Will Tales of Kensela: Zau unlock a new world of video game stories?

“Every story begins at the end of another story.”

These are the words that greet players when they boot up Abubakar Salim's debut video game, Tales of Kenzera: Zau.

This is fitting, as the British actor, who starred in the TV series Raised by Wolves and will soon appear in House of the Dragon, spoke to BBC Newsbeat just days before the big release. is.

This is the final chapter in Tales of Kensela's four-year development cycle, a chapter that began last December in Los Angeles.

Abu, as he prefers to be called, is on stage at The Game Awards, addressing a crowd of 4,000 people at the Peacock Theatre. Millions of viewers watch online around the world.

Announcing Tales of Kensela, he launched into an emotional speech explaining how the game was inspired by his father Ali's death 10 years ago.

Like Abu, the game's title character, Zau, a young shaman, also loses his father.

Unable to accept this, he summons the god of death and sets out on a journey to bring his father back to life.

“Really, at the heart of the film is the story of a young boy who is grieving,” Abu told BBC Newsbeat.

His heartfelt revelation resonated with many, and a clip of the moment from The Game Awards went viral.

Some people were genuinely moved by the game's trailer. Its colorful graphics, moving orchestral score and setting prompt many to add it to their wishlists.

“The reception has been enthusiastic. It's been amazing. It's been amazing,” Abu says, believing the “universal” theme of grief helps his pitch resonate with gamers.

But for some gamers, there's another element to the game that excites them, which is also influenced by Ali and Abu's Kenyan culture.

The work is heavily based on the myths and legends told by the Bantu people, a group of hundreds of different people living across Africa.

These stories are often passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth, and are ones that Abu experienced first-hand.

“I was really inspired by the stories my dad told me when I was a kid,” he says.

“My grandfather was from the Nganga tribe and was something of a traditional spiritual healer.

“And my father ended up sharing these really wonderful worlds and ideas.

“And this game is about that journey of grief, that connection between me and my father, so it needed to exist in this space.”

But high-profile video games with black protagonists are rare. And even more unusual is the heavy use of African mythology.

Therefore, for many gamers, seeing Abu on stage stirs up other emotions.

“It was amazing to see him there,” Annabelle Ashary Anthony said. “We don't get to see much of it.”

Annabelle, founder of Melanin Gamers, which advocates for more inclusivity in the industry, admits she was already a fan of Abu thanks to his role as protagonist Bayek in Assassin's Creed Origins.

But the sight of Black creators at The Game Awards, also known as the “Oscars of the industry,” struck a chord with her.

“It was very important for him to make his debut, to see us visibly represented in a great way,” she says.

“I thought, 'This is what I have to play.'”

When Abu debuted this game, more than a few people compared Tales of Kensela to a certain record-breaking movie.

Annabelle agrees there are similarities.

“This is definitely the Black Panther of gaming,” she says.

Sargent Studios, the development company Abu founded to make the game, acknowledges the influence of the Marvel blockbuster – both have elements of Afrofuturism, an aesthetic that mixes science fiction and African culture. , the game's soundtrack features the same choir heard in the movie.

And when Abu unveiled the game, he was wearing a colorful scarf by Nigerian artist Ikire Jones. His designs also appeared in “Black Panther.”

Alan, Annabelle's brother and owner of Melanin Gamers, recalls the “cultural movement” that was built behind the film and believes it “opened the floodgates” for games like Zau. I am.

“When a project like this hits the big stage and everyone's shutters are wide open, it's like, 'Oh my God, there's so much potential here, let's take advantage of it,'” he says. says.

“For many people, the first thing that comes to mind is Egyptian mythology, and they think that is the only mythology that exists on the African continent.

“But when it comes to the whole African myth, there’s a really huge untapped market.”

Abu said it's important to “respect and respect” Bantu culture, such as that seen in the Kenzera story, and “celebrate it, too, because you don't necessarily see a lot of Bantu culture. body,” he said.

And for Abu, the end of Zau's development story could be a new beginning.

He wants to turn Tales of Kensela into a full-fledged series that includes film, television, and comic book spinoffs.

“Even if you're building this really cool world, not everyone is going to play the game,” he says.

“For example, if I can get my mom to watch a TV show, we can at least talk about the game and find a connection from there. And I really like that.

“It’s also a great way to inspire other writers and creators to tell stories within that world or create their own.”