Tales of Kenzera: Zau
Summary
Surgent Studios’Tales of Kenzera : ZAUis a marvelous - palpate Metroidvania that put on its core on its sleeve . Much of that is due to the studio apartment ’s ( and the biz ’s ) lead , Abubakar Salim , who players may recognise as Bayek fromAssassin ’s Creed Origins . He ’s also become quite a prolific actor , from cultivate on instalment ofBlack Mirrorto starring inBill Gallagher ’s Jamestownand Ridley Scott’sRaised By masher . This year , he ’ll be appear as Alyn of Hull inHouse of the Dragonseason 2 .
When not on screen , however , Salim has been hard at work as the game theatre director forTales of Kenzera : ZAU.Recently , Screen Rant got the opportunity to meet with Salim ahead of theworldwide launch ofTales of Kenzeraon April 23 , 2024 , and speak for roughly 25 minutes about the inspiration behind the game ’s heavy themes ( the death of his founding father ) , how being open and honest with who you are as a person is integral to creativity , and why sometimes a honorable takeaway pizza pie is all you need .
… this game , at its substance , this is about brokenheartedness .
On Tales of Kenzera Influences
How Grief Informs The Game’s Narrative
Screen Rant : First of all , I wanted to say I bet thedemo forTales of Kenzeraback when it came out during Steam Next Fest , and at once fell in love with the game . It was just so much fun , and I love how agile the fight is . Now , evidently you ’ve been very open [ about the plot ’s influences ] , and I ’ve also lose my father , about five yr ago . And that was , as you recognize , a very difficult thing to have to go through . And so , the first thing I wanted to necessitate is , when appear at the game as a whole , which part of it do you feel is most influenced by your father ?
Abubakar Salim : Oh , man , we ’ve laced this whole game with it . First of all , I just require to say give thanks you very much for toy the demo . I ’m so grateful that you savor it . I ’m really thankful for that . Something that I ’ve been saying a lot is , you bonk , we ’re a studio of 30 . So every decision counts , and we ’ve tried to lace as much of the factor of car-mechanic of the account , even to the degree of the music , to that journeying of grief .
One thing I ’d say is very saturated is the reflexion moment , you do n’t really get that in the demo , but you ’ll get that in the full game , where it ’s the only style of increasing your wellness , your max health - because we had to have an factor of increasing your health , to survive the punic planes of Kenzera . And to me , it just did n’t finger proper to just have a health pickup or something that you just find fault up and kind of move on with your journeying .
Christopher J. Teuton
One matter that I realized actually was , as before long as I start out talking about how I feel , talking about where my head was , I almost feel like [ I was ] adding years to my life story , you know what I stand for ? I felt like I was I was really growing and evolving . And I think that was a journey that I had to go through , to come to that kind of closing that yeah , in reality , by speak about how you find , by actually actively kind of accept , like , " Hey , I ’m actually not okay today , " and being nerveless with it . That sorting of allowed me to kind of come to this intuitive feeling of cerebration of , yeah , this is actually a really nerveless secret plan shop mechanic , the idea of Zau just talking to end , and essentially saying how he feels , of the memories that he has of his father , and reflecting on that allows him to kind of increase the length of time he ’s gon na stay on .
You ’ve spoken a set about your father ’s own opinions on death , on how he was very straightforward in the matter . When you look at the final Cartesian product that you ’ve created , is there a part of the game that you would be loth to show him ? Like , how far you went in the other direction from that ?
Salim : I do n’t recollect so , adult male , because I reckon it ’s all part and parcel of it , you know ? I think with him , and his good sense or his idea or an approach to demise , or his outlook about it , it was very much of the sense of like , " Hey , man , things are fine , the world continue to move on . " Right ? And I think that ’s twine in the biz . So I almost call back that he ’d see that , he ’d say " Okay , I can see the battle and I can see the strife but , I mean , the game is so beautiful , man , there ’s nothing here about grief . " And that ’s kind of what my experience was like .
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is an action-adventure RPG and the debut game from Surgent Studios. Players take on the role of Zau, a young shaman man grieving the loss of his father as his spirit is claimed by death. To save his soul, Zau must travel through the lush landscapes and various biomes of Kenzera to strike a deal with the god of death.
