Tales of Kenzera: Zau Reviews
Check out Tales of Kenzera: Zau Review Scores from trusted Critics below. With 28 reviews on CriticDB, Tales of Kenzera: Zau has a score of:
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is a triumph for Surgent Studios. The team has clearly thought long and hard about how to best depict this tale of grief and has presented it in a way that perfectly parses how it feels to come to terms with the loss of a loved one.
Read Full Review
There has been a large resurgence of metroidvania’s lately, and to be honest, I’m here for it. We’ve been getting fantastic games like Blasphemous 2, Metroid Dread, Ender Lilies, and even larger publishers are getting in on it with the recent Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. Now EA is stepping up to the plate with Tales of Kenzera: Zau, using its EA Originals publishing arm that supports promising indie games. Tales of Kenzera: Zau caught my eye when it was announced at the 2023 Ga...
Read Full Review
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is the debut project of Surgent Studios, a multimedia studio created by Abubakar Salim, who voiced protagonist Bayek in Assassin’s Creed Origins. The titular Zau is a young shaman who journeys through a short but tight Metroidvania world to return his beloved dad (‘baba‘) from the land of death. Inspired by Salim’s own journey of grief stemming from the death of his father from cancer, the game offers a rare portrayal of genuine African mythology, traditions, an...
Read Full Review
Tales Of Kenzera: ZAU is a solid debut title from Surgent Studios, with its strongest aspects coming from the art style, world design and a truly impactful story. It's gameplay however lacks the same depth, and doesn't do enough to set itself apart in a genre crowded with some of the best games ever made.
Read Full Review
The premise of Tales of Kenzera Zau is simple at its core, but wrapped in a more complicated story: Zuberi is a young man who has just lost his father to illness, reading the last story his father ever wrote.
Read Full Review
Tales of Kenzera: Zau delivers a genuinely touching and heartfelt story in a rich and mystical world, even if it lets itself down with its combat, platforming, and design.
Read Full Review
Despite issues with its difficulty balance and some of the elements of the metroidvania genre, Tales of Kenzera: Zau is still a promising start for Surgent Studios, with its smooth, fast gameplay, astounding world, engrossing story and jaw-dropping visuals. Hopefully we'll be returning to Kenzera sometime in the future, because no matter what form any future tales may take, there's a ton of potential here and a lot of fun to be had.
Read Full Review
When it comes to action RPGs, most games are focused on the elements of combat and exploration. The story often feels secondary, tacked on or irrelevant. Tales of Kenzera: Zau is one of those rare games that strikes a near-perfect balance between engaging action and a genuinely heartfelt and emotionally rich narrative. For that reason — and many others — Tales of Kenzera: Zau is worth looking at for fans of the 2.5 action RPG/Metroidvania genre.
Read Full Review
Tales of Kenzera: Zau is a bold first outing from developer Surgent Studio. While not without flaws, this well-crafted Metroidvania should delight fans of the genre as well as those who love a heartfelt story.
Read Full Review
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is an incredible dance of art, storytelling and the things we do when faced with grief.
Read Full Review
Surgent Studios' debut game, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, is another incredible EA Originals title.
Read Full Review
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is an emotional rollercoaster that doubles as a Metroidvania with edge, at $20 it is a must play title for everyone.
Read Full Review
Embark on a poignant single-player story shaped by actor Abubakar Salim’s own experience with grief, discovering how love gives us the courage to press on after devastating loss. As Zau, you must face your own emotions to become a worthy Nganga: a spiritual healer. PC version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes.
Read Full Review
A polished Metroidvania infused with Africana, whose linearity and overreliance on rote-learning action sequences undermine its otherwise high standards.
Read Full Review
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is an ambitious game, and this kind of endeavour should be applauded and encouraged. Seeking to harness the difficult topic of grief in the form of a Metroidvania was always a big ask. Unfortunately, on this occasion, it proved a challenge that simply hasn’t been met.
Read Full Review
Ultimately, this coincides with the game’s campaign, which sees the protagonist going through the stages of grief and, by doing so, gaining more power. Even if the challenges to overcome become progressively tougher – be they in terms of combat or exploration – Zau is also growing more accustomed to himself and his surroundings. There is always some poetry within the blending of how gameplay mechanics evolve with the story, and Tales of Kenzera: ZAU does this with excellence. The game doesn’t reinvent the wheel with its gameplay, but it sets itself apart from other metroidvania entries all the same...
Read Full Review
That's because it's the storytelling where Surgent Studios shines. The best example of this is in the game's boss battles with the Great Spirits. Mechanically, there's nothing particularly innovative at work, but the narrative beats that lead up to them are what will prove most memorable. One example involves the game's second boss, which I won't spoil here, but the moments leading up to it are some of the best moments in the game. The imagery put forward and the performances delivered were stellar, even if the eventual boss fight itself couldn't reach those same heights.
Read Full Review
Legends of Kenzera: ZAU is a triumph of storytelling. It's immersive and thoughtful in every element of Zau's journey. But the narrative, for all of its impact, doesn't stand alone. Instead, the difficulty and complexity of traversing Kenzera complement and add a tactile nature to the emotional endeavor of moving through grief.
Read Full Review
Tales of Kenzera: Zau is a triumphant debut for Surgent Studios. At $20, and available on day one for PlayStation+ subscribers, any fan of the action-platformer genre would do well to check it out. Zau’s journey through loss will stick with me for a long time, and the excellent gameplay already has me itching to play through it all again.
Read Full Review
Third act woes aren’t enough to overshadow an otherwise fantastic game. From its gorgeous world, stellar writing and voice acting, and score that’s already on the short list of 2024’s best, Tales of Kenzera is a game I recommend wholeheartedly to anyone who believes in the medium’s ability to evoke very real, and above all very human, emotional experiences.
Read Full Review
It is always cool to see a new studio coming forth with a title made of unbound love and passion, and Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is one such game. For those who are unfamiliar, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is a single-player Metroidvania by newly formed Surgent Studios – founded by Abubakar Salim, who many may recognize as the voice of Bayek in Assassin’s Creed Origins.
Read Full Review
Tales of Kenzera: Zau is an impressively built Metroidvania game that weaves enjoyable gameplay and deep emotional storytelling.
Read Full Review
In Tales of Kenzera: Zau, the debut game from Surgent Studios, the use of the word "Tales" is more literal than it initially seems. To kick off the events of the game, protagonist Zuberi reads a book written by his late father about a place called Kenzera. He uses fiction to cope with his grief, just as the player might do with the plot of the game, and as the studio founder, who lost his father as well, did when creating the story to begin with. While combat and map design in Tales of Kenzera falters at times, this strong...
Read Full Review
“Tales of Kenzera: Zau is more effective as a moving reflection on grief than as a Metroidvania.”
Read Full Review
Tales of Kenzera: Zau is a Metroidvania full of heart and soul. With its engaging combat, sublime soundtrack and story that grabs your attention from the get-go, fans of the genre should consider this a must-have.
Read Full Review
Tales Of Kenzera has a sensitive story and is beautifully designed, with an intriguing world to explore - but some imprecision lets it down in the platforming and combat. It's still more than worth a go for players looking for something fresh.
Read Full Review
Fluid gameplay, challenging puzzles, and a heart wrenching story — all wrapped up in a roughly 8 hour journey that will rest with you for far longer. My hope is that Tales of Kenzera: ZAU inspires other developers to explore the stories of Africa with as much love as Surgent Studios. I’m certainly yearning for more.
Read Full Review