instead for a setting inspired by the many colorful cultures of the Pacific and their vast, ancient, complex traditions. I’m still surprised at its creativity.

Final Fantasy X represented the first time I’d ever played any game where some of the characters looked and sounded exactly like the humans I regularly interacted with. Wakka’s pidgin English and body type, even his attitude about race, reminded me of the local boys of Hawaii (maybe not his hair, though). What’s more, Wakka’s participation in Blitzball, entertainment meant to distract from the dangers and doom of the world, seemed to me to evoke a kind of spin on the laidback spirit of Hawaii, a carefree mentality taken to the absolute extreme.

John DiMaggio knocked it out of the park, nailing a voice that sounded like he came from the islands. His character grows a lot and learns a lot, which I also appreciate. As it stands, Wakka is one of the most Polynesian RPG characters I can think of. We’ll hear more about this Final Fantasy later in the week.

3) Animal Crossing New Horizons

It would be cheap to compare ACNH to Hawaii simply because the game takes place on generic islands, but fortunately, there’s more to it than that. When I realized it, my jaw hit the floor. Felt like a piece of my childhood had been remembered.

I was shocked to spy among that crafty fox’s wares a statue of King Kamehameha the Great! If you don’t know Hawaiian/US history very well (and let’s face it, most people I encounter think I’m referring to anime laser magic when I say “Kamehameha”), this was the name of the monarch who reigned over the united Kingdom of Hawaii, having brought the lords of the other islands under his rulership.

There are five Kamehameha statues based off the original cast depicting the king like a Roman conqueror. One stands in front of ‘Iolani Palace in Honolulu. One stands in Kapa’au in Kohala. One sank in a shipwreck off the Falkland islands but was recovered. Another one was cast before its recovery. Another stands in the US Capitol. A sixth statue in Vegas was destroyed.

As a boy, I frequently walked past the statue of King Kamehameha I that stands in Wailoa park in Hilo, my hometown. Its memory is engrained on my mind. You can imagine my surprise to see it in ACNH!

4) Lonalulu in Dragon Quest XI

I haven’t played Dragon Quest XI, to my great shame, but this was suggested for my list and when I saw the name, I immediately thought of Honolulu, the capital of the State of Hawaii!

Honolulu’s name means “calm or sheltered port”. It’s a highly diverse and bustling metropolis with many businesses, tourists, hotels, and attractions including the famous Waikiki beach, Diamond Head, and Pearl Harbor. Ancient Hawaiians settled there as far back as the 11th century but it became the official capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom under Kamehameha III in 1850. It is where Queen Lili’uokalani, the last sovereign monarch of Hawaii, was imprisoned in her own palace by a coup d’état that established the Republic of Hawaii before US statehood. To this day, it is still the center of economics and politics in the islands.

Lonalulu is described as a “small, laid-back beach community” and “fishing village on the south coast of Erdrea”. I picture tranquil waters and shining beaches. It’s like the Hawaii of yesteryear.

5) Humuhumunukunukuapua’a in Abzu

Don’t let the name scare you! The humuhumunukunukuapua’a (hoo-moo-hoo-moo-noo-koo-noo-koo-ah-poo-wah-ah) is just the beautiful state fish of Hawaii. It’s a reef triggerfish with an iconic set of colors. It’s rather luxurious name translates to “triggerfish with a snout like a pig”. See how it’s cute little nose curves slightly upwards? Apparently, they even can make a grunting noise when swimming away from danger. They are referred to as triggerfish due to the unique dorsal apparatus that can be used like an anchor to wedge themselves into crevices as protection against predators.

I spent a lot of time diving growing up and spotted several humuhumu, though they are skittish and less trusting of divers and fishermen than other native species. Imagine my delight when I first encountered a regular school of them in Abzu!

6) King Hippo of Punch-Out!!

This one seems like it’s cheating and it kinda is. King Hippo of Punch-Out!! fame is a vaguely humanoid, noseless blob of a man. King Hippo hails from Hippo Island in the South Pacific. Close enough?

Honestly, representation of Polynesians is so rare that I’ll take it. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say King Hippo resembles me personally lol! Sure, Punch-Out!! is kind of comprised almost entirely of racial stereotypes but… I’ve never been one to take offense at something as light as this (which is actually very much a sentiment present in Hawaiian culture, anyway). Did you know Hawaii actually has songs stilled played on the radio that are about racial stereotypes? Very different from the mainland!

No, I won’t link to them.

Just don’t punch me in the tummy.

