Summary
Given the technological advancements the gaming industry continually makes, there are still areas where it lags behind. Whilemost games excel in creative world-building, there can be a noticeable lack of diversity in the representation of certain cultures. African culture, in particular, though featured in several games loosely, has not received an all-out representation in the mainstream scene.
A large part of that could be attributed to the fact that African culture is highly diverse and doesn’t adhere to a single standard. It encompasses a wide diaspora with unique aesthetics, beauty, and history that require thorough exploration to be authentically portrayed. So, although there are plenty of games in the industry right now that are set in Africa, not all of them are distinctly based on African culture.
Android, iOS
Genre(s)
Hyper-casual
Sweave is a mobile game for Android that employs very straightforward gameplay to explore African culture as effectively as possible. The game features a touch-to-play mechanic where you have to control a glowing ball in the form of a shuttle loom so that it moves to and fro on the screen.
The objective of the game is to avoid all the obstacles coming in the ball’s path. These obstacles are notably in the form of different traditional African loom patterns, weaves, and symbols.
Despite the simplicity, it becomeshighly dynamic and colorfulwith its graphics and soundtrack. The difficulty level increases as you progress and defeat bosses. The game ingeniously explores African cultural elements, subtly incorporating significant historical tidbits through clever yet accessible gameplay.
Business Sim
Mama Atingi Shop is a business simulation game for Android that involves selling and expanding a souvenir shop of African artifacts. The game is a pretty standard business sim that employs all the basic gameplay mechanics but does it through the lens of the African business market. Everything about it, from the setting to its characters, is all inspired by African culture, and it does a great job of keeping everything relevant and tasteful.
Despite having a very cartoony look and colorful graphics, Mama Atingi Shop is definitely not a game to be taken lightly. It is played by following a very comprehensive set of entrepreneurial tactics that ensure your progress through the game. You start off as an owner of a small souvenir shop, and you run with it until you become theultimate business tycoon.
Puzzle
Africa’s Legends: Reawakening is the updated version of an already heavily African-inspired mobile puzzle game, Africa’s Legends. It is developed by the same studio that created Sweave, and while both games draw inspiration from African culture, Africa’s Legends: Reawakening takes a much bolder and more interactive approach.
Every character featured in the game is somehow inspired by a very prominent African legend. The game also showcases the diversity of African culture by introducing various folklore figures as its heroes and villains. Ultimately,it’s a free-to-play gamethat offers a lot more than expected.
Point-and-click, Adventure
Beautiful Desolation is an absolutely gorgeous isometric point-and-click game set entirely in a fictional, post-apocalyptic version of South Africa. The game is a unique blend of old-school, sci-fi, and contemporary elements, creating an unusual sense of nostalgia for players. However, despite being a fictional reality, Beautiful Desolation explores a very fitting representation of South African culture and mythology, evident from its highly indigenous setting, voice acting, and characters.
Beautiful Desolation, in all its glory, offers not only a vast premise but also a distinctivenarrative that blends sci-fiwith historical elements. The game is set in the late 90s and follows two brothers on their quest to survive a seriously deadly alien invasion on Earth.
Metroidvania, Action, Adventure
Tales of Kenzera: Zau is a single-playerMetroidvania-style adventure gamerevolving around the beliefs of the Bantu people of Africa. While the Bantu culture itself is highly diverse and varies from region to region, Tales of Kenzera: Zau specifically focuses on the God Kalunga, the God of Death.
The creative lead of the game, Abubakar Salim, also known for voicing the main character of AC Origins, bases the game on his own life and experience with different African Tribes.
The main character of Tales of Kenzera is a young boy named Zau, embarking on a journey of self-discovery. He dedicates himself to confronting the three powerful ancestral spirits of the land of Kenzera, whose souls he will trade with the God of Death in exchange for his late father’s life.
Action, Fantasy, RPG
Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is anaction RPG that prominently features explorationelements while cleverly integrating African culture into its gameplay, despite not being explicitly set in a real African country. The game doesn’t go for the typical ‘good guys, evil guys’ route and instead uses profound philosophical themes, mixed with African values and folklore, to build meaningful characters and relationships.
The main character, Enzo Kori-Odan, is an exiled prince of a fictional African country, Zama, who has to travel the entire realm to find support for his cause. He goes through five different tribes with an extremely complex set of traditions, values, and bonds, and has to, somehow, get them to back his claim to the throne.
Action RPG
The tenth installment of Assassin’s Creed, AC Origins, which explores the making and the history of the Brotherhood, isprimarily set in Ancient Egyptbut explores several North African countries. Since it’s set in the Ptolemaic period, during Queen Cleoptera’s reign, the game is more inspired by ancient culture than a modern one but still manages to capture and stay true to that period’s architecture and overall tone.
Assassin’s Creed Origins is perhaps one of the most well-known games on this list, and many of you are likely already familiar with it. It’s the first game in the AC series to deviate from the original ‘stealth combat’ dynamics, adopting a more traditional action-adventure gameplay style. It also heavily expands on the Assassin universe and dives deeper into the ‘Where did it all begin?’ question.
Third-person Shooter, Soulslike
There’s absolutely no doubt that games are one of the best and most entertaining ways to digest content easily. Consequently, they also become the most creative sources for diversity and good representation. Outliver: Tribulation can be considered one of the prime examples of this.
It’s ahorror-survival gamewith soulslike elements that fundamentally represent African culture through mythology. While Beautiful Desolation also explores similar themes, Outliver: Tribulation offers a more personalized experience as a third-person survival game.
Set in the fictional African realm known as the Realm of Tribulations, it revolves around a soldier, Bolanle Gboyega, as she attempts to survive a mysterious supernatural ritual that she has to go through, without fail, to return to her world.
