Tales of Kenzera: ZAU was one of the games that caught my attention at The Game Awards in 2023. After watching the emotional and impactful reveal, I immediately added it to my list of games to buy. Despite not being too experienced in the world of platformers, this one drew me in quite easily. I’m happy to say that I do not regret my purchase in the least bit.
I spent nearly 16 hours completing the game and earning every achievement it has to offer. Now it is my honor to give you my review of Tales of Kenzera: ZAU. But first, here’s some backstory.
The Background of Tales of Kenzera: ZAU
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU was released on April 23, 2024. The game was published by Electronic Arts (EA) under its EA Originals label. It’s also the first game developed by Surgent Studios, which is currently owned by British actor Abubakar Salim. You may know him as Bayek of Siwa, the main protagonist of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Origins.
This game was made in honor of Salim’s late father, a man who loved video games for the art form that they truly are. While presenting the trailer at The Game Awards, he called Tales of Kenzera: ZAU an ode to the people we have loved and lost. Through the efforts of Salim and many others, a game with a harrowing theme of loss and grief was created. It’s a theme that many can relate to and resonate with just like I did when playing it.
What’s to Love About the Game
The story and the setting are the main areas where Tales of Kenzera: ZAU shines. At the beginning of the game, we are introduced to Zuberi, a young man heartbroken and full of grief over the passing of his father. He becomes the narrator of the game when he begins to read a book his father left behind. The book is about Zau, a shaman who is dealing with the same heartache as Zuberi. Overcome with the pain of losing his father, Zau calls upon the god of death himself to bring him back.
As we follow Zau’s journey through the land of Kenzera, you are met with beautiful environments, each with its own theme involving love and loss. Each of them is also full of challenges and dangers to overcome. What I love most about these scenes are the scores played alongside the theme. As someone who enjoys listening to music from video games and movies, I appreciate a good orchestra when I hear one.
For the most part, the fighting in this game felt fun to me, especially as I unlocked more abilities for Zau to use in and out of combat. Throughout the game, you can also unlock upgrades for Zau as you gain more experience and overcome optional challenges. Unlike most games with collectibles, the ones in this game feel useful. Despite some of them being earned through quite stressful challenges, most of them felt worth it.
What Could Have Been Better
While we may want every game to be perfect, that usually is not the case. However, the only issues I had while playing Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, were small compared to how much I enjoyed it. They were also only related to the controls. Sometimes when dashing, I would get stuck in position unless I jumped. This mainly caused issues during certain scenes when I either had to run or face certain doom.
The other issue with the controls that I noticed was with the aiming mechanic. At times, I would get stuck aiming until I hit the aiming button again. This did cause me to die a few times during combat against a group of enemies. The rest of the many, many times that I died was due to my own doing. When things get tough, I tend to panic and button mash. I will never claim to be perfect at the video games that I play.
Also Read: 3 Critical Things Modern Zelda Games Get Wrong
Conclusion
Despite me shedding a few tears during certain moments, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU was a joy to play. I felt variations of excitement, stress, awe, and sadness throughout the entire game. Sometimes, I felt all of those emotions within a small span. For that reason, combined with the general beauty of this game, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU has become the only game in my Perfect Games category on Steam. Not even my current favorite game, Baldur’s Gate 3, has come close to having a spot there.
I recommend that you at least try this game out, and I also recommend that you check out some of the other articles about video games here.
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