A Journey Through Grief: Tales of Kenzera: ZAU Review
An in-depth review of Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, exploring loss and acceptance in a beautifully crafted metroidvania.
When the Tales of Kenzera: ZAU demo dropped during the Steam Next Fest earlier this year, I was eager to play the rest of the game and delve deeper into the story. So, thank you to the EA Originals Team and Surgent Studios for providing this code for the release of Tales of Kenzera: ZAU on PlayStation 5!
"Every story begins at the end of another…" was a quote at the beginning of the game, and it will stick with you throughout your playthrough. It's a powerful saying because you're reminded of it each time you progress through the main story, with characters you meet and new locations you discover. The game consistently draws you into a new perspective on the world of Kenzera. This review will have some spoilers ahead as I will dive deeper into what I loved about the game and my interpretations of certain parts.
If you’re here for the short &sweet, here is a quick rundown of my deliberations:
Grief Exploration: The game delves deeply into the stages of grief, using the story of Zau and the Great Spirits to mirror the real-life experiences of the protagonist, Zuberi, and even the game's creator, Abubakar Salim.
Metroidvania Gameplay: Featuring a smooth "Dance of the Shaman" combat system with mask-based abilities and challenging platforming sections, the gameplay keeps you engaged and on your toes.
Stunning Presentation: Beautiful art direction, impactful voice acting, and a captivating soundtrack enhance the emotional depth and immersive world of Kenzera.
Meaningful Story: Collecting "Echoes" reveals lore and backstory, while the main narrative encourages reflection on loss, acceptance, and the cycle of life and death.
Highly Recommended: A polished and emotional experience, perfect for Metroidvania fans and those seeking a game with narrative depth.
The game starts with a beautiful view of the city Amani, where you play as a boy named Zuberi, who is grieving the loss of his Father. You end up controlling Zuberi and walking through the home. It feels empty, even with lively furnishings: different paintings, artifacts, and books from his mother and Father. The game shows just how deep Zuberi's struggles with his father’s passing are, as Zuberi’s character cannot even think about being in the same room where his Father rests. That is what grief does to you; you want to avoid facing what has happened, denying it, and would instead reverse it not to feel this way - and Zuberi's Father knew just what he needed even in his time of sickness.
He wrote a story for Zubueri about a boy named Zau who was grieving like Zuberi, which was quite endearing. It's like a reflection of some sort, and with each chapter/act Zuberi reads, the more he understands how to feel and express his emotions.
From there, the game puts you into the world of Kenzera, where you play as Zau.
Gameplay
The game is a platformer, more so a Metroidvania gameplay style, where you explore different map areas and unlock new abilities. I loved the game's feel, from the movement to the powers obtained and the various combat situations you get into.
Zau's abilities come from the Sun and Moon masks, which his father left behind after his passing.
The Sun Mask is a powerful melee attack. Each hit can burn your enemies and slash through large crowds. It is mainly used for combat, as your movement is slightly slower. However, as traversal gets more complicated as you progress in the game, the sun masks become more useful.
The Moon Mask has faster movement, ranged attacks like Dragon Ball Ki Blasts, and a melee shoulder shove when enemies get too close.
The Moon Mask is my favorite because you can consistently teleport, making you move fast through the map. Surprisingly, it felt like the most fierce mask—enemies would fly to the spikes or lava when I shoulder-bash them. I'd also use some abilities like freezing up water to bounce off the ice water to the wall to move vertically on the map or even freeze the enemies in place. I even power up my attacks after using up all the "Ki blasts" and reloading like Gears of War, hitting the button at the right time to activate the heavy-hitting attacks.
Under your health is something called Spirit Segments, and you start with 2 bars. You can heal yourself when at least one bar glows; when at least two glow, you can use your special move, Spirit Attack. This move can make or break your fight.
Each mask has its Spirit Attack: the Moon Mask has a “Kamehameha-like” special called Lunar Blast, and the Sun Mask has a fiery tornado called Supernova. The Lunar Blast was also my favorite; it cut through enemies like they were paper, and it always did more damage than the Supernova!
