Some video game characters are powerful because they can destroy almost anything in front of them.
Others are interesting because they can make the player question what is actually happening.
Eshu belongs much more naturally to the second category.
Known as Èṣù in Yoruba tradition, he is one of the most fascinating figures that could inspire a video game character. He is associated with crossroads, communication, movement, uncertainty and the consequences of human choices. In different contexts and traditions, he has been described in ways that make him difficult to reduce to the simple label of a “trickster.”
That complexity is exactly what makes him interesting for game design.
A game inspired by Eshu would not necessarily need to give the player the strongest character in the world.
Instead, it could give them something much more dangerous:
choice.
Who Is Eshu?
Èṣù is an important figure in Yoruba religious and cultural traditions.
He is strongly associated with communication, crossroads and the movement between different possibilities. He is also connected with unpredictability and with situations where a seemingly simple decision can produce unexpected consequences.
Over time, Eshu has sometimes been described in Western writing as a devil or demon.
That comparison is misleading.
Eshu is not simply the Yoruba equivalent of the Christian Devil. Treating him that way removes much of the complexity of the tradition.
For a video game developer, this is an important lesson.
The goal should not be to take an African name and place a familiar Western fantasy character underneath it.
Instead, the game's mechanics should be inspired by the actual ideas associated with the character.
And Eshu provides an extraordinary concept:
the crossroads.
What If Every Major Decision Created a Different Road?
Imagine beginning a game at a crossroads.
There are three paths.
The obvious one appears safe.
Another looks dangerous.
The third seems completely pointless.
The player chooses one.
Hours later, that decision comes back.
Perhaps an important character survived because of the decision.
Perhaps another character became an enemy.
Perhaps an entire village disappeared.
The player might not even realize immediately that the original choice caused the change.
This could make Eshu-inspired gameplay feel different from the typical "choose A or B" dialogue system.
The consequences could be delayed.
Sometimes the player would only understand a decision much later.
Eshu Could Become the Master of Unpredictability
Most games are designed to be predictable enough that players can learn them.
Eshu could challenge that idea.
Imagine certain events being deliberately unpredictable.
A merchant who normally appears in one location might suddenly appear somewhere else.
An enemy could become an ally because of an earlier decision.
A path that was available yesterday might disappear.
A character might tell the player something that sounds like a lie but later turns out to be true.
The important thing would be to make the randomness meaningful.
The player shouldn't feel that the game is cheating.
Instead, they should gradually understand that their choices are creating a world they cannot completely control.
Dialogue Could Become a Weapon
Eshu is strongly connected with communication, making dialogue another obvious gameplay mechanic.
Imagine a game where talking is not simply a way to receive missions.
Words could change the world.
A conversation with a village leader might determine whether they trust the player.
A lie could provide immediate benefits but create problems later.
Telling the truth might cause a character to become hostile but unlock another opportunity.
The player would need to think carefully before speaking.
This could make dialogue feel almost like combat.
Instead of asking:
«"Which dialogue option gives me the reward?"»
the player would ask:
«"What will this person remember about me?"»
That's a much more interesting system.
The Character Doesn't Have to Be Evil
This is perhaps the most important part of an Eshu-inspired game.
The character shouldn't simply be the villain.
A trickster is not automatically evil.
A character who creates confusion can sometimes expose the weaknesses of people who believe they understand everything.
Eshu could therefore function as an unpredictable guide.
Sometimes he helps the player.
Sometimes he creates obstacles.
Sometimes he tells the truth.
Sometimes he gives information that is technically true but deliberately incomplete.
The player would never be entirely sure whether they should trust him.
That uncertainty could become one of the game's main attractions.
The Crossroads Could Become the Center of the Game
Instead of treating the crossroads as a simple location, developers could make it the central mechanic of the entire game.
At certain points, the player arrives at a crossroads.
Each path represents a different possibility.
But the paths aren't simply different levels.
They represent different consequences.
One route might prioritize wealth.
Another might prioritize relationships.
Another might prioritize knowledge.
Another might prioritize power.
The player doesn't immediately know which choice is “good.”
That would encourage multiple playthroughs.
A player who finishes the game could restart and make completely different decisions to see what happens.
Imagine a Game Where There Is No Perfect Ending
This would fit the concept particularly well.
Many games have a "good ending," a "bad ending" and perhaps a secret ending.