I will say this , the grownup sort of electrical shock for me after he go away was how the world just continued to spin , and how everyone just continued doing their own thing . And it was angry because I was like , " Hang on , I feel like my human race is just stopped . Why are my mates wake up tomorrow and still having a good fourth dimension ? " Like , this does n’t stand for sense , and I think that ’s one of the realities of life . And I think that ’s essentially why the game is so vibrant and so beautiful and so colourful , it ’s because this is the journeying of Zau , the journey of Zuberi . It ’s not the journey of everyone else in the universe . You know what I think of ? I think the only matter that probably would stand out is possibly the armed combat trial . [ Laughs ] They ’re hard as hell , he ’d belike be like , " Why are you doing this ? "
And was that an intentional part of making them ? Obviously , for the combat trials , there is a gameplay element to that , but is there another subaltern significance laced in behind the melodic theme of include fight trials ?
Michael Assat : The way I kind of feel at it is , combat in our game is supposed to be this sort of balance , this tit for tat , right ? This feeling of like a dance , sometimes it ’s helter-skelter , sometimes it ’s sometimes it ’s quite operative . So sometimes you ’ve get control of it , sometimes you do n’t . And you find yourself having to figure out how you just move along with life , you live . There ’s this beat that is kind of run through [ life ] , and sometimes you ’re working with the round , and sometimes you ’re working against it . What the combat trials sort of serve as are an factor of being like , " Actually , I ’m going to confront this beat , I ’m gon na confront this beast , this obstacle , actively . "
I ’ve been very lucky to have a 19 - month - older daughter , and I remember feeling so upset and sad about the idea of her not being able-bodied ever to see my Father of the Church , because my father loved kids , he just had a lot of love to give . And especially , like , my cousins and my nieces , he was a father public figure . And so that really stuck with me . I remember just thinking , you do it , " This is what it is , it is what it is . " And I found myself being like , " Okay , I really stimulate to talk about this . I got ta confront this . " I ’ve got to be like , " No , actually , I can in reality see my dad in my girl . " And that ’s kind of cool , you have it away , even in the mode that she lower , yeah , kinda looks a bit like my dada . This is me essentially being like , " I feel this way . But it ’s okay . It ’s completely o.k. . " and so that is what the armed combat trials sort of represented , this idea of " Okay , I ’m here , I ’m quick to essentially deal with this matter . I experience like I ’m quick , I feel like I ’m not , but let ’s just go for it , permit ’s just try it . "
I understand that . For me , I sense like that playingDark Soulsafter my sire died , that feeling of the same thing over and over and over again . The operation of makingTales of Kenzera : ZAUhas obviously been very personal for you and for the squad . Is the approximation that , for other people who are currently experiencing acute grief , they could meet this and perhaps it would avail them find a way of life out of it ?
Carlos the Jackal : It was moreso a sense of … you do it , I observe my procedure , I do n’t have it off how you found it , man , but I found it very keep apart . I feel like I ’m just on this journeying myself , when actually grief is a very universal feeling . Everyone will go through it once in a while , in some way , form , or form , be it either through a favourite , a parent , or even a line of work . And I think what this secret plan is there to be is essentially to say , " You ’re not alone . It ’s okay to not be o.k. . " It ’s not going to heal you in any way . It ’s just to share with you , " Hey , we ’re in this all together . "
I believe the one thing that ’s really kind of stand out , for me , anyway , is just how many people have fare and shared their own experience after announcing the game and what it ’s about . And there ’s something really powerful in that because it ’s like , you live , I ’ve just met you today , man , and you ’ve shared with me something really personal . And we ’re tie in . And I finger like a lot of the fourth dimension , there ’s a want of that , especially online . The internet , humans , as much as there ’s supposed to be a connection to it , there ’s no connection at all . And so I sense like that ’s kind of what I really wanted to do with this game . It ’s to serve as a vehicle of connection to kind of almost keep being human in a way , you know ?
How To Approach Less Explored Mythology
Introducing Players To New Concepts
I think that does dead total across , obviously with the dialogue , but just how everything ties together , the music and the art dash , and it make this very unequalled package . But it also feels very personal , I think to everybody , because as you say , it is such a universal feeling . When it comes to adding in stuff player have n’t really seen near enough of - which is a mythology that is n’t Norse or Greek - what was the most hard aspect of making indisputable that come across and was original but also identifiable ?
