Another good metroidvania is born.
Before Steam Next Fest wrapped up, I got to try out another demo, this time of Tales of Kenzera: Zau, which Electronic Arts picked up for release under its EA Originals label. I was quite pleased with my first steps into the new Metroidvania.
The plot is simple enough, we take on the role of Zau, the son of an African shaman. It is the father we will try to save from the clutches of death. However, the narrative serves the plot well, from the very beginning the words of the hero and his guide have weight, and there is no shortage of sympathetic humor, which works also thanks to good acting. He voiced the main character Abubakar Salim, whom you may know as Bayek from Assassin’s Creed, the god Eros from last year’s Stray Gods series or the Father from the Raising by Wolves series. However, in this case, he is also the creative director of the development and the founder of the studio Surgent, which debuts with Tales of Kenzera: Zau.
Africa and African mythology bring a new environment and motifs.
The pleasant style and unique atmosphere also contribute to a great first impression. We move on two planes, but in a three-dimensional world full of colors. It is not an unprecedented visual effect, but the original setting raises the game to a higher level. Africa and African mythology are still relatively unexplored, which brings fresh scenery and motifs.
However, you are probably most interested in the metroidvania, how it is played, what features it offers, what actions, movements, level design… The demo certainly does not reveal everything that the developers have hidden up their sleeve, but what it does show looks very solid. The movements are fast, pleasant, without jamming and immediately go into the blood. Double jump, wall jump and dash are available from the very beginning. It seems that instead of new moves, we will eventually unlock abilities that will open new paths. In the demo, such an ability was freezing water, followed by the ability to jump up waterfalls.
Each mask has its own development tree, and you will need to carefully choose which skill points to invest in.
In a similar way smoothly Combat works, too. The hero’s key ability is using a pair of masks, each providing different attacks. The Moon Mask offers light attacks at range, a death ray as a special attack, and only a strong attack can be used up close. The Sun Mask, on the other hand, is designed for close combat. You can freely switch between masks in combat, but each has its own development tree, and you will probably have to carefully choose which skill points to invest in.
In the demo, I didn’t encounter any real puzzles, I just had to find the right path or move a box a few times. Conversely, in the special challenge, I had to repeat a certain passage to finally time all the jumps and dashes correctly and earn the coveted ability. There were other deadly traps waiting for me here and there.
Overall, I liked the level design as well, but I think more about the specific ideas than the map, which I think will only be properly revealed in the full game. In the demo, the game led me along in a relatively linear fashion, with one backtrack at the end. However, it was not yet an open or semi-open world in the typical Metroidvania style.
From the very beginning of Tales of Kenzera: Zau, I have a very good feeling about it. I like the theme, the setting, the audiovisual aspect and the gameplay. As with other representatives of the genre, the most important thing is whether the game can expand on the themes, the story and the possibilities of movement and combat enough to entertain them throughout the game. The developers are on the right track, and if they stick to it, we will be able to see another great platformer in April.
Source :Indian TV
