Tales of Kenzera: Zau Is It Worth?
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is an upcoming Metroidvania game developed by Surgent Studios and published by Electronic Arts under its EA Originals label. The game is set to be released for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox X and S on 23rd April 2024. Currently, the price of the game is 17,99€ and there is a free demo. I’ve played the demo for around an hour and here are some things about the game.
Gameplay
The young Shaman of Amandla named Zau struggles to come to terms with the loss of his Baba(father). In his moments of despair, he summons a God of Death, Kalunga and he makes a deal with him. He’ll bring three spirits who evaded death in exchange for his father’s soul. And if he fails to bring them then he too belongs to Kalunga. Before his death, his father entrusted him with two masks which play a critical role in his mission. The first mask is a mask of the moon, which allows him to deal ranged damage to his opponents. And second one is the mask of the sun, which deals melee damage. Both weapons can be upgraded as we progress deeper into the game. Another thing about weapons is that you can switch them seamlessly at any point and possibly create a bunch of wild combos.
Besides the usual fighting, there will be a lot of parkour. You can jump, double jump, climb various terrains including a waterfall(when you freeze it), and also use a dash to go through the mentioned waterfall. The dash can also be used to evade enemies and projectiles they throw at you.
Graphics and audio
Tales of Kenzera: Zau has a very colorful and beautifully designed world. The colors of the game match the newest Prince of Persia almost perfectly, well at least in the free demo. The audio also looks like it was nicely done. The only thing that’s more on the basic side is the monsters I fought which I hope will be better in full game.
Final thoughts
I must admit that I’ve enjoyed this short demo more than I thought I would. Also, I feel that this game flew under everyone’s radar and they’ll be missing on it. Who knows, I might be wrong, I hope I’m. To the question of the is it worth it, I would definitely say yes. I mean the price of the game is more than reasonable, might even call it a steal if we compare it to some other games that look way worse than Tales of Kenzera: Zau. Lastly, I’ll say it again, there is a free demo. So you might as well go and check it out for yourself. Who knows, you might end up liking it, I know I did.
