Relooted: A Heist Game Reclaiming African Artifacts

Relooted is a heist game centered around the mission of reclaiming African artifacts that were taken by Western countries. Developed by the independent South African studio Nyamakop, the game is set in a future timeline where Western nations have signed a treaty to return plundered items to their regions of origin in Africa. However, the situation has not unfolded as planned. Instead of returning the artifacts, Western leaders are concealing them in private collections. This sets the stage for a ragtag crew based in Johannesburg, South Africa, who must strategize and execute plans to steal back these important cultural items.

Gameplay Mechanics

The gameplay in Relooted is structured around a series of missions. Each mission begins with a briefing that provides background on the artifact to be reclaimed, followed by an infiltration planning stage, and culminates in the heist itself. Players will experience a blend of puzzle-solving and action as they survey each location, prepare their approach, and execute their plans. Once the target artifact is secured, security alarms are triggered, and players must escape within a limited timeframe, emphasizing the importance of thorough preparation.

Significance of African Artifacts

In a reveal video for Relooted, producer Sithe Ncube highlights a striking statistic from a pivotal 2018 report regarding African cultural heritage: “90 percent of sub-Saharan African cultural heritage is in the possession of Western collections. That is millions upon millions of deeply important cultural, spiritual, and personal artifacts, including human remains, that aren’t in their rightful place.” This statistic underscores the game’s thematic focus on the reclamation of cultural heritage.

Real Artifacts, Fictional Locations

While the locations featured in Relooted are fictional, the 70 artifacts that players are tasked with stealing back are real and currently reside in Western and private collections, far removed from their original homes and rightful owners. This aspect of the game adds a layer of authenticity and urgency to the narrative.

About Nyamakop

Nyamakop is recognized as one of the largest independent game studios in sub-Saharan Africa, with approximately 30 developers currently working on Relooted. The studio’s previous title, the globular platformer Semblance, made history as the first African-developed intellectual property to be released on a Nintendo console, launching on the Switch in 2018. To bring Semblance to the Switch, co-founder Ben Myres undertook a significant journey, traveling globally to secure partnerships and navigate the gaming industry. Myres described the challenges faced by indie developers in South Africa, stating:

“The entry curve into being an indie game developer in South Africa is like a cliff face. Because you don’t have the contacts, the platform holders like Xbox, Sony. You don’t have reps that live in your country. The press that matter are all here. There isn’t a big enough market locally to sell to, so you have to make works to sell to the West, which means you have to go to Western shows and you have to meet Western press. So basically, if you’re not traveling a ton, you’re not going to be able to make it.”

Growth and Development

Since 2018, Nyamakop has experienced significant growth, and Relooted is a testament to the studio’s commitment to creating an authentically African gaming experience. Both Myres and Ncube emphasized the importance of developing games for African audiences. Ncube remarked:

“There is the thing about making games for Africans — we say that a lot. We say that should be a thing, we should make games for Africans because we’re playing games that were made in the West. But will people even play those games, if you make them? And then if you make games targeting people … even if you were to make one that’s really good, there’s no guarantee that you’ll have a lot of people playing it. So I think there’s some level of confusion, I can say, in terms of unexplored aspects of the African games market.”

Availability and Future Plans

Relooted is currently in development for multiple platforms, including Steam, the Epic Games Store, and Xbox Series X/S. While a firm release date has not yet been announced, players can add the game to their wishlist to stay updated on its progress.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at Engadget.