Tales of Kenzera – ZAU Is A Love Letter To Those Who Have Passed
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU shows the journey of a shaman trying to win back his father’s soul. In this metroidvania-style game players will blend the power of Zau’s masks to gather three spirits for Kalunga, the God of Death. These spirits have not only evaded him but many heroes have died in the attempt to capture them. The demo will only show off a few areas. This gives a decent look at the types of enemies and obstacles players can expect to encounter.
While players get access to both the moon (long range) & sun (heavy melee) attacks, most upgrades will be for the moon. Including the ability to freeze water and enemies that players will need to use if they want to progress. However, players will get to use the ultimate abilities of both masks. These are pretty satisfying though Zau is kept in place the entire time. Combat is fairly simple and fast paced. There are no boss fights in the demo, so there are still surprises left for the game’s launch in April.
Tales of Kenzera is more dialogue heavy than anticipated. This wouldn’t be an issue if these often brief, but frequent, conversations didn’t pause the game. The other issues could be expected with a demo. When respawning Zau would be completely twisted up while moving around. Attacks were still usable so this glitch was more amusing than frustrating. The moments where controls were unresponsive led to a lot of unnecessary deaths. It’s also possible a player may not encounter these issues in the demo, so hopefully this can be fully worked out before release.
Veterans of the genre and new players can both enjoy Tales of Kenzera: ZAU. Its plot is fantastical yet remains grounded and relatable. The demo hints at the personal struggle Zau will go through. Kalunga also appears to take on the role of reluctant mentor instead of plotting against the protagonist, which is a refreshing take on a death god. With great voice acting to carry Kenzera’s emotional storytelling, this might be one to keep on your radar.
