I love nerds so much. There are a million games and movies about seeking treasure. But many don't deal with the reality that the treasures sought by Indiana Jones or Nathan Drake are sacred to the cultures they're being taken from. Enter Relooted, a game from developer Nyamakop with an African Futuristic vibe that I am here for.
In the game's fictional 21st century, the Transatlantic Returns treaty would force museums to return stolen African artifacts to their rightful owners. Of course there's a catch. The treaty only applies to items currently on display. So museums simply remove the treasures they don't wish to return from public view, making the treaty not worth the paper it's printed on.
Enter a crew of Robin Hood-style thieves who will use teamwork, advanced technology, and parkour to return these important items to their rightful owners. While the game is a work of fiction, the artifacts in it are real. There are 70 real-world items you'll have the opportunity to repatriate over the course of the game. According to Nyamkop, the problem wasn't finding them, it was narrowing down the list.
Among them is a ceremonial Kenyan drum that the nation's people believed to be destroyed. It has actually been in the British Museum for over 100 years, where a Kenyan king's descendant saw it.
Once you have the item in hand, you'll have only 30 seconds to escape the museum and enter your getaway vehicle. As you make your way through the game, you'll recruit other team members with special skills to make your job slightly easier. Before each mission, you'll choose the best team for the job. Of course, figuring that out may take some trial and error.
Nyamakop is based in Johannesburg, South Africa and is best known for the 2018 title Semblance. I can't wait to play this one.