# Tales of Kenzera: Zau

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is a 2024 Metroidvania video game developed by Surgent Studios and published by Electronic Arts, under its EA Originals label. The game was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on 23 April 2024. Upon release, it received positive reviews from critics.

## Gameplay

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU follows the story of a young shaman named Zau, who must capture the spirits of three monsters as offerings to Kalunga, the God of Death, who promises to revive his father. Zau is very athletic, being able to double jump, wall jump and dash through air. Zau is equipped with two weapons: the sun mask and the moon mask. The sun mask allows Zau to deal melee damage up close, while the moon mask enables him to damage enemies from afar. Both masks have their own distinct upgrade paths. As players defeat enemies, they will collect "Ulogi", a form of soul energy that can be used to purchase new skills for Zau. Tales of Kenzera is a 2.5D Metroidvania game. Players will gradually gain new skills, enabling them to unlock new paths to progress.

## Development and release

Abubakar Salim, who is most known for being the voice actor for Bayek in Assassin's Creed Origins, is the game's creative lead. He founded Surgent Studios in 2019, and Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is the studio's debut project. Tales of Kenzera was inspired by Salim's own experience of grief over the loss of his father. The game was heavily inspired by Bantu cultures and Salim's own experience with tribal groups while filming Raised by Wolves in South Africa. The story was also inspired by tabletop role-playing games, with Critical Role Productions assisting the game's development. Nainita Desai served as the game's composer. Salim described the game's soundtracks as a mix of synth, electric sounds and African traditional music, and compared it to the music from Black Panther and Tenet.
Surgent Studios (then known as Silver Rain Games) announced that it had partnered with publisher Electronic Arts for the development of a new game in March 2021. Tales of Kenzera: ZAU was officially announced by Salim at The Game Awards 2023 in December 2023. It was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S under the EA Originals publishing label on 23 April 2024.

## Reception

Aggregate score :
| Aggregator | Score |
| Metacritic | PC: 76/100 PS5: 76/100 XSXS: 76/100 NS: 71/100 |
Review scores :
| Publication | Score |
| Digital Trends | 3.5/5 |
| Eurogamer | 4/5 |
| Game Informer | 7.5/10 |
| GameSpot | 8/10 |
| IGN | 7/10 |
| Nintendo Life | 6/10 |
| PC Gamer (US) | 73/100 |
| Push Square | 5/10 |
| Shacknews | 8/10 |
| Video Games Chronicle | 3/5 |
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU received "generally favorable" reviews from critics according to review aggregator website Metacritic.

### Impact

In July 2024, Surgent Studios laid off "just over a dozen" employees.

### Awards and accolades

Accolades for Tales of Kenzera: Zau :
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
| 2024 | The Game Awards 2024 | Games for Impact | Nominated |
| 2025 | New York Game Awards 2024 | Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game | Nominated |
| 2025 | New York Game Awards 2024 | Statue of Liberty Award for Best World | Nominated |
| 2025 | New York Game Awards 2024 | Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game (Abubakar Salim) | Nominated |
| 2025 | Game Audio Network Guild Awards | Best Audio for an Indie Game | Pending |
| 2025 | Game Audio Network Guild Awards | Best Dialogue for An Indie Game | Pending |
| 2025 | Game Audio Network Guild Awards | Best Music for an Indie Game | Pending |
| 2025 | Game Audio Network Guild Awards | Best Original Soundtrack Album | Pending |
| 2025 | Game Audio Network Guild Awards | Music of the Year | Pending |
| 2025 | 25th Game Developers Choice Awards | Social Impact | Honorable mention |
| 2025 | 21st British Academy Games Awards | Debut Game | Pending |
| 2025 | 21st British Academy Games Awards | Game Beyond Entertainment | Pending |