I Can’t Wait To Reloot African Artifacts From Western Museums

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Playing Relooted turned out to be quite an unexpected delight for me. From the trailers, it appeared to be a parkour-centric platformer game set in a side-scrolling world, but upon playing it, I discovered that it is primarily a heist game at its core. The mechanics of swiftly grabbing loot and deftly navigating obstacles to reach the objective as quickly as possible are indeed crucial aspects of the gameplay, but what truly sets Relooted apart is the meticulous planning and setup stage that precedes the heist itself. In this phase, you assume the role of a mastermind within your crew, strategizing every detail of the impending heist.

In the closing years of the 21st century, you take on the role of Nomali, a resourceful individual who finds herself leading a team of ordinary citizens transformed into thieves. Their mission? To infiltrate museums and wealthy residences scattered across the Western world, with the ultimate goal of recovering African artifacts that have been kept hidden away for far too long. This isn’t about personal gain; rather, it’s a quest to restore these treasures to their rightful homes.

At the outset of each operation, you first need to chart out the objective, determine which doors will lock upon alarm triggering, find windows that can be smashed, decide on potential zipline locations, and consider other critical aspects of the heist. During this strategic phase, you’re also allowed to move various items such as tables that can block a door from closing completely or serve as stepping stones to reach elevated ledges that would otherwise be inaccessible. Upon acquiring the artifact, the alarms will blare, giving you mere seconds to escape. Your role is to ensure the ensuing parkour course is manageable and swift, and most missions don’t have a single solution.

Based on my playtime so far, it offers a satisfying, puzzle-centric adventure that encourages exploration and creativity as you attempt to execute a heist in your unique style. I found myself captivated by Relooted’s atmosphere, characters, and gameplay mechanics during the 30 minutes I played. This game has already made its way onto my list of most anticipated games for 2025, primarily due to the thrill of watching my carefully crafted schemes lead to either flawless escapes or tense near misses.

Prior to the debut of Relooted, I had the opportunity to chat with some team members from South African studio Nyamakop about their upcoming game. We delved into the game’s innovative African-inspired future setting, development process, and heist-focused mechanics. Currently, it is slated for release on Xbox Series X|S and PC, though a specific launch date has not been finalized yet.

When it comes to Afrofuturism, there has been some ground laid in popular culture; however, a futuristic Africa remains relatively unexplored. In the process of creating this world and its characters, where does the team begin, and how can we ensure that we’re not simply relying on Afrofuturism themes and clichés?

How do we kickstart the creation of a futuristic Africa in our storytelling, and how can we avoid repeating common Afrofuturism elements and stereotypes?

In the realm of visual design for our project, Narrative Director Mohale Mashigo, myself, Bongane (our art director and concept artist), often engaged in intense debates and disagreements regarding the character’s appearance. This is due to a limited number of references available. We had to rely on discovering talented concept artists from Africa who visualize future Africa, often found on platforms like Pinterest. There was a constant tension between wanting our characters to have a ritualistic feel while still finding the right balance.

When selecting outfits, keep in mind their functionality since they’re intended for running and pulling off a heist. However, they should still maintain an element of style to stay cool. Additionally, consider the setting of the game and how futuristic we can make it without losing recognizable references to Africa and local locations. It shouldn’t be entirely alien, but rather a balance that allows for both the futuristic aspect and the preservation of familiar elements.

Mohale Mashigo: Some inspiration also came from contemporary African designers.

In terms of the makeup of the team, are y’all all in this same location?

Producer Sithe Ncube: Many team members reside in Johannesburg, while others call Cape Town home. However, our team extends beyond these cities, reaching even to a 3D artist in Ethiopia. Among those contributing to the game, there is an array of backgrounds. I hail from Zambia and initially worked on this project in Port Elizabeth before moving to Johannesburg. We’ve also had contributors from Ghana and Nigeria. The voice actors are similarly diverse, mirroring the varied backgrounds of our characters closely.

