Wield the dance of the shaman. Reclaim your father’s spirit. Brave the beautiful and treacherous land of Kenzera with the God of Death in Tales of Kenzera™: ZAU, a metroidvania-style adventure crafted by Surgent Studios.
The fluid and responsive platforming is the core of the gameplay experience. Players take control of Zau, a young shaman, and navigate the interconnected world of Kenzera using a variety of movement abilities. The game starts players off with a double jump and dash, providing a strong foundation for the platforming.
As players progress, they unlock more traversal abilities such as wall-running, air dashing, and the ability to switch between two masks - the Sun mask and the Moon mask. The Sun mask focuses on melee combat, while the Moon mask excels in ranged attacks. Switching between these masks during platforming and combat sequences becomes a key part of the gameplay loop, allowing players to adapt to different challenges.
The combat system revolves around understanding enemy weaknesses and using the appropriate mask to break their defenses. Players can chain together various attacks and abilities from the Sun and Moon masks to take down enemies. Reviewers describe the combat as snappy and enjoyable, with a satisfying flow. As players progress, they unlock a variety of skills and abilities that can be customized through a skill tree system. These upgrades enhance Zau's combat prowess, as well as his traversal capabilities, allowing for more fluid and efficient movement through the game world.
While the game is more linear in its level design, the exploration aspect is still present. Each new ability unlocked opens up new areas to discover, and players are encouraged to backtrack and revisit previous locations to uncover hidden secrets, optional challenges, and collectibles. The progression system is satisfying, with players acquiring spirit orbs to level up Zau and unlock new skills or enhance existing ones. The upgrades feel meaningful and impactful, contributing to the overall sense of growth and empowerment as the player advances through the game.
The level design is praised for its visual appeal and cohesive world-building, with varied biomes and a strong Afro-futuristic aesthetic. The platforming challenges, while not overly complex, are well-designed and encourage players to utilize their full repertoire of movement abilities. Some reviewers have noted that the game features "Celeste-style" jump puzzles, where players must time their jumps and dashes precisely to overcome obstacles. These platforming challenges, while not the game's primary focus, provide a satisfying layer of difficulty for more experienced players seeking a greater challenge.
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