Gameplay of Tales of Kensela: Zau. (Surgent Studios/contributed)
In today's climate, many of the most memorable games come from small studios with a clear vision and personal stories to tell. Tales of Kenzera: Zau began as Abubakar Salim's way of coping with the loss of his father, and the result is a beautiful game that stands out in the competitive genre.
This game is a “Metroidvania” style action platformer. Players control Zau, a young shaman who makes a deal with death itself. In order to take Zau to the afterlife he must defeat three great spirits. Instead, Kaurunga, the spirit of death, brings Zau's dead father back to life.
The story's setting is simple, but enhanced by Zau and Kaurunga's interactions and the people they encounter. Zau is young and emotional, driven by a desire to bring back to life his late father, whom he feels he lost too soon. He can empathize with older family members, especially those who have lost a parent. Even if they were sick, you never feel prepared for that loss, and you never feel like you spent enough time with them.
One of the aspects that gives the game its personality and really helps it stand out is its aesthetic, which draws from African Bantu culture. Character design, enemies, environments, and music immerse you in a fantasy world rooted in reality. The voice actors' performances are also excellent, making it easy to empathize with the story.
Unlike many modern “Metroidvania” style games, this game focuses more on platforming challenges than finding lots of items in the world. This is a risky choice, because if the platform doesn't feel good, the entire experience will stagnate. Thankfully, that's not the case, as the controls feel tight and the challenge is fair.
Zau also has some unique quirks in combat, as he fights using two masks representing the sun and moon. The Moon focuses on long-range attacks, while the Sun focuses on close combat. It's fun to have him swap between two masks during battle. The Mask is balanced for the most part, but I feel like long-range combat is often better suited for boss fights.
Sometimes the game throws the player into an escape sequence where they have to keep moving before something on the edge of the screen catches them and kills them. The platform itself isn't bad, but the lack of checkpoints in segments can be annoying. One small mistake will cause him to start all over again, and sudden dangers that players must react to in the blink of an eye can result in many fatalities.
Zau's story takes many twists and turns, and by the end I thought the entire game was great. It doesn't overstay its welcome and is well-paced from beginning to end. Surgent Studios has made a great debut with this game. We look forward to further development of this series. Still, I wish the game had done more with the map, adding a bit of exploration and some secrets rather than just combat and platforming segments. Tales of Kensela: Zau receives 4.5 stars out of 5.