You can upgrade the Spirit Segments, your health, and other things you encounter in your playthrough. The masks have their abilities; you can upgrade them using Shaman Points, which you gain from Ulogi. You can get those from defeating enemies, completing challenges, or discovering secrets. The upgraded skills add new ways to engage in combat, like deflecting enemy projectiles with the Moon Mask and slamming yourself onto the ground with a flaming aftermath with the Sun Mask.
There are also Shaman Trinkets that you get from the challenges scattered across the lands. They are worth it as they help turn the tide with the overwhelming battles you'll encounter. One of my favorite trinkets for leveling up fast was the Prosperous Mind trinket, which gives me more Ulogi for defeating enemies. Another trinket I constantly use to keep my health up and utilize my spirit attack is the Augmented Spirit trinket.
I love the way you can easily switch between the masks. It makes the combat feel fluid and keeps you moving, as the enemies will come from everywhere. The term for it also fits so well: "The Dance of the Shaman." It feels fluid, quick, accurate, and never loses pace. The more you get used to that dance, the quicker you will get through the battles. One of the interesting little features of playing this on PS5 is that the Dualsense controller changes colors relative to the mask you are wearing, which was just visually satisfying.
Voice Acting and Art Direction
The voice acting caught my attention right from the beginning. When you reach certain parts of the game, the conversation tone shifts, and you hear the deep emotions and feel the intensity of what's happening, especially when characters feel frightened or furious.
The delivery of Zau's plea to the God of Death, Kalunga, made me recognize what Zau wanted to do so badly—reunite with his Father. He had to defeat the three Great Spirits to bring them back to Kalunga, and Zau would do whatever he could to reach his goal. Zau's desperation was clear; he wanted his father back.
I love the visuals of this game because of the connection of 3D models within the game paired with 2D drawings of themselves, emphasizing their emotions when they speak. This occurs when you meet someone new or discover something Zau and Kalunga would discuss. Depending on the situation, it would be a quick chit-chat between them after completing a challenge/defeating enemies, with Zau asking if Kalunga saw “how cool he was.” In some situations, it doesn't always show the drawings, but most of the time, it does, and it's great.
With each Act of the game, you visit many different locations that are wonderful to look at, even when they are depressing, like the swamps.
The environmental artists did a great job showcasing the land and making the point that it is a story being visualized/brought to life. I enjoyed traveling between each region and was impressed by how connected they were. I would love to see what more they would do if they have any extra content planned!
Ain't No Walk in The Park
What caught me off guard was how difficult the enemies would be. There are a decent number of enemies throughout the game, and variations of them exist depending on the location. So, a regular flying bird in one location would not be a regular flying bird in another; it’d suddenly be in flames attacking you.
The enemies would do so much damage, especially if it were a melee attack. If there are a lot of enemies on the screen and you don't have much health - you better pray and hope you get out of that situation and get some focus…cause you gon’ have to restart the entire fight sequence. The enemies would jump me, with the birds flying towards me and this grasshopper-type thing taking my health away, just to be giving it to the other enemies!
This game kept me on the edge of my seat! They always switched it up, adding a giant mini-boss to jump me with the help of many different enemies, ensuring your head is always on a swivel!
The fact that this game is a Metroidvania means it will also come with many deaths. The challenges in this game are exactly that—each challenge is more demanding than the next.
I had times where I died over 50 times trying to get a shaman trinket. I had to ensure I did all my movements correctly. There weren't any checkpoints for those, which is fine, but when those challenges bled into the main story progression - I was fighting for my life. There were a couple of instances where you fought the Great Spirits and had to get away from them—while also keeping an eye out for spikes, flames, poison, etc. Things get so out of hand during those sections that you must retry a lot.
I would love to see someone do a no-damage/no-death run because if you could lock in like that—you deserve merch from Surgent Studios!
Some Minor Issues
I have some minor issues with the game—that DO NOT detract from how great the game is.
I just wished there were moments in the game where, after each Act - Zuberi took a break from the book. If there were moments where we could understand Zuberi in his reality, away from the action in Kenzera. I wanted to experience speaking to Zuberi's mom some more, or walk around the house and interact with things and process that way as well.
Zuberi's mother said, "Take your time," and I wish his character had put the book down some throughout the acts. The only time he stopped reading was at the end of Act 3, which was fine, but it would have been a nice touch to see how he felt after each Great Spirit.
