Review – Relooted

Ocean’s Four is Born—and It’s Born in Africa.

Released on February 10, Relooted marks the latest project from developer and publisher Nyamakop. At its core, this futuristic heist game revolves around reclaiming real African artifacts from Western museums—objects quietly pulled from public display and tucked away where no one can report them missing. You assemble a crew, plan escape routes, grab the precious cargo, and get out as fast as possible. At least, that’s the pitch. What surprised me most is how personal it all starts before it becomes political.

A Parkour Legend And A Very Naughty Brother

You play as Nomali, a parkour legend in Jozi. True to form, your brother Trevor—systems security expert extraordinaire—has gotten himself into trouble again. This time, he’s stuck inside a building complex run by Drissa and his cronies. To make matters worse, notorious criminals Alpha and Tau have seized Trevor’s biomechanical arm along with your father’s precious ring. Retrieving both becomes the first of many parkour-heist assignments. Personally, I loved how small and intimate that opening felt; before treaties, artifacts, and global injustice enter the frame, it’s just you cleaning up your brother’s mess.

Soon enough, the bigger picture unfolds. Near the end of the 21st century, a Transatlantic Returns Treaty promised the repatriation of African artifacts. Diplomacy was working—until a shady amendment changed which objects would actually be returned. Museums caught on quickly: only publicly displayed artifacts qualified, so they began removing them under the pretext of “maintenance”. Out of sight, into private viewings, where more money could be made. Conveniently, those heirlooms could no longer be reported missing or stolen.

So Nomali, Trevor, Grandma Koko—a former history professor—and her ex-student Etienne decide to steal them back. Ocean’s Four is born, and it’s born in Africa. I couldn’t help but smile at that dynamic. A hacker, a parkour runner, and an academic grandmother who absolutely pulls her weight—it’s a charming setup, even if the writing never digs quite as deep as it could. As you progress, new thieves join your ranks to offer unique perks, but the core loop stays the same.

Speedrunning With A Plan… Sort Of

Sadly, Relooted’s gameplay remains fairly surface-level, both in depth and variation. The focus lies squarely on speedrunning and parkour across predominantly 2D environments with multiple vertical layers. Jumping, sprinting, dashing, swinging from hooks, and chaining wall jumps all build momentum, letting you bridge distances that initially seem impossible.

Before each mission, you discuss the artifact with your team through multi-choice dialogue. Location, security measures, possible complications—it’s all covered. Right before grabbing the artifact and triggering the alarm, you must prepare your escape route. That might mean instructing a teammate to automatically open a door mid-run, placing an object to block a security shutter, or ensuring Trevor stands ready to unlock—or close—a specific door.

Here’s the catch: while some dialogue choices appear to offer agency, they mostly serve as narrative flavor or extra information. Unfortunately, Relooted’s approach to its heists remains largely linear. I kept expecting a moment where a decision would truly derail the plan, but that moment never really came.

Once the artifact is lifted, the countdown starts. Escape becomes a blur of slides, jumps, and wall runs. Sometimes you’re required to nail a sequence of button prompts, stand on a platform switch, or drag an object into place. Occasionally Trevor must be called in because only he can unlock a door—or he simply stands on a platform for you. Every now and then, you run for your life toward the extraction point as yet another security drone appears to chase you down.

After each mission, you’re graded on collected artifacts, speed boosts, and escape time. On paper, it’s all fun. In practice, repetition sets in quickly. Constant jumping and sliding across rather sterile, sometimes outright dull locations—some of which you even revisit—starts to blur together. Puzzles rarely pose a challenge, especially when Trevor practically spoils the solution himself. I found myself thinking: is this thinness intentional? Maybe that’s the subtle irony behind the name Relooted?

Sterile Spaces And Blurred Faces

Relooted’s execution isn’t without its flaws. Despite occasional side-scrolling camera previews, you often cannot fully anticipate which obstacles will appear along the escape route. All too frequently, exploration is restricted to a certain stretch of the escape route, limiting proper preparation.

Then there’s the visual blur that kicks in when time runs short. Instead of heightening tension, it distracts too much. Personally, I would have preferred the rising stress to be conveyed solely through the timeline gauge at the top of the screen. To be fair, that gauge scales nicely with difficulty; the blur effect just feels like an unnecessary layer on top.

Graphically, character faces look somewhat plastic. Facial expressions during dialogue remain static, which dampens emotional beats. Even with upscaling disabled, the image can appear hazy, and minor stutters crop up—especially during cutscenes. None of it is catastrophic, but together it contributes to a slightly unfinished feel.

On the positive side, seeing Johannesburg represented in a futuristic African setting is genuinely refreshing. That alone gives Relooted a distinct identity. Authentic African theme music during the intro screen immediately sets the tone, and the subsequent sound design works well—alternating between airy, atmospheric tracks and synth-driven beats that attempt to amplify tension and flow during escapes.

Final Thoughts

All things considered, Relooted is a decent game that never truly excels. The story beats, 2D parkour mechanics, and puzzle elements remain fairly basic. The visual presentation feels generic and somewhat blurry, and minimal gameplay progression leads to fatigue over time. Meaningful choices are absent; everything feels largely predetermined.

And yet, I can’t deny that the heist concept—blending puzzle preparation with flow-based parkour—remains intriguing. Reclaiming seventy real-world artifacts of deep cultural, historical, and spiritual significance carries real weight. With a stronger narrative punch, deeper systems, and genuine player agency, this could have been something exceptional. As it stands, I enjoyed moments of flow and appreciated the setting; I just kept wishing Relooted would dare to jump a little further.

Additional Information

Release Date: Feb 10, 2026
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency.
Developer: Nyamakop
Publisher: Nyamakop
Relevant links: Available on STEAM