When crafting “Tales of Kenzera: Zau,” Abubakar Salim thought of his father who passed away from cancer 10 years ago. The founder of Surgent Studios said his father believed that dead is dead, and that he didn’t want his son to spend time dwelling on his end.

That didn’t happen. Salim established a game studio, gathering a team of 30 to create a video game that’s a tribute to his father. “Tales of Kenzera” not only brings to life the Bantu culture of his father’s native Kenya, but it also carries part of Salim’s story. It’s about a boy named Keberi, who is mourning the death of his father. He searches through his late parent’s belongings and discovers a book he had written about Zau, a shaman of Amandla.

MAKING A DEAL

That’s the video game’s narrative frame as players mainly control Zau, who has made a deal with Kalunga, the god of death. If the young shaman can exorcise three great spirits who refuse to move on, then Kalunga would return his Baba back to Zau. That journey takes the young man through three realms that will test players’ combat and platforming skills in this Metroidvania-style adventure.

As Zau, players start off with the Sun and Moon masks. The Sun Mask specializes in powerful melee combat while the Moon Mask lets the protagonist attack from afar with projectiles. In combat, players need to switch between the two masks and use them strategically while dashing to avoid enemy attacks.

The masks have their own strengths and add powers over time. The Moon Mask can freeze foes so that players can switch to the more powerful Sun Mask to deal major damage. In other scenarios, players will have to match the mask to the color of foes’ Spirit Shields to break to defeat them. It may sound simple but when dealing with a several flying adversaries and shield-toting warriors, it becomes hectic.

Thankfully, combat does grow easier over time as players earn Ulogi soul energy from defeated foes and use those to earn Shaman Points. Players spend that resource on upgrades to Zau’s attacks to make them more powerful.

PLATFORMING AS TOUGH AS COMBAT

The interplay between masks also extends to the platforming. For example, an acquired power lets Zau destroy barriers when he has the Sun Mask and rebuild temporary platforms with his Moon Mask. Players will have to switch and activate the masks while jumping around a level. Elsewhere, a fiery spear for the Sun Mask is needed to activate switches that open doors, but players will have to race to the opening before time runs out.

Similar to other Metroidvania titles, areas are gated and they can be accessed via assorted powers, but for Zau, they’re hidden away in the Shaman Shrines scattered around the world. Other abilities include a glide that lets him jump longer distances, a directional dash and the ability to lasso anchor points to zip to other areas. It takes a lot of time to master these moves because they’re so dependent on timing and positioning. At times, players will want to throw the controller or pull their hair out because of the learning curve.

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