A Breath Of Fresh Air In Every Sense
HIGH Full Swahli voiceovers.
LOW A break in rhythm after pausing the game.
WTF Again, everyone is speaking Swahili!
Africa is not a setting oft-used in the gaming industry, especially not in AA or AAA spaces, so to see a title that not only features the continent and its biomes, but its culture and language so prominently was a jarring, yet welcome experience! Tales Of Kenzera: Zau follows a young shaman named Zau attempting to bring his father back to life by making a deal with Kalunga, the God of Death – the irony is strong right from the jump in this one.
Before anything else, take a moment and try to recall the last time an Afro-centric title such as this one came out. What about the last time we saw a game fully voiced with an African language from start to finish? You can’t, and neither can I! That alone counts hugely in ToKZ’s favor.
In terms of narrative, themes of grief have been explored ad-nauseam in gaming, but ToKZ adds a few African twists that are true to form in terms of how grief is viewed and enacted — ancestral veneration for example, is a central focus. While the West and Japan tend to mourn the passing of loved ones, African cultures see grief as a way to maintain connection and an honoring those who have passed. Zau unfortunately took the “maintaining connection” bit a little too literally, though…
Symbioses with nature and spirituality is another heavy theme explored in ToKZ, and it’s done with care, as can be seen with the first boss. Where it would be unsurprising to see developers just go with a generic elemental wind theme, (without spoilers) instead they went for a more maternal, human angle which makes the story more believable, and the tragic ending to this mini-arc only adds authenticity to the hard task that a Shaman might face.
Mechanically, Tales Of Kenzera: Zau is a 2D metroidvania side-scroller. Traversal is exactly what one has come to expect from the genre in recent years, with lots of precise double jumping and dashing required to progress past challenging platform arrays. In fact, the traversal is so pleasantly precise that it leads to a fluid gameplay loop where the only failures come from the player’s own mistakes. One of my favorite was a challenging puzzle that included the freezing of water – Zau had to run on it while also timing the melting point to allow him to dash to the next section before being washed away by a strong current.
Besides challenging platforming, there’s also a healthy dose of combat that offers two aspects, abilities based on the Sun and the Moon.
The Moon is comprised largely of ranged attacks, and the Sun focuses on close quarters combat and melee. Enemies are weak to one or the other, but never both, forcing the player to switch rapidly back and forth between aspects. These fights can sometimes be considered puzzles, as the player has to keep track of not just one opponent at a time, but often several enemies at once who are not all weak to the same aspect simultaneously. In later levels, some enemies even have regenerating shields that allow them to fully absorb all damage if the player uses the wrong shaman power.
The combat skill tree is less expansive than many players might be accustomed to, but there is a such a thing as too much choice when it comes to levelling up abilities in modern gaming, and ToKZ’s streamlined upgrades help to maintain focus and precision. Plus, it’s important to note that most of the powerful abilities are gained as the main story progresses – things like the aforementioned ability to freeze water, or being able to throw a powerful spiritual spear that does extra damage. Also on the plus side for me was a lack of collectibles. While the grind of collecting a thousand bits and bobs can be cathartic for some, skipping the traditional collect-a-thon here was quite welcome.
While most of what I’ve described combines to deliver an engaging experience, there are just a few minor issues. One is that there is a clear two-second delay between unpausing and the game registering the next few button presses. Thankfully it doesn’t last longer than that brief window, but it’s definitely there. Another minor gripe is the unimaginative music chosen. There’s nothing wrong with traditional African music, but the initial setting (named Amani) left me longing for a glimpse into the modern African Metropolis display that players are treated to at the very beginning. A few futuristic or contemporary tracks would have been a nice consolation instead, and one or two SA house tracks would have also been welcome.
The campaign is special not in how it ends, but how it unfolds and the brave leaps it’s willing to make in order to explore the well-known “five stages of grief.” My favorite was denial, as Zau was quick to guide a grieving daughter out of her despair, but fails to escape its clutches himself when one of his best friends is clearly beyond saving — he even goes as far as lashing out at a companion when he’s preoccupied with rescuing his father from death.
I’d be hard-pressed to choose between story or the gameplay loop in terms of which one did most of the heavy lifting, but if had to choose, I think gameplay would win out. I usually don’t play sides-crollers for more than 30 minutes at a time, but ToKZ held me and made me put other games on the back burner. The platforming is precise, the puzzles and side activities are engaging and cleverly placed, and I didn’t feel like I was completing tasks, so much as I was exploring a rich world.
Tales Of Kenzera: Zau is a great expression of the boundless naivete, bravery and optimism afforded to the youngest of humans that also showcases cultures and settings that are rarely seen in videogames, but does so while delving into the stages of grief with reckless abandon and a positive outlook in an industry hell-bent on aggrandizing endless misery. As such, Zau is a near-masterpiece that embodies the phrase “breath of fresh air” in every sense.
Rating: 9 out of 10
— Patricio do Rosario
Disclosures: This game is published by Electronic Arts and developed by Surgent Studios. It is available on XBO/X/S, PS5, Switch and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PS5. Approximately 16 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was not completed.
Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated E. There are depictions of Fantasy
Violence. The official description reads: This is an adventure platformer in which players assume the role of a shaman dealing with the grief of his father’s death. From a side-scrolling perspective, players navigate mazes of levels, solve puzzles, and battle fantastical enemies (e.g., corrupted spirits, Adze) in melee-style combat. Players use spears and cosmic powers from the Sun and Moon to attack enemies. Battles are highlighted by colorful light effects, impact sounds, and dwindling health bars. Boss battles contain more protracted combat.
Colorblind Modes: Colorblind modes are not available.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: Tales Of Kenzera: Zau offers no options for audio accessibility other than subtitles, but there are no necessary audio cues and the game is playable without sound. This game is fully accessible.
Remappable Controls: All controls are fully remappable.
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