X
- E10+
- Electronic Arts
- E10+
- Electronic Arts
- E10+
- Electronic Arts
- E10+
- Electronic Arts
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU
Released On: Apr 23, 2024
76
8.0
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 56 Critic Reviews
76
61% Positive
34 Reviews
34 Reviews
34% Mixed
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 56 Critic Reviews
76
61% Positive
34 Reviews
34 Reviews
34% Mixed
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is a metroidvania that I really enjoyed and kept me motivated to keep pushing through it. I love the masterful use of color and music in the game, as well as the unique and heartfelt story. I was fascinated by the setting and the game’s mythology – it was new to me and I truly appreciated being exposed to a new mythos that is extremely underserved in gaming and other media. I enjoyed reading the additional background on everything in the game’s codex. The game’s title – “Tales of Kenzera” teasingly implies that there are more stories to be told here. I certainly hope that there are.
Tales of Kenzera: Zau is a delightful experience as it shows great respect for African culture and the Metroidvania genre from the beginning. The combat mechanics are entertaining and challenging, and the story is very emotive. We have a very satisfying game with some issues in its progression. However, it remains an experience that can be enjoyed anytime.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 254 User Ratings
8.0
76% Positive
192 Ratings
192 Ratings
6% Mixed
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
18% Negative
46 Ratings
46 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 254 User Ratings
8.0
76% Positive
192 Ratings
192 Ratings
6% Mixed
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
18% Negative
46 Ratings
46 Ratings
Great sidescroll platform game!
I have play with 100% completion and really enjoy it
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PlayStation 5
A visually stunning game with a powerful story. A strong central mission carries the game with lots of fun side tasks and events keeping it interesting throughout. Also has top-tier music and voiceovers. Definitely recommend.
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PlayStation 5
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is a beautiful game where the African's culture is its main attraction. It has nice level design and its playability is so good. But it's so huge and you don't have much to do.
As Tales of Kenzera reaches its natural conclusions and the woes of its crunchier challenges fall away, it’s hard to not be happy in the afterglow. Here’s a game that, while mechanically rather safe, takes huge personal and cultural swings, infusing the genre and industry writ large with almost singular emotional reflections and broader, deeply necessary, creative visions. If this is your genre, you’ll have a blast with its tight platforming and expressive combat, but even if it’s not, bite down and give it a go. We deserve more games like Tales of Kenzera: ZAU.
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.
The worst thing I can say about Tales of Kenzera: Zau is that it’s platforming and level designs are fun, clearly inspired by some of the best Metroidvanias around, but don’t really produce any moments that rival those inspirations. Its combat, though also simple and familiar, manages to sing thanks to a small but meaningfully offering of different skills and enemies. And that action is ultimately just a satisfying break from the main attraction: a truly moving tale about how to go on in this world when your loved ones have passed on to the next.
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU tells a touching, personal story of family, grief, and loss, but it's wrapped up in a game that makes appreciating that narrative a lot harder than it should be. A Metroidvania in only the most basic of ways, its combat and platforming are spoilt by basic design and structure, as well as controller issues and frustrating one-hit kills. At its best when left to simply tell its story, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU falters once you have to start playing.
Context here is important. This game was designed and conjured as a passion project from someone who has never made a game before. To do so and execute something that plays well and communicates what was intended is a feat.
It isn't the BEST metroidvana out there, and neither is it going to change your gaming experience. But it's one of the most expressive and emotional experiences I've come across.
If you look at Hellblade and how they achieved emotional potence through their experience, but not mechanically changed the game, THIS is where this game sits.
My opinion of course. But yes, wont be forgetting this game for a very long time.
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PlayStation 5
Tales of Kenzara: Zau is a great game with a great story but the fights are so boring and repetitive there is only few types of enemies. Not enough firing mechanics in the 3 act I was so bored because of that. Some mechanics in the game are broken and ruined all experience of the game. I want to recommend this game to new players in this genre others you can try but not everyone gonna like this game.
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PlayStation 5
Great game. Huge applause for the creator for turning his grief into a beautifully narrated tale that conveys a strong message. It inspired me a lot. The only issue is the absence of originality in the metroidvania genre. The gameplay should stand out from similar games
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PlayStation 5
C-tier Metroidvania. The combat is pretty boring and gets quite annoying later on because almost every enemy gets a shield before their actual health bar and you just deal so little damage that you feel totally ineffective. The platforming I liked much better, even though it isn't anything revolutionary, but there aren't that many challenging platforming sections in the game, sadly. Exploration is almost non-existent, the game pretty much always tells you where to go and there aren't really any alternative paths to take. So the whole Metroidvania feeling of getting a powerup and then coming to the conclusion "aaaaah, now I can go THERE" doesn't really exist. Also, the characters just never shut up, I don't think I have ever played a Metroidvania with this much incessant blathering, which outright destroys any chances of any type of deep atmosphere building up. The African cultural influences are cool, but then again, I'm not gonna read through mountains of flavour text to get all of that stuff. In conclusion, this is kind of like a "we have The Lost Crown at home" type situation. If you have thoroughly exhausted the Metroidvania genre, maybe give it a go, I guess. For me, it definitely wasn't good enough for me to keep playing until the end.
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PlayStation 5
I was really looking forward to playing this game. I played it on ps plus thankfully I did not buy it. it is not a hard game but the controls make it so, it’s the type of game that devs said “we don’t want to work on challenging enemies and interesting ones but let’s just f*ck up the controls so people say it is hard”. The controls made me feel like I’m playing with a broken controller although it is brand new. the world looks nice but it does not make up for the bad implementation of the game. Repetitive boring fights. Abilities are kind of similar to prince of persia it’s like they tried to copy the game, it is insulting for POP to be compared by kenzera. I absolutely did not want more of it, in fact I was glad I was done with it.
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PlayStation 5
Summary Wield the dance of the shaman. Reclaim your father’s spirit. Brave the beautiful and treacherous land of Kenzera with the God of Death in Tales of Kenzera™: ZAU, a metroidvania-style adventure crafted by Surgent Studios.
Rated E +10
for Everyone +10
Platforms:
- PlayStation 5
- Xbox Series X
- PC
- Nintendo Switch
Initial Release Date: Apr 23, 2024
Developer:
- Surgent Studios
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genres: