There's been a treasure trove of story-rich puzzle games in recent years - many focused on deduction mechanics. So, when the trailer for Relooted combined platforming with heist centric puzzles and a phenomenal narrative hook, it piqued my interest.

Relooted is developed by Nyamakop, a studio based in Johannesburg, South Africa. A passionate group of developers from across Africa, but predominantly from the country it's based in. The studio focuses on creating African inspired games that represent their cultures and ideals. After their first game, puzzle platformer, Semblance, Nyamakop return with Relooted - a 2.5D heist puzzle game, that's also equal parts parkour platformer.

Video Review: Relooted

In an africanfuturist world set at the end of the 21st century, diplomats around the globe agree to the Transatlantic Returns Treaty, guaranteeing the repatriation of all African artifacts. But the museums find a loophole that states only artifacts on display will be given back, so museums take the opportunity to remove all stolen artifacts from public display.

You play as Nomali, a parkour genius, who returns home to Johannesburg to get her troublesome brother, Trevor, out of a jam with a criminal overlord. But when Nomali and her brother meet their Grandma, Professor Grace, and her old student, Etienne, she's invited to help them liberate African artifacts stolen by colonialist nations from museums around the world - a genius story setup to allow Nyamakop to highlight the countless injustices subjected to so many countries, and present the real-world artifacts that hold massive cultural, societal and historical significance.

Nomali reluctantly agrees to form a heist crew of normal people from around Africa, to liberate the artifacts that can't be reported stolen when they're supposed to be given back.

First, Relooted runs you through a platforming tutorial, so you can get a feel for the responsive parkour gameplay. Nomali can sprint, jump, slide, swing from handholds, and more. As Nomali sprints towards interactable objects, these become colour coordinated to signify whether you need to slide down or press X on the Xbox controller to parkour over, under or across them - a clear visual language that becomes muscle memory. Each successful button input initiates a speed boost, which serves the purpose of helping Nomali outrun pursuing robots and improve your heist escape time.

Following the introductory level, you get to explore one of Relooted's in-between mission hubs: a small community based near Johannesburg bridge. A vividly detailed environment where you can explore and talk to the locals. But this isn't Relooted's main hub. That comes later.

Relooted first introduces the basic elements of the heist puzzle gameplay. The first proper mission teaches you the dos and don'ts of completing a successful heist. With platforming skills already in your arsenal, you explore the level for the artifact. Nomali can break through windows, unless they're reinforced with orange glass. There's also shutters that slam shut if any alarm is triggered by stealing an artifact or breaking a window with a sensor. One of Relooted's simpler puzzle elements that can be solved by locating a table or safe and pushing them underneath a shutter before setting off the alarm.

You soon realise how important it is to plan ahead and plot your escape route before completing an exhilarating parkour filled escape. But even this gains another layer of complexity, when Trevor's safe cracking skill is needed to unlock a safe positioned under an open shutter, so that when it closes, Nomali can crawl right through. Even on normal difficulty, players need to canvas entire levels for the best route for your preferred solution. But for puzzle servants, there's higher difficulties to choose from.

Then, you nab the artifacts and parkour your way to the getaway van, hitting speed boost points along the way to achieve the best time. Even during Relooted's early stages, core puzzles are inventive, fun and incredibly satisfying to think of your feet to chain together a fast time during your getaway.

If Relooted didn't contain anymore puzzles, it would still be a solid but simplistic puzzle game. Fortunately, as Nomali expands her crew, each new team member adds a new gameplay mechanics to solve new puzzle elements: a hacker is able to reprogram robotic guards so Nomali doesn't have to attempt to persuade them, Trevor can unlock doors and safes, an acrobatic deliveryman can rappel Nomali to unreachable areas and more. Each chapter perfectly integrates new gameplay mechanics at a smart pace that makes Relooted a consistently fresh and evolving experience.

Later on, you unlock the main hideout and headquarters for the team - a place to converse with characters between missions and discover their opinions and backstories. Told through dialogue trees that enhance the connection between Nomali and her team.

This multi-floored hideout is home to the artifact storage area where you can examine and read information about each real-life item; an important touchstone to understand the significance of each piece taken by colonialists. There's also the VR Lab, which allows you to replay missions and collect any missed optional artifacts or complete a faster escape. As missions are graded on how many main and optional artifacts are found, how many interactable parkour speed boosts you activate during your getaway and how quickly you escape.

