Tales of Kenzera: ZAU Is a Beautiful Tale of Grief That Swept Me Away

“Every story begins at the end of another.”

These are the quotable, introspective words that open Surgent Studios' debut game, Tales Of Kenzera: ZAU. It was the first of many lines of dialogue (performed exquisitely by a talented cast of voice actors) that kept me enraptured throughout this wonderful little Metroidvania.

There are plenty of reasons why I’d recommend Tales. Learning to master its complex platforming, clever combat mechanics and satisfying skill tree is a total joy. Its refreshingly original premise, afro-futurist setting, and charismatic characters are unlike anything else you’ve played before. And its mercifully short runtime ensures that every new power and major set piece is given the right amount of time to shine across its four acts.

But above all those great reasons, it's Tales’ poignant story about loss and the personal, often arduous growing pains of overcoming grief that truly stands out. Even a somewhat frustrating penultimate act wasn’t enough to sour me on the conclusion of this heartfelt journey through the human condition.

All-Heart

Tales Of Kenzara: ZAU features two parallel narratives. The game opens in the futuristic African city of Amani. Here, we’re introduced to Zuberi, a young man grappling with the loss of his father. In this tight, concise opening you learn about how close Zuberi was to his father, and what this loss means to his family. In the throes of his grief, his mother suggests reading a story written by his dad.

The story follows Zau, a shaman from the great lands of Kenzera, in the aftermath of his own father’s passing. Still reeling from his loss, Zau sets out to bring his “baba” back from the dead by performing a perilous ritual with help from the wise god of the dead, Kalunga.

Most of Tales takes place within Zau’s story, which holds some obvious significance to a grieving Zuberi. It’s an interesting narrative conceit that managed to keep me invested in both of its protagonists. Grief being such a universal experience, I found Zuberi and Zau to be relatable leads. Many of the questions, fears, and doubts that Zau in particular expressed were the same ones I did after both my grandparents passed away. Its clear that Tales is rooted deeply in people’s actual experience of losing a loved one, and that comes across clearly in its believable, at times understandably flawed characters.

My only grumble with Tales’ overall story is that we don’t get to see more of the gorgeous city Amani, which takes a backseat to the ancient lands of Kenzera.

Speaking of Kenzera, Surgent Studios did a fantastic job creating a cohesive, believable world despite its 2D trappings. In most open or elevated areas, the game plays with perspective, stretching and warping backgrounds to properly convey the scope of Zau’s trek into great caverns, up towering mountains, through unforgiving marshes, and across vast, sweltering deserts. The sprawling, interconnected map winds itself into interesting shapes, with locations situated in positions relative to where these environments would sit in this fictional landmass.

Each of Kenzara’s biomes is distinct in its color palette and level hazards. They each also reflect an aspect of Zau’s emotional struggle. Lava pits bubble and burst in fury and frustration, while the shadowy vegetation of the swamplands at night obscure the sense of security and safety his father once provided.

Every corner of Kenzera has been carefully thought through, and that attention to detail goes a long way in making it a setting I hope Surgent Studios returns to in a future spinoff or sequel. (The game’s title certainly suggests this is just our first tale from Kenzara.) Nainita Desai’s sweeping score, influenced by musical traditions and sounds from the African diaspora, also deserves a shout bringing together the sense of place.

A Dance of the Sun and Moon

How the player goes about exploring these levels is what makes up one of Tales Of Kenzera: ZAU’s two gameplay pillars. Any good Metroidvania lives and dies by how it controls, and Tales succeeds with flying colors. Zau is nimble, with the ability to dash, double jump, wall bounce all controlled with ease. Powers that he earns along the way, like gliding and the grappling hook, all layer on the right amount of responsive variation to the levels to keep walking from one end of the map to the other fresh. Tales might not be reinventing the wheel, but it’s made a sturdy new one from scratch.

The other pillar is combat. Zau’s two masks give him access to ranged and close-quarters attacks, which you can switch between on the fly. The moon mask allows him to aim, shoot, and use a powerful smash attack; while the sun mask gives him a light and strong attack for basic combos. The two options give the player room to get creative. Being able to shoot an enemy on approach, switch to the sun mask when close enough for a strong uppercut, and then leap into the air to follow with some light air juggling attacks before smashing them back to the ground is gratifying when it comes together.

Unfortunately, this pillar isn’t as sturdy as the graceful jumping sections. At its best, Tales’ can be compared to something like Super Smash Bros., requiring a mastery over player positioning, the knowledge of experience to know what attacks to use when, and the ability to predict what attacks your enemies are about to unleash. When the game balances the right mix of enemies, this can be demanding, but fair in its challenge.

However, particularly in Act 3, Tales seems less concerned with striking this balance. On more than one occasion, enemies were too numerous and bunched together to fight effectively. It’s nearly impossible to strategize what attacks to use when smaller enemies are standing within the hitbox of a larger, more powerful threat. Homing attacks and projectiles from flying enemies hovering offscreen can feel like an unfair pile-on when you’re dealing with close-ranged specialists spamming unblockable attacks. And even after upgrading both masks’ basic attack, shielded enemies still feel a bit too resistant.

During some of the final multi-stage encounters in Act 3, I found myself cheesing enemies with projectiles and strong attacks, as engaging with the combat mechanics felt like an unnecessary frustration. Much of this annoyance could have been avoided with a decent parry mechanic for incoming melee strikes. Instead, Tales leans on a dash for avoiding the enemy, which can be a bit too unwieldy in more cramped combat arenas.

There is a narrative justification for how oppressive the final moments of Act 3 can feel, which I can appreciate. But it's a little disappointing that there wasn’t a more creative and intentional way to ramp up the difficulty.

A Tale of Remembrance

Once you’re out of the woods of a hellacious third act, the game thankfully recesses back into its strengths. Its closing hour focuses less on amping up the gameplay and more on putting a well-crafted bow on the entire experience. Even in its final encounter, Tales dovetails a deeply powerful conclusion that resonates both mechanically and narratively. It’s an expert bit of pacing and restraint that far too many games today fumble close to the finish. Paired with powerful lines of dialogue that really hammer home the full-circle nature of Zau and Zuberi’s growth, Tales is a gold standard in how developers can stick the landing without getting in their own way.

As the credits rolled, I sat in front of my television, swept away. Tales Of Kenzera is an emotively brilliant game. It’s a stunningly beautiful love letter to a universal experience. It feels personal in a way few other games do, not only because of its direct narrative ties to Surgent Studios founder Abubakar Salim’s own well-documented experience with loss, but because of a confidence in putting its narrative and its world building at the forefront. I found it impossible to not reflect on how I grieved for my grandparents after their passing and my difficult journey towards acceptance. In turn, I was genuinely happy to see both Zau and Zuberi get the closure one finds at the end of that difficult road. Any video game that can pull that kind of introspection and self-examination out of a player is a very special one.

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.

8/10

Tales Of Kenzera: Zau launches April 23 on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation+, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.

INVERSE VIDEO GAME REVIEW ETHOS: Every Inverse video game review answers two questions: Is this game worth your time? Are you getting what you pay for? We have no tolerance for endless fetch quests, clunky mechanics, or bugs that dilute the experience. We care deeply about a game’s design, world-building, character arcs, and storytelling come together. Inverse will never punch down, but we aren’t afraid to punch up. We love magic and science-fiction in equal measure, and as much as we love experiencing rich stories and worlds through games, we won’t ignore the real-world context in which those games are made.