An Eshu-inspired game could make things more complicated.
Maybe every ending has a cost.
Saving one city could doom another.
Becoming powerful could mean losing someone's trust.
Choosing peace could allow an enemy to become stronger.
Choosing revenge could solve one problem while creating another.
The player would eventually understand that there isn't always a perfect decision.
There are only consequences.
That could make the story feel much more mature.
Eshu Could Control the Structure of the Narrative
Here's an idea that could make the concept particularly unusual.
What if the game itself occasionally lied to the player?
Not in a frustrating way, but as part of the narrative.
The map might show one route while the actual world changes.
A character's description might be incomplete.
A narrator might tell the player something that later turns out to be unreliable.
The player would gradually learn to question the information they receive.
This would make the player experience the uncertainty associated with Eshu rather than simply watching it happen to a character.
The World Could Be Full of Hidden Connections
An Eshu-inspired game could reward players who pay attention.
A small character encountered early in the game might become extremely important much later.
A decision that appears meaningless could determine an ending.
A seemingly random object could turn out to be connected to an ancient story.
A conversation overheard in a marketplace could provide information that becomes useful several hours later.
This type of design encourages exploration and replayability.
The player isn't just searching for treasure.
They're searching for meaning.
A Nigerian Setting Could Make It Even More Interesting
The game could be set in a fictional world inspired by Nigerian environments and cultures.
Instead of the usual European castles and medieval villages, players could explore markets, forests, settlements, rivers, royal compounds and ancient roads.
Different communities could have different traditions and relationships with the supernatural world.
The crossroads would connect them.
It could be a physical location, but it could also represent the meeting point between different cultures, people and possibilities.
That would give the game a strong geographical identity.
Visual Design Could Be Extremely Creative
Eshu's visual design should avoid turning him into a generic demon.
A developer could instead create a character whose appearance changes depending on the situation.
Sometimes he might look like an ordinary traveler.
Sometimes a mysterious stranger.
Sometimes an important figure dressed in elaborate clothing.
The player might not even realize that they have encountered the same character several times.
His visual identity could include strong colors, distinctive clothing, symbolic objects and recurring motifs associated with crossroads and communication.
The important thing is that the design should be based on research rather than random "African-looking" decoration.
The Game Could Use Masks and Disguises
Another interesting gameplay mechanic would be identity.
What if the player could disguise themselves?
Different communities might react differently depending on who they believe the player is.
A disguise could allow access to restricted areas.
But if the player is discovered, their reputation could suffer.
The player would constantly decide whether honesty or deception is more useful.
Again, the mechanic would connect directly with the character's themes.
Eshu Could Make a Great Antagonist Too
There is another possibility.
Instead of playing as Eshu, the player could be trying to stop him.
But even then, he shouldn't simply be a monster who wants to destroy the world.
Perhaps he believes that humans have become too dependent on certainty.
They want every prophecy to be predictable.
Every future to be controlled.
Every decision to have one correct answer.
Eshu disrupts that system.
The player initially sees him as the villain.
But as the story progresses, they begin to understand why he is doing it.
By the final act, the player might have to decide whether the world is better with certainty—or freedom.
That could create a surprisingly philosophical adventure game.
Why Eshu Could Be Perfect for Modern Gaming
Video games are built around choices.
Players constantly decide where to go, who to fight, what to say and which items to use.
Eshu's traditional associations therefore translate naturally into interactive entertainment.
His concept isn't something developers would have to force into gameplay.
Choice is already the language of video games.
The trick would be to make those choices meaningful.
Instead of giving the player ten dialogue options that eventually lead to the same result, an Eshu-inspired game could make decisions genuinely change relationships, locations, missions and endings.
Final Thoughts
Sango could give a game thunder.
Ogun could give it iron.
Eshu could give it uncertainty.
That might actually be more difficult to design, but it could also produce something much more original.
A game inspired by Eshu could challenge players to think before they act, pay attention to conversations and accept that not every decision has an obvious answer.
Most importantly, it would show how African mythology can inspire more than character names and visual aesthetics.
It can inspire game mechanics themselves.
And that is where the real opportunity lies.
Instead of asking, “How can we put Eshu into a video game?”
developers could ask a much more interesting question:
“What would a video game look like if it was designed around the ideas represented by Eshu?”
That question could lead to something genuinely different from the fantasy games that dominate the market.
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