But the true strategy to the heist puzzles begins once Nomali's best friend, Fred joins the team - a technician who gives her a recon drone called Nunu. Granting Nomali advanced recon abilities. By moving the right control stick, you can now survey entire maps for vulnerabilities: Nunu can see through walls, find multiple entry and exit points, and help you to see which rooms to position your crew members in, to make your desired route to an artifact and your eventual escape successful.

Once the basic preparations are done, you explore the chosen route on foot; beginning a clean sweep to avoid alarms, keep open necessary shutters, use companions to break reinforced windows and deal with robot guards. Then, after guaranteeing nothing will interrupt your planned heist, you grab the artifacts and sprint past doors you've kept open by tables and switches - all to complete a fluid and heart pounding escape.

Although, the ever-evolving gameplay is only one creative aspect of Relooted. It's further improved by the instantly noticeable authentic world building and narrative design. It all begins with the strength of Relooted's narrative hook about repatriating artifacts, which is given depth by the emotional ties the characters have to their mission. Nyamakop manages to develop a cast of varying backgrounds, ages and experiences that slowly form meaningful bonds.

Dialogue gives every character a distinct personality and comradery within the team dynamic. Nomali is strong-willed with a kind heart to keep the story moving forward, Trevor is often the comic relief who wants to prove himself, and Fred is quick to judge the people around him. These contrasting personalities add flavour to each group discussion at key narrative beats - a mix of the dramatic with frequent moments of levity.

But it would be aggregious if I didn't highlight the sheer amount of effort, research and care put into accurately representing the real-world artifacts - an educational historical archive of societies and cultures across Africa. This representation follows over to the visual presentation of the artifacts: many modelled alongside historical paintings.

This attention to detail runs through the entire visual presentation. African inspired aesthetics build out the world. But as a small studio, it was the character models that impressed me - a stylish mix between realism and a cartoon. Backed by equally well realised animations.

For an indie title, the graphics are impressive and polished, with solid textures and lighting. All running in a solid frame rate without many noticeable drops. Although, I did encounter some texture blips and a few soft locks where I couldn't move a crate to solve a puzzle and needed to reload to the last checkpoint - a little frustrating but the game checkpoints generously, and once you know a level, it doesn't take long to return to where you got stuck.

Relooted also uses slight futuristic touches like jet boosted vehicles or robotic guards, to excellently create their own near future africanfuturist sci-fi world. Every visual touch is thoughtful and coalesces to support Nyamakop's overall vision.

However, without the fantastic performances and sound design, Relooted's narrative wouldn't be as effective, even if the story didn't quite culminate to the heights I'd hoped. The actors playing the main crew show a genuine chemistry between characters. Together, Masasa Mbangeni's portrayal of Nomali and Lazola Gola as her brother Trevor perfectly encapsulate the banter filled sibling dynamic. Also, Fred's constant judgemental interjections about Trevor, impact the group, and other story moments give Masasa Mbangeni opportunity to create a deep character that can go from chastising her brother, to caring deeply about her team. These emotionally nuanced performances set the tone and elevate every group scene. Actors performances give extra personality to the characters, and drive the story forward from beginning to end. But I also appreciated how disabled characters were represented; strong personalities that weren't totally defined by their disabilities.

Recognition should also be given to the sound design, as audio cues signal successful parkour speed boosts and crew interactions. All reinforced by an African inspired score that ebbs and flows from joyous traditional singing, a calm tension when planning a heist, and high beats per minute tracks that propel you forward during high octane parkour escapes.

After Relooted's first heist, I worried the puzzle and parkour gameplay loop would grow stale. But Nyamakop alleviated these fears time and again. Adding puzzle components via new crew members and player choice through multiple solutions and exit routes. Delivering great pacing through an ever-evolving gameplay system.

Relooted feels like a video game where every design team aligned on an authentic creative vision, to deliver an important story about the many shames of the west during the colonial-era, that returns a stolen voice to the people the artifacts should belong to. But it also delivers a fun and engaging, hands-on puzzle game with enjoyable parkour platforming sequences. With Relooted, Nyamakop have created a really fun and important video game. It's an easy recommend.

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