Tales of Kenzera™: ZAU

Critic reviews

• ZTGD

  Terrence Johnson · May 10, 2024

  7.5

  By far and away the best thing about Tales of Kenzera: Zau is its narrative, Surgent Studios have proven themselves to be quite the masterful storytellers. A story tackling grief, acceptance and loss is rare in this day and age and the team have done extremely well of making it relatable. Not only that but the world and imagery in Kenzera is some of the best I’ve seen and I hope that this is just the beginning for these tales of Kenzera, as I am certainly ready for more.

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• Checkpoint Gaming

  Edie W-K · May 05, 2024

  7.5

  Tales of Kenzara: ZAU is a strong debut title for Surgent Studios, offering a short but solid Metroidvania experience. It’s limited by its small scope, and is a little formulaic, but that won’t stop you from enjoying the tight combat and gorgeous visuals. Pick this one up and enjoy the heartfelt, emotional story in a beautifully rendered setting that doesn’t see enough limelight.

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• Level Up

  Víctor Rosas · May 04, 2024

  7.5

  Pese a sus limitaciones y fallas, la combinación entre el sistema de combate, algunos acertijos y retos en plataformas, así como las batallas con los jefes son suficientes para seguir adelante y ver si el dios de la muerte cumple su palabra. Como obra que honra las raíces africanas, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU es un título llamativo y que encuentra su lugar dentro de un género por demás competitivo y con un sinfín de juegos.

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• MondoXbox

  Giuseppe Genga · May 01, 2024

  7.5

  Tales of Kenzera: ZAU è un buon action-platformer dal grande impatto emotivo, che sa però di occasione sprecata per via un approccio troppo leggero alle meccaniche metroidvania. Il platforming è di ottimo livello così come il comparto visivo risulta essere molto piacevole, mentre il gameplay può risultare talvolta frustrante a causa di qualche bug e problema di precisione nei controlli. Rimane comunque una piacevole esperienza per gli amanti del genere, con la quale passare poco meno di una decina d'ore.

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• PlayStation Universe

  David Carcasole · Apr 29, 2024

  7.0

  Tales Of Kenzera: ZAU is a solid debut title from Surgent Studios, with its strongest aspects coming from the art style, world design and a truly impactful story. It's gameplay however lacks the same depth, and doesn't do enough to set itself apart in a genre crowded with some of the best games ever made.

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• NintendoLife

  Ollie Reynolds · Apr 26, 2024

  6.0

  Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is a decent game, but it sits in the shadow of much better Metroidvanias on the Switch. We love the setting and storyline, but as Surgent Studios' first stab at what has proven to be a wildly popular genre over the years, it struggles to set itself apart with rather bland exploration and repetitive combat. Coupled with compromised visuals and performance on Switch, veterans of the genre may want to give this one a miss. For newcomers, however, the breezy gameplay might make for a nice introduction to Metroidvanias.

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