Traversing is my favorite throughout the game, especially with each new Hadithi (special abilities) you get. What would mess it up a little would be when trying to figure out where to go next by looking at the map; for some reason, my left analog stick would temporarily get disabled, and the character would get stuck in place for a quick second. But it would happen randomly, so it didn't bother me as much as I had only looked at the map outside of combat.
Sometimes, I’d wish I could control the camera with the right stick, especially for challenges or sequences where I'm being chased and need to know what's ahead of me. It made me retry so many times when I misstepped or landed on spikes or lava. Sometimes, the camera would lag or get stuck, so introducing a way to pivot your view would be a good idea, even if it's just a tiny amount of movement to look around.
The Great Spirits and their Importance
Each location and Act was connected to a Great Spirit. The Great Spirits are such fine additions to the game because they show each stage of grief. For example, Impundulu, the Spirit of the Sky, is the first Great Spirit you deal with who embodies denial with her little girl, Liyana. Zau is introduced to Liyana in a “game of tag” but grows frustrated because Liyana is running around and seemingly playing with him in dangerous areas. Through this, he realizes she doesn't want her mom to be away from her. Liyana couldn't bear to think Impundulu would be gone forever - similar to what Zau is going through. Though determined to defeat Impundulu for his deal with Kalunga, Zau does feel a sense of guilt knowing the fate of the situation.
It was sad to see because all Liyana wanted was to continue playing with her mother, and the fate was hard for them both to process. Even Impundulu didn't wish for Liyana to be alone. Still, she had to let go. After that first Great Spirit battle, I had to sit there and reflect on what just happened because I truly resonate with those feelings of losing someone you love and are so used to being around.
The story continued like that: the more you went ahead, the more you saw the different stages of grief. You also would see the gradual change in the relationship between Zau and Kalunga throughout the game because there are times when Zau gets worked up about seeing his Father again after defeating the Great Spirits. Eventually, he discovered how complicated or taxing it would become to reach his goal.
Usually, when I play games with audio collectibles or documents to read through for lore or backstory, I skim through them to get back to playing the game. I try to look at them later, but I rarely ever do. But something about this game drew me to collect and listen to each available Echo. Every Echo had a voice-over by Abubakar, and I know it all meant a lot to him to record each one. I know this because I watched his short documentary about him and his Father called "MY SHOES, YOUR FEET"; It made me emotional. Such a moving film!
The documentary gave a deeper look into Abubakar's grief, even if it had been years since his Father's passing. I understood precisely how he felt when he mentioned that everything about someone you love becomes a piece of paper, a trail for everyone to remember him once their physical body is gone - bills, mail, etc. That's how it felt for me experiencing the passing of my grandfather; it stung getting a piece of mail requesting money or even to buy his home. I am happy there are photos of him to reminisce and move forward with that grieving process. For Zuberi, it was stories left behind, a book where, in the end, he had to be the one to fill in the final pages to take a step forward to finally understanding what it means to be at the final stage of the grieving process.
Conclusion/looking forward to more
Truthfully, it was bittersweet to reach the end of the game. I thoroughly enjoyed this game and had to take breaks occasionally to process what I listened to and witnessed after each Great Spirit/Act. I completed Tales of Kenzera: ZAU and platinumed it on PS5. It would have been a disservice to the game if I hadn't explored every little thing the game had to offer. It made me realize, too, that I never really sat down to examine my emotions after my grandfather's passing. I tried to go straight to the final stage, which was acceptance - but I discovered that I had been in the denial phase since his passing. I felt stuck even though I was doing things and interacting with friends and family. So, I thank Abubakar for embarking on this journey and creating such a touching interactive piece like this. I also am thankful for the opportunity to review.
I strongly recommend playing this game if you enjoy Metroidvania games. It is a sincere story focused on the cycle of life and death.
This is also the first game from Abubakar Salim and Surgent Studios! They did an excellent job for their first time making a game, and you can see that through their gameplay and great visuals. It is polished and never gave me an issue like crashing or a game-breaking bug.
The game is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and PC for a perfect price - $20. It is also available on the PS Plus Extra tier and EA Play Pro. I hope to experience more of what Surgent Studios has to offer. I hope you all take the time to experience the game, even if it's just trying out the demo!
Thank you for reading!