Returning stolen artifacts becomes a thrilling heist in Relooted

"Colonialism is not merely about occupying nations. It's a project of mass violence, part of which involves total erasure and the widespread theft of some of the most culturally significant artifacts in the world. Even today, colonizing nations proudly display stolen artifacts, acting as peacocking robbers under the guise of tourism. See, for example, the British Museum's continual hold of the Egyptian Rosetta Stone, the so-called Benin Bronzes, and the Ethiopian Maqdala collection. Colonized nations have sought to reclaim their stolen culture."

"But what happens when kind requests and diplomatic maneuvers are not only insufficient but undeserving of the ongoing crime? This is where the fantasy of the moral heist comes in - and no game has done it better than Relooted. Developed by South African studio Nyamakop, Relooted focuses on a group of lovable, albeit unprofessional, Johannesburg-based thieves from different African countries. They have a singular goal: Reclaim from colonizer nations what was stolen from Africa."

Colonialism involves mass violence, cultural erasure, and widespread theft of culturally significant artifacts, many of which remain in museums and collections in colonizing nations. Relooted stages a moral heist by following lovable, unprofessional Johannesburg-based thieves from different African countries who aim to reclaim those artifacts. Players control Nomali, a world-class parkour athlete inspired by her grandmother, and assemble a ragtag team to infiltrate museums, private collections, and banks across the Global North. The 2.5D heist-'em-up platformer uses Africanfuturist aesthetics to frame restitution as direct action, dramatizing reclaiming cultural heritage through agile gameplay rather than waiting for diplomatic processes.

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