Review - Tales of Kenzera: Zau
And why, Zau, have you called me to the realm of the living?
Tales of Kenzera: Zau
Electronic Arts, Surgent Studios
Abubakar Salim
April 23, 2024
PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series Consoles
Played on Xbox Series X
Actor Abubakar Salim created Tales of Kenzera: Zau as a way to remember his father. Based on Bantu legends, it is a different type of setting than most video games. In a world that is getting repetitive with medieval settings, sci-fi, and mostly dominated by white male heroes, Tales of Kenzera: Zau is a breath of fresh air for the industry. While the game isn’t perfect and has things to criticize, it delivers an emotional tale about dealing with grief and loss.
Plot and Characters - 4.5
The game follows the story of Zau and his deal with the God of death, Kalunga, to get his father back. Zau is a shaman and is tasked to get three great spirits to pass to the other side. From there, you’ll meet a couple of more characters and Zau has some challenging conversations with Kalunga. This is where the game is at its best. There’s a strong and emotional message about dealing with grief and how it affects you. The characters you meet each have their own issues dealing with loss as well. The final act of the game was pretty powerful, and while I did feel the ending was predictable, the execution was done well, and I was happy with the journey’s end.
The main performance is from creator Abubakar Salim, who, as expected, does a great job. You can tell he was passionate about this project and wanted to make sure he could deliver on the voice side of things. The rest of the cast does a good job. I especially like Tristan D. Lalla’s role as the God of death Kalunga, as his dynamic with Zau is a major part of the game.
Gameplay and Fun Factor - 4
Tales of Kenzera: Zau is most often described as a Metroidvania. While I did see aspects of the subgenre, I felt it was more Metroidvania-like than full-blown Metroidvania. It's one part that, one part platformer, and one part more of a typical action sidescroller.
The combat is done through the sun and moon masks you possess. The sun mask is used for melee combat, while the moon mask is used for energy projectiles that kind of feel like a Metroid style, and for me was the better feeling of the two. You’ll get skill points to upgrade these weapons, but the new abilities aren’t game-changing. There are also trinkets you earn by completing some platforming challenges, which, in my view, can get pretty difficult at some points. When equipped, it adds some effects to your character, such as dealing more damage, healing more, getting more skill points per enemy, and other similar effects.
Personally, I was okay with the gameplay loop. I saw some reviews that felt the combat and platforming could get generic, and while I see where they were coming from, I personally didn’t mind that so much. The most disappointing aspect for me was the lack of excuses to backtrack. The Metroidvania-like aspect mostly comes from collecting the lore containing echoes or finding reflections. However, unlike the powerups in most Metroidvania titles, I felt these were relatively easy to find and didn’t offer a challenge similar to finding missiles or energy tanks in Metroid games. And when you find ones that need newer abilities, you tend to get that ability shortly after. If they had added more reason for you to backtrack, it would’ve felt more like the Metroidvania title I was expecting.
That doesn't mean you won’t have some moments of interesting traversal. You’ll have to use your head to scale some areas, such as freezing waterfalls to wall jump higher or using your dash ability to get to certain points. Most of the gameplay loop has you platforming and dodging spikes and such while also stopping to fight a wave of enemies. While it’s not bad by any means, it does get repetitive. The boss fights do offer a variety of moves, and I actually had a lot of fun with them. Overall, I never felt bored; I just felt like it wasn’t taking itself to the next level when it should have.
Graphics and Presentation - 4
This game can be beautiful from an artistic standpoint when it wants to be. You can feel the love and care that went into it and the respect for African culture and Bantu legends. The best designs for me where the ones at night, it really made all the colors and the light of the energy particles pop out. But this is an indie game, and so it’s not going to be some AAA high-budget graphical feast. I felt some of the cutscenes looked a little wonky, and the characters would walk stiff. That being said, considering its the first game of a team and lacking that big production budget, that can be excused. So, while not a feast on the eyes, there’s plenty to like here and some locales look really good.
Soundtrack and Score - 4
I really liked the overall soundtrack for this one. It's a mix of electronic music and traditional African songs. When in a fight against a slew of enemies, it really picks up, and you can hear chanting and drums, and it gets you into the game. When the game focuses on the story and slows down, the music adjusts and is just as solid. That being said, it isn’t a varied set of soundtracks as you play. It can get a little bit repetitive, and I was hoping for a more varied score as I got into newer areas. But, its a solid soundtrack that delivers and gives a good experience.
Recommendation - 4
If someone is looking for a small game that is short but still has enough content to give them a solid gaming experience between the big AAA titles, I would definitely recommend Tales of Kenzera: Zau. While I do think it can have some generic combat, and I do feel a veteran of the Metroidvania genre could walk away a little disappointed, I do think it’s a good, solid title to check out, at least to leave you in tears by the end.
4.1
4.5 - Plot and Characters
4.0 - Gameplay and Fun Factor
4.0 - Graphics and Presentation
4.0 - Soundtrack and Score
4.0 - Recommendation
Tales of Kenzera: Zau tells an emotional story around loss and grief that should not be missed, especially for those gamers dealing with an untimely passing. It’s respect and focus on African culture should also be commended in giving us a new setting rarely, if ever, shown in gaming. The combat is solid but can get generic. The music isn’t varied enough, in my opinion, but when it hits, it hits hard. Overall, I liked my time with Zau a lot and I see a lot of talent from this team and hope they keep building on it.