Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is a 2024 Metroidvania video game developed by Surgent Studios and published by Electronic Arts, under its EA Originals label. The game was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on 23 April 2024. Upon release, it received positive reviews from critics.
| Tales of Kenzera: ZAU | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Surgent Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Director(s) | Abubakar Salim |
| Composer(s) | Nainita Desai |
| Engine | Unreal Engine |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | 23 April 2024 |
| Genre(s) | Metroidvania |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
editTales of Kenzera: ZAU follows the story of a young shaman named Zau, who must capture the spirits of three monsters as offerings to Kalunga, the God of Death, who promises to revive his father. Zau is very athletic, being able to double jump, wall jump and dash through air. Zau is equipped with two weapons: the sun mask and the moon mask. The sun mask allows Zau to deal melee damage up close, while the moon mask enables him to damage enemies from afar. Both masks have their own distinct upgrade paths.[1] As players defeat enemies, they will collect "Ulogi", a form of soul energy that can be used to purchase new skills for Zau.[2] Tales of Kenzera is a 2.5D Metroidvania game. Players will gradually gain new skills, enabling them to unlock new paths to progress.[3]
Development and release
editAbubakar Salim, who is most known for being the voice actor for Bayek in Assassin's Creed Origins, is the game's creative lead. He founded Surgent Studios in 2019, and Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is the studio's debut project.[4] Tales of Kenzera was inspired by Salim's own experience of grief over the loss of his father.[5] The game was heavily inspired by Bantu cultures and Salim's own experience with tribal groups while filming Raised by Wolves in South Africa.[6] The story was also inspired by tabletop role-playing games, with Critical Role Productions assisting the game's development.[7] Nainita Desai served as the game's composer. Salim described the game's soundtracks as a mix of synth, electric sounds and African traditional music, and compared it to the music from Black Panther and Tenet.[8]
Surgent Studios (then known as Silver Rain Games) announced that it had partnered with publisher Electronic Arts for the development of a new game in March 2021.[9] Tales of Kenzera: ZAU was officially announced by Salim at The Game Awards 2023 in December 2023. It was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S under the EA Originals publishing label on 23 April 2024.[10]
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | PC: 76/100[11] PS5: 76/100[12] XSXS: 76/100[13] NS: 71/100[14] |
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU received "generally favorable" reviews from critics according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[11] It was nominated for "Games for Impact" at The Game Awards 2024.[15]
In July 2024, Surgent Studios laid off "just over a dozen" employees.[16]
References
edit- ^ Castle, Katherine (February 1, 2024). "Watch out Prince Of Persia, there's another platforming-packed Metroidvania coming to steal your crown". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ Donnelly, Joe (February 2, 2024). "The Metroidvania genre is on fire right now, and Tales of Kenzera Zau just jumped to the top of my most-anticipated list". GamesRadar. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ Nightingale, Ed (February 15, 2024). "Tales of Kenzera: Zau has the heart to heighten its spin on the metroidvania". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ Herte, Charles (December 7, 2023). "Tales of Kenzera: Zau Is A Magical Metroidvania Inspired By Bantu Myth". Game Informer. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ Donnelly, Joe (December 8, 2023). "From Hollywood to Assassin's Creed to creating a fascinating new Metroidvania inspired by grief: "I think my father would be proud"". GamesRadar. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ Welsh, Oli (December 7, 2023). "How — and why — Assassin's Creed Origins' Bayek founded his own game studio". Polygon. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ Ramée, Jordan (February 1, 2024). "Tales Of Kenzera: Zau's Tabletop Inspirations And Rhythmic Combat Are Making Me Excited". GameSpot. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ Ramée, Jordan (February 1, 2024). "Tales of Kenzera: Zau Tackles Grief As A Metroidvania With Dance-Like Combat And Incredible Music". GameSpot. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ Takahashi, Dean (March 11, 2021). "Silver Rain Games will make a game for EA Originals". VentureBeat. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ Stedman, Alex (December 9, 2023). "EA Originals' Next Game, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, Revealed". IGN. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ a b "Tales of Kenzera: Zau for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ "Tales of Kenzera: Zau for PS5 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ "Tales of Kenzera: Zau for Xbox Series Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ "Tales of Kenzera: Zau for Nintendo Switch Series Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ Jackson, Destiny (18 November 2024). "The Game Award Nominations: 'Final Fantasy VII Rebirth' Slices Its Way To Victory With Seven Nominations". Deadline. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ Chalk, Andy (2024-07-02). "Just 3 months after launching Tales of Kenzera: Zau, developer Surgent Studios lays off 'just over a dozen' employees". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2024-10-20.