Review of Zau from Tales of Kenzera: A Touching Yet Slow-paced Tale

I have something in common with Abubakar Salim, actor who played Bayek, hero ofAssassin's Creed Origins, and who decided to found his own video game studio. A common point that we could have done without: we both lost our father, at an age when we were far from having shared everything with him. This difficult mourning, not to say impossible, as it is traumatic, goes through Tales of Kenzera: Zaua video game where Abubakar Salim tries as best he can to disperse his sorrow.

“ I wake up to seeing so much love for Tales of Kenzera: Zau. Not just because of the gameplay mechanics, but also from an emotional point of view. As I said before, my mental health was complicated after the loss of my father. I had to be the tough man, the man of the house and the soldier. It didn't help », he still testifies in a tweet published on April 24, while his game has just been released on PS5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch and PC. We feel a form of liberation, a weight that was difficult to carry. I am sad to admit that his work is far from having won me over, even though the subject speaks to me so much, so deeply.

Strong points

• A touching story
• Efforts in achieving
• The original atmosphere

Weak points

• Big gameplay issues
• Combats that are too quickly repetitive
• No desire to explore

Tales of Kenzera: Zau has major gameplay issues

There is a deep sadness that drives the story on two levels of Tales of Kenzera: Zau. Where we first play a young man who has just lost his father and will discover a story centered around a young shaman who, too, lost his father. The real hero, named Zau, refuses this fate and believes he can achieve the impossible – resurrect his father – by making a pact with the God of Death. A pretext to free three spirits and fuel an adventure where sorrow, denial, courage and anger mingle. There are phrases that make the throat tight, which could be heard or pronounced by those who have experienced similar ordeals in real life…

In addition to telling about his scars to better treat them, Abubakar Salim takes advantage of Tales of Kenzera: Zau to highlight African culture, with a rather successful artistic direction and a soundtrack with melodies that we are not used to hearing. Tales of Kenzera: Zau is inspired by Bantu mythologies to use a spirituality that suits what he tells. Unfortunately, all the care given to form, all the attention given to the choice of words to cure ills and all the will in the world are not always enough. Because it is an understatement to say that Tales of Kenzera: Zau fails in what it is first supposed to be, namely a video game that is convincing in its mechanics. The choice of medium of expression here quickly becomes a curse.

Abubakar Salim and the developers have not done themselves a favor by opting for the Metroidvania genre, which has continued to pile up the nuggets in recent years. With the added bonus of varied flavors, when we compare the visceral violence of Blasphemous to the much more poetic universe of Ori, without forgetting the breathtaking Hollow Knight. The year 2024 even started with a serious representative, with the rebirth of the cult saga Prince of Persia at Ubisoft. Alas, Tales of Kenzera: Zau has too many defects to sit at the big table. If the first hours are encouraging, it ends up sinking into its lazy structure, limited and paralyzed by its poor gameplay.

Tales of Kenzera: Zau builds on poor foundations. Because of them, Zau's movements lack precision. Several times, we moved the stick in one direction without anything happening on the screen. Several times, the camera failed us by not being quick enough in its shot changes. Several times, we missed jumps due to a strange feeling and/or not appreciating the distances. Several times, we have railed against these traps made of spikes, which kill with one blow even when we barely touch them. Tales of Kenzera: Zau too often becomes an obstacle course without really meaning to. For a game focused on the need for time to accept, this is paradoxical.

And then there are the fights, which turn out to be excruciating. They are part of repetitive arenas, which the game abuses to clumsily inflate the content and difficulty. After around ten confrontations, the pleasure of using the two families of power (sun and moon) gives way to difficulty. We will also not be able to count on the two progression trees to restore a semblance of depth to the action. The powers thus unlocked do not have sufficient impact to revolutionize the approach. Exploration is hampered by environments with basic architecture, which does not arouse curiosity. Yet this is the great strength of Metroidvania: making you want to go back in time to unlock secret passages. This motivation does not exist in Tales of Kenzera: Zau. Everything collapses, like when you lose a loved one.