Nsala Liberation

Nsala Liberation is a puzzle-based adventure rpg created by Redmask using the XP engine. A unique aspect to the game is that it takes place in a pre-nineteenth century pan African setting complete with lions, hippos, masks and obelisks. The story follows a woman named Lanoa and her ancestral spirit Aunt Clua as they explore both the Savanah and various elemental themed dungeons in order to locate Lanoa’s missing family. For much of the game, the antagonists are the ancestor spirits, called the Meshetani, who have mysteriously become hostile to the living for unknown reasons.
The graphics are largely based around the XP rtp with custom sprites and a large amount of Public domain images of African buildings, statues and decorations. This actually manages to make Nsala Liberation stand out graphically from other games on the same engine. Musically the game uses public domain African music that does a good job of supporting the setting. For the most part, the games aesthetics work in its favor.
Nsala Liberation is at its core, a puzzle game. The best comparison would be Legend of Zelda if the player had no combat options. The player gains access to four different types of elemental magic, each with different effects. For example, the Earth Spell allows Lanoa to raise spires of rock to protect herself or trap an enemy and the water spell allows her to move objects and enemies towards the direction she is facing. These spells can only be used in specific environments however. Most of the puzzles aren’t terribly difficult, although a few will most likely have you asking Clua for help. The boss fights can be a bit hectic; the fire boss especially can easily overwhelm the player if they make a bad move.
Overall, Nsala Liberation is worth a playthrough for what it does right. The game’s unique setting and decent gameplay does make for an enjoyable experience. The story does however, get rather unexpectedly surprisingly dark (and perhaps heavy-handed) towards the end.