Tales Of Kenzera: Zau – Review (PS5)

This is why we do what we do. Games are an art form. They speak much deeper than a lot of other mediums because they ask for a participation that is ACTIVE. You can move and anger people – create a sense of escape or provide deeper understanding. That’s its power.

– Abubakar Salim, creative director of Tales Of Kenzera: Zau 

I battled with how I wanted to start this review. I feel as though that quote sums up the amount of passion and care that was placed into this game. Not a perfect game by any means, but one that the team should feel proud to have made and should use as a step to continue to create games and tell the stories they want to. A solid debut title for Surgent Studios. 

Zau is a young Shaman who goes on a journey to collect 3 spirits and offer them to the God of Death, Kalunga. In return for this, Kalunga has agreed to bring back Zau’s father from death. Not being a super huge lore/story person, as I’ve stated in previous reviews, this story was a little more compelling haven’t recently lost my father in my own life. I don’t want to spend too much time on the story at this point but rather sprinkle it in as we talk about the other elements of the game.

The Sun and The Moon

Let’s talk about the combat. To start the game you are given two masks, one of the moon and one of the sun. The moon mask is used primarily for long-range combat while the sun mask is used primarily for close range. You can swap back and forth between them pretty seamlessly and fluidly allowing for creativity and combos right from the beginning of the game. As you kill enemies and find Ulogi Crystals, you collect what is called Ulogi. Ulogi is gained to earn Shaman Points which you then use to upgrade Zau’s masks unlocking different moves and making them stronger throughout the playthrough.

Very early on using the masks is pretty rewarding. You can tackle every enemy and challenge you encounter in the game and I never felt like I needed another tool to be able to beat any enemy along the journey. It’s a double-edged sword however, since I felt as though I could beat any enemy I faced with the base tools I had at my disposal, I never felt the need to explore too many of the other skills and abilities I unlocked. Only when I intentionally thought about using the other abilities to explore combat a little deeper did I realize the amount of cool combos and flashy combat you could perform with what seems like a very simple combat system. 

Juggling enemies, freezing them mid-air, and jumping up using the sun mask to light enemies on fire before then slamming them into the ground to finish them with super was very satisfying. Only after I made the conscious effort to do so. 

The Spirits of Kenzera

The enemies that you get to run through in the game are from a limited pool. The kicker with them though that adds variety and makes the enemy encounters feel different is the spiritual shields. You can think of the spiritual shields as armor that you have to knock off, to be able to damage and defeat enemies. There are 3 different types, a neutral one where any type of attack can lower it. Followed by one representing the sun and one representing the moon in which the specific masks have to be used to break the shield.   

The constant changing of the spiritual shields between enemies, in different scenarios, with different combinations kept the combat engaging for the majority of the game. Again, I do have to emphasize that for others it may not seem like much is different even with the added layer since you do fight the same types of enemies quite often. 

Boss battles shined for me. The larger-than-life bosses throw a myriad of obstacles in the way that require you to use your abilities effectively and situationally. Boss fights were the most enjoyable part of the game for me without a doubt outside of the general platforming that the game requires in the traversal of the map. The boss fights also have significance that ties into the overarching theme and plot of the story and helps reign in the big picture at the conclusion.  

Realm of the Dead

Lastly, let’s finish with the platforming. The platforming in the game is simple yet effective in how entertaining it is. Scenarios that require you to outrun or catch up to something take away from the mindless act of platforming just to advance the story. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed using my abilities to get around and get to previous parts of the map that were unattainable at the first encounter. 

Some of the platforming abilities also come in handy with the boss fights as well, adding another layer and use case to them besides their obvious intention. Again, you may feel that it is nothing special but for me, I enjoyed traversing through the map to get where I needed almost as much as fighting and completing the story itself. 

There are even challenge spots on the map that when completed give you extra rewards to use to upgrade yourself even further. Each challenge spot I came across was almost always related to platforming in some aspect, adding a tiny bit of pressure and fulfillment upon completion. 

The only negative to the platforming in the game that I have to make sure to mention was a bug that happened when you paused the game. After resuming the game Zau would be frozen for a second or two before being able to move again. In some situations, it’s not a huge deal but in others, it did make a significant difference whether it was combat or a platforming segment in which you can’t move at your own pace. I do believe since writing the review though, that a patch has been released to address this issue and some other minor issues, thus improving it even more for those who play after the patch. 

Final Verdict

All in all Tales Of Kenzera: Zau is a game that I recommend you play. From the story, to the combat, to the visuals and gameplay. Surgent Studios has a solid debut game that has me keeping tabs on when they release another game. It is fairly priced and is also available on PlayStation Plus, giving it even more value and more of a reason to play. Passion and care go a long way in the world of gaming and it is always refreshing to see individuals bring their visions to fruition. With learned lessons and even more experience, I believe they can build upon the foundation from Zau and create an even greater, more detailed, and polished experience as time goes on. I enjoyed my playthrough of Zau and am going back in for the platinum when I find the time, I can promise you that!