7) Pele from Smite

Smite is a free-to-play MOBA where you play as various gods and goddesses from cultures around the world, and good on its developers for including a Hawaiian reference. Tutu Pele of the Sacred Land is a creator deity and goddess of fire and volcanoes renowned and feared for her intense personality, jealousy, and power, as well as occasional malevolence. She is also known as ka wahine ʻai honua, or earth-eating woman, and I’ve even seen ‘Aila’au, that is devourer of forests.

Hawaiian mythology holds that she dwells within Kilauea, the most active volcano on the Big Island. She has frequently been the subject of Hawaiian art as well as traditional hula and chants, some of which are still performed to this day. There are legends that describe Madame Pele as dancing and even surfing, albeit on waves of lava or down steep slopes.

“Pele’s hair” is an igneous phenomenon in which cooling lava is stretched in the air by wind, solidifying into thin strands of brown glass. It certainly does resemble strands of hair scattered across the rocky volcanic landscape!

8) Koholint Island

Marin is the best girl, but part of that is due to the Hawaii state flower in her hair. It’s a hibiscus! Depending on which ear it’s worn, the hibiscus is a symbol of being single or being married/engaged, but I won’t tell you which… You’ll have to guess for Marin.

Koholint Island from the Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening reminds me of Hawaii in so many ways (least of all because it’s an island… duh), but one of them has to do with Hawaii’s reverence for the spiritual status of whales, the mystical Kohola. Humpback whales seasonally visit Hawaii’s waters and ancient Hawaiians connected them with concepts of dreams and visions. Their ancestors, they believed, might even take the form of the whale. And we all know what the Wind Fish looks like! There’s a note to make about the creation motif of the cosmic egg, too.

9) Principal Kuno

Ranma 1/2 features many wacky characters. Among them is Principal Kuno, who I first met in Ranma 1/2: Hard Battle for SNES. At the time, I’d only read a bit of the manga and seen some of the anime, but my eyes had never spied the ukulele-wielding schoolmaster. Kuno seems obsessed with the haircuts of his students. He’s not playable in Hard Battle, but he sets up a lot of the game’s tension. He’s not natively Hawaiian but his affection for Hawaiian culture borders on insanity.

I might as well take this opportunity to talk about the iconic ukulele (oo-koo-lay-lay), a small guitar-like instrument with a happy sound. Its name means “jumping flea” in Hawaiian and it is often played as an accompaniment to traditional Hawaiian music with a fast, upbeat rhythm. The uke (ook) is of Portuguese origin but it has become synonymous with Hawaii.

10) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Yeah it just launched but I wanted to point out the karesangui garden motif. Also known as sand gardens and zen gardens, these are open, largely empty spaces with stones and a field of sand that’s raked into various straight or circular patterns. In Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the motif recurs frequently. It’s even on the new TotK-themed OLED Switch.

Sure it’s a Japanese concept originating from Buddhism (so far as I know), but this little island boy saw a lot of these kinds of gardens growing up in Hawaii. The state has often been referred to as a “second Japan”. There’s a large Japanese cultural presence in Hawaii. As such, karesangui gardens decorate airports and official facilities, as well as residential properties. I remember waiting for a plane to another island and noticing the minimalist beauty of the karesangui, feeling at peace reflecting on natural elements. So far in TotK, I’ve had that same feeling and I suspect that’s by design.

11) E. Honda

The Street Fighter games emphasize Honda’s Japanese heritage but, curiously, he’s depicted as having Polynesian blood and background in the Street Fighter movie of 1994. It’s another example of Hawaii’s cultural intermingling with Japan.

This version of Honda was portrayed by actor Peter “Navy” Tuiasosopo, whose last name is Samoan. However, the wiki confirms his Honda was Hawaiian. Since there’s a video game adaptation of the film adaptation of the video game (oof), there’s at least one game-version of Hawaiian Honda.

Fans of SF know E. Honda for his lightning fast sumo hands. Actually, sumo has a degree of popularity in Hawaii. I remember hearing a song sung by the haunting voice of the late Israel Kamakawiwa’ole about various sumo wrestlers.

12) Attack on Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor is the subject and setting of several flight sims, shooters, and war games, but for me, Pearl Harbor means memories of Grandma Kealoha, 1925-2018. A tireless woman, single mom, and baker of the best dang mango bread imaginable. She used to share a few stories about what it was liking living in Hawaii as a young teenager during these events. She would have been 16 at the time. I could tell it was hard for her to remember specifics but she talked about sirens. The tsunami siren system that’s tested on the regular in Hawaii is haunting, by the way. It’s hard for me to picture what it must have been like, especially since it was a surprise attack.

Actually, despite living in Hawaii for so long, I’ve never even been to Pearl Harbor. It’s on my someday list! I just wish I’d captured some of her stories on video before she passed. A hui hou, grandma!

Expect to see another mention of flight sims this week.

