Before the end of Steam Next Fest, I was able to try out another demo, this time Tales of Kenzera: Zau, which Electronic Arts has chosen to release under its EA Originals label. I was quite pleased with my first steps in the new metroidvania.
The plot is quite simple, we take on the role of Zaw, the son of an African shaman. It is the father that 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 carry weight, while there is no shortage of sympathetic humor, which works thanks in part to good acting. He voiced the main character Abubakar Salim, who you may know as Bayek from Assassin’s Creed, the god Eros from last year’s Stray Gods series, or Father from the Raising by Wolves series. However, in this case, he is also the creative director of development and the founder of the Surgent studio, which will debut with Tales of Kenzera: Zau.
Africa and African mythology introduce new environments and motifs.
The pleasant style and unique atmosphere also contribute to a great first impression. We move in two planes, but in a three-dimensional world full of colors. It’s not an unprecedented visual experience, but the original setting takes the game to a higher level. Africa and African mythology are still relatively unexplored and introduce new settings and motifs.
However, what you’re probably most interested in is metroidvania, how it’s played, what features it offers, what actions, moves, level design… The demo, of course, doesn’t reveal everything the developers have hidden up their sleeves, but what it does. show me, it 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 up new paths. In the demo version, this ability became freezing water with the subsequent ability to jump up waterfalls.
Each mask has its own progression tree, and you’ll need to carefully choose which skill points to invest in.
Likewise smoothly combat works too. The hero’s key ability is the use of a pair of masks, each of which provides different attacks. Luna Mask offers light attacks at range, death ray as a special attack, and only the strong attack can be used up close. On the other hand, the sun mask is designed for close combat. You can freely switch between masks in battle, but each has its own progression tree, and you’ll likely have to carefully choose which skill points to invest in.
In the demo I didn’t encounter any real puzzles, I only had to find the right path or move a box a few times. Conversely, in a special test I had to repeat a certain passage in order to finally time all the jumps and dashes correctly and earn the coveted ability. Other deadly traps awaited me here and there.
Overall I liked the level design too, but I’m thinking more about specific ideas than the map, which I think will only be revealed properly in the full game. In the demo, the game took me relatively linearly, and at the end I was faced with one backtrack. 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 love the theme, setting, audiovisual aspect and gameplay. As with other entries in the genre, what matters most is whether the game can expand on its themes, story, and movement and combat options enough to keep them entertained throughout the game. The developers are on the right track, and if they stick to it, we can expect another great platformer in April.
Source :Indian TV
