Tales of Kenzera: ZAU
Release Date: April 23, 2024
Action, fantasy, platformers, mythology, metroidvania, indie games, 2.5D, side-scroll, singleplayer
OpenCritic
Steam
An action platformer metroidvania. Tales of Kenzera: ZAU was created by Surgent Studios, founded by Abubakar Salim, an actor known for his roles as Bayek in Assassin's Creed Origins, the Raised by Wolves TV series and many others.
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is an action platformer metroidvania. It was developed by Surgent Studios, an indie studio founded by Abubakar Salim, an actor known for his role as Bayek in Assassin's Creed: Origins and the TV show Raised by Wolves. The creators were inspired by the history and culture of the Bantu people, who live in the steppes of central and southern Africa, and Salim's personal grief.
Plot
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is set in the fictional land of Kenzera, once full of life, now home to lost ancestral spirits. The protagonist is the titular Zau, a young Nganga (shaman) who made a deal with Kalunga (god of death) to resurrect his deceased Baba (father). To accomplish his task, he traverses Kenzera, facing numerous dangers.
We learn his story from the perspective of a boy, reading a fairy tale about him written by his deceased father.
Mechanics
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is a side-scroller. Players will traverse various locations, ranging from the beautiful Ikakaramban Highlands, through Kivulian Forests, to Itshokan Dead Lands. We'll operate from special hubs, from which we embark on expeditions. While traversing Kenzera, Zau must jump on platforms, avoid traps, obstacles and fight enemies wielding the powers of the Sun and the Moon.
While exploring, he makes use of various abilities, such as double jumping, air dashing, wall clinging or grappling. During fast-paced combat, Zau can engage enemies in melee and use his abilities to manipulate time and fight from a distance (for example, by throwing fiery spears). Aside from regular enemies, we'll face powerful bosses such as Impundulu and Ga-goriba, mighty beings originating from African folklore.
As we progress further, we become stronger and gain new abilities that let us reach previously inaccessible areas, encouraging backtracking.
Technical aspects
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU features colorful 2.5D visuals. The game is fully voiced in English and Swahili.
Videos and Screens
[1:21] Tales of Kenzera: ZAU Tales of Kenzera Zau - Launch Trailer
[2:08] Tales of Kenzera: ZAU Tales of Kenzera Zau - Gameplay Trailer
OpenCritic Rating
Game is Recomended by 67% of Critics. There are 101 Critic Reviews.
Nintendo Life: 6 / 10 by Oliver Reynolds
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is a decent game, but it sits in the shadow of much better Metroidvanias on the Switch. We love the setting and storyline, but as Surgent Studios' first stab at what has proven to be a wildly popular genre over the years, it struggles to set itself apart with rather bland exploration and repetitive combat. Coupled with compromised visuals and performance on Switch, veterans of the genre may want to give this one a miss. For newcomers, however, the breezy gameplay might make for a nice introduction to Metroidvanias.
Digital Trends: 3.5 / 5 by Giovanni Colantonio
Tales of Kenzera: Zau tells an emotionally impactful story reinforced by creative design decisions that put a physical feeling to abstract emotions. Its struggles lie in its approach to the Metroidvania genre, as its surprisingly straightforward structure sometimes undercuts the winding tale of acceptance. It’s an imperfect debut, but that’s fitting for a game about something as messy as grief.
Eurogamer: 4 / 5 by Ed Nightingale
What Tales of Kenzera lacks in creative game design it makes up for in vital, passionate storytelling.
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU Summary
Platforms:
PC Windows
Nintendo Switch
PlayStation 5
Xbox Series X/S
Developer: Surgent Studios
Publisher: Electronic Arts Inc.
Age restrictions: 12+
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU System Requirements
PC / Windows
Minimum: Intel Core i7-7700 3.6 GHz / AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 6 GB GeForce GTX 1060 / 8 GB Radeon RX 580 or better, 30 GB HDD, Windows 10 64-bit
Recommended: Intel Core i7-7700 3.6 GHz / AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz, 16 GB RAM, graphic card 8 GB GeForce GTX 1070 / Radeon RX Vega 56 or better, 30 GB HDD, Windows 10 64-bit
Ultra: (60 fps / 4K) Intel Core i9-13900K 3.0 GHz / AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D 4.2 GHz, 16 GB RAM, graphic card 16 GB GeForce RTX 4080 / 20 GB Radeon RX 7900 XT or better, 30 GB HDD, Windows 10 64-bit