I may be a newcomer to the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Metroidvania genre, but thanks to games like 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Ori and the Blind Forest, and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Disney Illusion Island, it’s quickly emerged as one o♑f my favourites. I’m already a sucker for 2D platforming, but combine that with tight combat and an expansive map that encourages you to explore and experiment, and you’ve op🉐ened my heart and wallet.

Speaking of heart, one of the game✱s that I’ve most been looking forward to over the past few months is , a Metroidvania focused on exploring the themes of grief and loss in a beautiful world inspired by Bantu culture. , and after spending a few hours with it before its launch later this month, I’m even more excited to see how the full game turns out.

Tales of Kenzera: Zau tells the story of Zuberi, a young man in the distant future who is struggling with the loss of his father. While dealing with his grief, he com🏅es across a story written by his dad that focuses on Zau, a ওshaman from the past who is trying to revive his father’s spirit by working with Kalunga, the God of Death, to defeat three Great Spirits.

A Powerful Tale Of Grief, Loss, And Love

From the get-go, Zau and Zuberi’s struggle to deal with their father's passing is one that hits hard and one that will be relatable for us all. I’ve never experienced loss on the same scale as those two (or director Abubakar Salim, who based the game on his father’s passing), but Zuberi’s more sorrowful grief and Zau’s brash anger and pride both hit hard, are incredibly well-acted, and feel painfully real.

Abubakar Salim didn't just found Surgent Studio, as he also gives an incredible performance as Zau that makes him feel even more human.

I was expecting Tales of Kenzera’s exploration of loss to make the most impact give𒈔n its position as the game’s heart and soul, but what has stuck with me from my time with it so far is how human Zau feels. He’s a young man who has lost his whole world and it’s♍ clearly taken its toll on him, as he initially comes off as selfish, cocky, and closed off to anyone’s pain but his own.

Over time, though, his relationship with Kaܫlunga, who acts as his mentor, encourages him to open up and we get to see the funny, caring, and brave shaman underneath all the pain and sorrow that he’s feeling. I’ve only made my way through the first act of Tales of Kenzera so far, but I’m desperate to keep followiꦺng Zau on his emotional (and literal) journey.

Although Tales of Kenzera’s story is already set to be what🍷 stands out the most about it, its gameplay has a lot of heart and soul too. It’s a little too early to evaluate how it handles its Metroidvania structure, since I’ve only unlocked two abilities so far (one that let me freeze ice and another that let me throw a powerful spear to hit targets), but the platforming is smooth an🍎d satisfying, and I’ve naturally wanted to explore every nook and cranny of the so-far fairly linear world.

Tales of Kenzera: Zau also kindly tells you when you don't have the required ability to progress in an area, preventing you from wasting time with things you can't do yet.

That being said, from what I've played so far, it's been pretty easy to tell which way I'm supposed to be going and I've not seen too many branching paths like I'd expect from a Metroidvania. That seems likely to change as I get further in and unlock more abilities, but so far it's been a bit more linear than I'd like from the genre. Let's hope the inevitable triple-jump makes its way to me soon.

Dancing With The Sun And Moon

When you’re not running around the world of Kenzera, most of your time will be spent fighting against spirits by swapping between two distinct combat styles. The first, and considerably better based on what I’ve played, is the Moon Mask, which let✤s Zau shoot out ice projectiles and control battles from afar at the cost of up-close damage.

On the flip side is the fiery Sun Mask, which focuses on close-range melee combat (until you unlock a powerful spear, at least) that packs a punch but leaves Zau more open to getting clobbered himself. Swapping between these two masks is known as ‘the dance’, which is apt for how rhythmic combat starts to feel as you launch an enemy with a fiery uppercut from the Sun Mask and then ba♈tter them with freezing projectiles ღafter slipping on the Moon Mask.

The Sun Mask starts off without any projectile options, but one of the abilities you'll unlock early on is a heavy-hitting spear that makes it a much more viable option.

Although the combat initially surprised me with how quickly Zau could be taken out without careful dodging and an overreliance on the Moon Mask, after clearing the first boss it&rs✅quo;s taken a turn and is teetering towards being a little too easy and simplistic. I’m hopeful that later biomes and the introduction of new ab♛ilities will keep that from happening, but for now, it feels like it’s lacking a little depth.

I’ve stဣill got a lot left to see of Tales of Kenzera: Zau, but if its story and focus on Zau’s development can keep hitting as hard as it has in the early hours and the combat and exploration continue to evolve and build on one another, then I’m confident🌜 that 2024 is going to have another great Metroidvania under its belt.