From a personal standpoint, my curiosity about game development in different regions across Africa predates the commencement of this specific project.

I’m often eager to learn more about their background and how it influences their performance in the game. Sometimes, there are specific aspects that might require a certain pronunciation, which could be clarified by talking to someone closely associated with the team member, or simply another team member themselves.

The environment design [also gets impacted]. Once, someone praised the rooftops in our game, and I was taken aback, as I’ve never heard such comments about rooftops before. However, they confirmed that indeed, they could see it was intentionally designed to resemble African architecture, which they appreciated.

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The design of our game’s environment [isn’t left untouched]. A while ago, someone complimented the rooftops in our game, something I found surprising since I hadn’t heard such praise before. But they clarified that they could tell it was purposefully African-inspired and appreciated it.

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The environment in our game [is influenced as well]. Recently, someone admired the rooftops in our game, which caught me off guard since I hadn’t heard such positive feedback about them before. However, they explained that they could see it was designed to reflect African architecture and found it appealing.

“I really appreciate that! It’s great to know there’s someone else who enjoys Relooted, that game with the fantastic African rooftop scenes. It’s incredibly authentic, isn’t it? As for those rooftops, you seem to spend a lot of time navigating them as you strategize your moves. Does the game restrict how long you can plan during this stage? I’m curious if there are any time limits imposed.”

Myres: At some stage, we considered implementing it, and perhaps we even experimented with different versions. However, our goal is to essentially mold a heist movie structure into a game. Given how games operate, we need to concentrate on only one aspect of the structure because of its nature. The part we’re most interested in replicating is the experience of being in a heist montage from a movie. In films, the audience often doesn’t know the plan until the end and watches as it unfolds. But in games, you can’t keep secret information from the player like that. We can’t have an intricate plan hidden from the player.

To ensure players grasp their own strategies while implementing them, we found it crucial to avoid time constraints. This is because such pressure might hinder the comprehension of the strategy itself. Furthermore, certain levels within our game are challenging, and skipping even a minor step in the main path can lead to dead ends. After experimenting with a time limit, we discovered that it diminished the satisfying sensation players experience when executing a self-crafted plan, making them feel intelligent and proud of their own strategy.

In terms of heist games like Relooted, there’s often an inherent desire to continually introduce new techniques and gadgets to make missions progressively challenging. At what point in the game does one stop acquiring new tools, and does the game eventually reach a steady state of complexity once that happens?

In the game, each team member functions as a vital tool that needs to be assembled. You’ll discover that having Trevor, the locksmith, alone won’t suffice. Narratively, it will transition into needing to find additional team members. This process is gradual, but eventually, you learn to utilize your team more effectively. As levels expand, you start to understand that they can’t be in all places at once. They are human, not magical. Then, you must strategize, placing one here because you believe you can pass through there and possibly find the other there. In essence, your team members become your tools, making the experience feel more collaborative and less solitary.

Myres: I’m trying to think when does that end exactly? When does Lusa join the team?

Mashigo: It ends in the beginning of Chapter 6. That’s when she joins.

In simpler terms, around the start of Chapter 6, which is the eighth chapter, you acquire the final crew member. Following this, there are levels that are quite absurd or at least one level that’s extremely so. The gameplay becomes increasingly intricate from here. However, it seems to encourage a more strategic approach, and there’s a particularly complex level within these chapters that stands out for its elaboration and complexity.

Mashigo: It’s a monster.

Myres: The demonstration you witnessed was condensed due to our desire for players to experience the game’s most captivating aspects in a shorter span, but it takes time to progress to these peak moments in the full game as there are numerous intricate mechanics that need to be grasped first to successfully execute a heist. However, the game initially unfolds at a gradual pace, building complexity – until chapter six. From then on, around chapters 6 to 8, we introduce a challenging level of intensity, often referred to as a ‘monster level’.

This interview was edited for both brevity and readability.

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2025-07-07 23:09