13) Jackie Iaukea from Live A Live

I bounced hard off of Live A Live (which is yet another thing that’s earned me infamy with the SE crowd) but I do know about Jackie Iaukea, a Present Day chapter ex-sumo turned mixed martial arts master who is likely based on King Curtis Iaukea, the Hawaii-born professional wrestler. His last name (pronounced ee-ow-kay-ah) means something like “high”, though part of the compound is included in familiar place names like Mauna Kea meaning “white mountain”. Like Honda and King Hippo, Jackie Iaukea is a sportsman of tremendous power. A man like this looks like a living mountain!

14) Final Fantasy XV’s mystery meat

For me, FFXV was a game about the moments. I can’t remember much of the story, and playing the day one edition, a lot of the story wasn’t there yet, anyhow, but I do remember the ordinary things when it was just me and the boyz. One of my favorite of those ordinary things was the cooking. It helped that Ignis was my favorite member of the band and his “I thought of a new recipeh” was a welcome refrain, however I actually laughed aloud when one of his recipehs was the curiously-named Mystery Meat Sushi!

THIS, my ohana, is not sushi. It has more in common with onigiri. Neither is it actually Hawaiian, as in traditionally Hawaiian. It is “local food”, that is, the result of a fusion of cultures that uniquely happens in the Aloha State. It is known in Hawaii as spam musubi, and contrary to what some of you mainlanders have suggested, it is delicious. It’s spam, served fried, with a pressed brick of rice and wrapped with nori, sometimes including tamago or furukake and various sauces. I miss getting one of these at a 7-11 and eating them down by the beach.

Nobody knows exactly who created the iconic spam musubi, though it’s clearly got a Japanese vein. It was popular during WWII among American soldiers due to its affordability and portability, and it was first introduced to the islands from the US in 1940s. American product, Japanese presentation = totally Hawaii. Spam may not exactly be “Mystery Meat”, though I’ve jokingly called it “Severely Processed Animal Meat”, but there’s no denying that Iggy got good taste.

15) Persona 5 in Waikiki

The P5 kids take a trip to Hawaii or something, I dunno I haven’t played the game yet (yeah yeah I know), and there’s beaches, bikinis, and buffoonery, evidently. And dates! Of course I couldn’t get through this article without mentioning Hawaii’s beaches. In Persona 5, the iconic Waikiki gets featured. It’s a bustling strip of pearly sand, hotels, history, and expensive storefronts lining the skyscraping cityscape of Honolulu on the island of Oahu.

I thought initially about recommending a number of beaches for different purposes (sunbathing, wildlife viewing, snorkeling, hiking, fishing, etc.) but I think I’ll just recommend my favorite beach. On the Big Island of Hawaii, should you ever have the chance to visit, you need to check out Hapuna Beach Park. It’s a gorgeous stretch of white sand alongside the Kohala coast. Just be sure you don’t miss at least one black sand beach, plus one of only four green sand beaches in the world, too!

16) Parasite Eve

What does a body horror game, adapted from a Japanese novel, that takes place in New York City during Christmas have to do with Hawaii? Did you know that Parasite Eve was developed there? Most of the game’s development team were based in Square’s Hawaii studio at Harbor Court, though work was completed between Japan and the United States. Other projects completed by Square of Hawaii include Final Fantasy IX and the ill-fated Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. The studio was closed in 2002 but not before leaving us with unforgettable marks on the history of gaming.

17) Busuzima the Chameleon

In the shapeshifting 3D fighter series Bloody Roar, Busuzima is a chameleonic villain rocking flip flops, a Hawaiian shirt, a spiky green hairdo, and a tongue that would make even KISS jealous. He can transform into a huge Jackson’s Chameleon and vanish into thin air during attacks. He was my main in Bloody Roar 2!

I’m not going to comment on the shirt or island look about him, but instead tell you about Valkyrie, a former pet of mine who has long since gone on to Jackson’s Chameleon Heaven. We had a custom terrarium built for her and when filled with crickets, it kept my brother and I up at night. But I loved that lil lizard. When she died, we went out into the forest to look for more–someone told us they’d found a chameleon like her along a certain roadside–but as soon as I walked into the brush, I remember thinking “this is incredibly stupid”. It’s worse than looking for a needle in the haystack… A needle doesn’t change colors to blend in to its environment!

18) Pokémon Sun and Moon

Some of the most Hawaiiish games ever. It’s a fool’s errand to catch every reference. Prof Kukui is the one that had me chuckling, though. Lots of stepping on kukui thorns as a kid. The Alola region is clearly modeled after Hawaii, from its geography to its populace to the unique Pokemon that live there. Check out the Alolan Exeggutor! Puts you in mind of the iconic swaying palm trees of Magic Island or the North Shore.

