Tales of Kenzera is as a classic metroidvania as it can be, a genre particularly popular with independent developers. However, the game fails to distinguish itself in any significant way within this already saturated category. The combat experience, while interesting with its mix of hand-to-hand and ranged combat, offers nothing new that we haven't already seen in other titles in the genre. What's more, the skill tree is fairly limited, restricting the development of combat experience throughout the game. This lack of variety is also felt in the game's bestiary, which boasts just eight enemy types, which is pretty meagre.

Level design is another weak point in Tales of Zau. Metroidvanias are renowned for their exploration and non-linear structure, inviting players to travel from one area to another, discovering secrets and revisiting locations in order to progress. However, in 'Tales of Zau', the journey is surprisingly linear, with three main zones to traverse in an almost straight line, each zone repeating the same formula and offering a complete map from the outset, reducing the interest in exploration.

The technical problems do not fail to complicate the experience. The most frustrating of these relate to camera management, particularly during falls when the camera doesn't follow the character, leading to automatic deaths, or when it stops following the character after the map is opened, sometimes blocking the direction of movement. These bugs make exploration laborious and platforming sequences frustrating for all the wrong reasons.

Nevertheless, Tales of Kenzera benefits from an original art direction and an African-inspired setting, a rarity that enriches its appeal. We also recommend playing in Swahili for a more authentic immersion. The theme of grief is handled sensitively, offering some moving moments, although this theme is barely present in the adventure as a whole and integrated superficially into the gameplay.

In conclusion, if you're a fan of metroidvanias, Tales of Kenzera can offer some generally enjoyable moments despite its flaws. However, for those looking for a richer experience that's less marred by technical problems, the game's classicism and various shortcomings could be a deterrent.

I really wanted to love this game. It had an interesting premise, beautiful visuals, and some really enjoyable platforming sections that reminded me of the latest Prince of Persia game. Unfortunately, the combat arenas become tedious; it's very easy to get soft locked into an unavoidable series of attacks until you die over and over again. Along with the frustrating combat, there were far too many instant kill environmental hazards with terribly vague hit boxes and a reliance on lengthy autoscrolling sections around the boss battles that just became a chore. I felt I had to see it through to the end to see how the story concluded, which – despite having some touching moments throughout – led to quite a weak conclusion.