Can we expect a remake of Sun and/or Moon for Nintendo Switch or its successor? Pokémon Eclipse, perhaps? Time will tell but look forward to more of this generation later in the week.

19) Final Fantasy IX’s tropical outfits

In Final Fantasy IX, some of the worst equipment you can find, in terms of battle prowess and efficacy, are the southern tropical outfit items. These are the Straw Hat, Pearl Armlet, Sandals, and Aloha T-shirt. I assume they are only here in reference to Square’s studio in Hawaii, as they’re worthless in combat and have a weakening effect on characters who are equipped with them.

Let’s take the opportunity to talk about the Aloha shirt, note not “Hawaiian shirt” or, worse, “flower shirt”. There is a difference. An Aloha shirt tends to feel more authentic (imo) with more muted colors, whereas the “Hawaiian shirt” can be much more modern, vibrant, clashing, and even garish, incorporating subjects into its design that aren’t flowers or plants. I have a Hawaiian shirt in my closet with NES controllers on it! The Aloha shirt symbolizes the spirit of aloha in Hawaii. It’s casual and loose, can be worn at fancy occasions like weddings and graduations, or casually when talking story or hitting up the BBQ.

20) Shakedown: Hawaii

The sad truth is that anywhere that humans live, they bring human behavior with them. As such, even the paradisal Hawaii has crime. That’s been explored by a number of works of entertainment in the past from Hawaii Five-O to Dog the Bounty Hunter. I often wondered why one of my favorite shows, The X-Files, never took a trip to Hawaii to track down Menehune, but I digress.

Shakedown captures and parodies 1980s pop culture, Grand Theft Auto, and retro games for an open-world, top-down, action-adventure experience.

21) Civilization V’s Kamehameha

Civ V features the leader of the Polynesian faction: King Kamehameha I, the real life conqueror who united the Hawaiian islands under his rule. Here, he’s depicted with a spear and his colorful feather-plumed cape and royal helmet. I’ve already mentioned his statue and we’ll hear more about Civilization V’s take on him and Hawaii later this week, but it bears mentioning that you can play as the cunning, powerful, mana-infused warrior king himself.

22) Hula Wii: Minna de Fura Oodorou!

Did you know that the Nintendo Wii made use of its motion controls with a hula video game? Well, now you do. It used the Balance Board and evidently taught players how to perform traditional (or semi-traditional) dances. Also evidently, it’s an import product. Kind of unfortunate that it wasn’t released in the country that Hawaii is now a part of.

Hula has a long history in Hawaii, but I’ve got another historical factoid for you: did you know that hula was once banned in Hawaii? It was King David Kalakaua, the last king, affectionately known as the Merry Monarch, who helped restore hula performances. It’s fortunate that he did. Hula is the art form of storytellers, passing down the stories of the ancients, their myths and traditions. It’s integral to Hawaiian heritage.

23) Tony Hawk’s Underground

Skateboarding was just as big in Hawaii when I was a kid as it was elsewhere, and so one of the Tony Hawk games featured a level designed around Honolulu. Several key skate spots and landmarks including Diamond Head, Duke Kahanamoku Statue, Makiki Skatepark, and Aala Skate Park made it into the game. And just like when I was a kid, it’s all about impressing the girls with your sick combos.

24) Tetris and Henk Rogers

Thanks to the recent Tetris movie and several informative documentaries, including one by The Gaming Historian, more people are aware of the complex history of one of the most successful and iconic video games of all time. “But wasn’t Tetris invented in Russia?” you ask. Well, of course. But did you know the Dutch-born Henk Rogers moved to Hawaii where he spent much of his career? Beyond playing a key role in securing Tetris for Nintendo’s Game Boy, Rogers has been involved in charity and advocacy work, as well as space exploration as part of Hawaii’s well-developed astronomy industry. The world of gaming would not be the same without Tetris, and by extent without Henk Rogers, and by extent without Hawaii!

25) Pineapple on pizza

Yes, it’s a real video game. No, pineapple does not belong on pizza and it is not Hawaiian to commit this blasphemy. It was invented by a Greek immigrant to Canada.

And that’s my list (for now)! It’s far from complete.

Look forward to more Hawaii-related content this week and don’t forget to help the people of Maui!

Red formerly ran The Well-Red Mage and now serves The Pixels as founder, writer, editor, streamer, and podcaster. He has undertaken a seemingly endless crusade to talk about the games themselves in the midst of a culture obsessed with the latest controversy, scandal, and news cycle about harassment, toxicity, and negativity. Pick out his feathered cap on MageCast X podcast, on Twitter @thewellredmage, or on Twitch at /thewellredmage.