Salim : So , the identifiable element really comes down to the style we ’ve approached this story . And this plot , at its core , this is about grief . And that is a general belief . And that ’s a oecumenical journey that , you roll in the hay , as I mentioned , everyone will kind of go through in one fashion or another . That was what was important , the elements of it being the Bantu civilization and being very dissimilar in that respect , really kind of add up , again , through just me being unquestionable and honest , in regards to like , these are the stories that my begetter would share with me . All the stories that I wish to be evidence .
I cerebrate thing like God of War , and even Scheol , do it so well , where we do n’t really truly live the full character and story of Hades or who Hades is , or even Zagreus , right ? The myth exist , but I do n’t know exactly who this is . But what the secret plan is doing , it ’s give me his view , in order of magnitude for me to go and attend and find a bit more interesting ingredient and stories of what ’s been told with them .
Same with God of War , good ? Their take on Thor , it ’s verydifferent to Marvel ’s take on Thor . But ultimately they ’re telling very human stories . To me , that was the trick , to be as veritable and real as possible . And you kind of get over the hurdle of " Ugh , homo , how am I going secure that this feels original or different ? "
Tales of Kenzera : ZAU is a gorgeous , fully realized Metroidvania steep in double significance , vivid colors , stellar gameplay , and unbelievable music .
It had to be through a Metroidvania .
What would you say was the most unexpected roadblock or hurdle that you come to during the operation that you did n’t necessarily see was going to be an take ?
Salim : On an emotional level , I ’d say it ’s about being as honest and vulnerable as possible with the squad . You know , there is a there is a fearfulness also that if you - again , this is very natural - if I become vulnerable , if I show a polarity of weakness , I give myself perhaps too much to the team . So dumbfound over the fact of , in reality , I have to be vulnerable , I have to get laid that perhaps I ’m not right-hand all the clip , that sorting of sensation was an ingredient of it all .
On an real , practical level ? Trying to build and convey a game of what you think , and the emotion that you require to force for , and the message that you want to give , with a small team , it ’s quite gruelling . [ Laughs ] Because you ’re limit - obviously , you do n’t require people to bleed for it at all , because that ’s just inhumane . You still require to birth an experience that feels honest and truthful , but it ’s a equilibrate act .
I imagine we found that , and as I said , we ’re a pocket-sized team so there had to be a reason behind everything . And the idea of pivoting or shift something or contribute something bigger can be us a fortune of time , because we just do n’t have that manpower . But , funnily enough , through that limitation , you find a circumstances of power in it , because you ’re like , " Okay , cool . How do you double over down on this really cool thing ? "
Kind of bounce off that - you ’re a diminished team , but it ’s a beautiful game . And you said during the preview event not that long ago that it ’s 10 - 12 hours long , roughly 15 for completionists . But it ’s only priced at $ 19.99 , whereas in today ’s world , if it was made by a different developer , you could see this very well being at least $ 39.99 , if not more than that . Was keeping the price low something you had in mind from the start ?
Salim : Yes , it was always something that I wanted to do . It has to be accessible , because let ’s not banter here , man , gambling is an expensive hobby . And the way in which games are feed around and spiel , you ’re now almost have to be forced as to whether you ’re gon na get a week shopping or a telecasting biz . That ’s crazy . And so in my head , it was like , " No , I need to make a biz that is truly and strictly accessible to as many citizenry as possible , but at the same time , it ’s not going to break bank building . " That ’s sort of where my outlook comes from .
It ’s funny , we had this conversation , where fundamentally , in my head , it ’s like , " What ’s the price of pizza ? " Like , a takeout food pizza ? You ’re looking at around like £ 17.99 , or $ 20 . And that ’s a great experience . Right ? [ Laughs ] get that , buying that , you palpate great - well , some multitude feel great consume it , I feel great eating pizza pie - but you almost feel like , " Hey , this is great for the price of what I ’m getting , " right ? That ’s the kind of vibe and feeling that I want to make with this . It ’s a creative , fulfilling , great narration , nerveless gameplay , but at a price that point in time that almost feels like you ’re stealing from us .
And with that in head , evidently it ’s an entire , solid experience , but have you considered anything for DLC or anything in the future tense for the plot like additional updates ?
Salim : Oh , always . But the thing is , again , I ’m motivate by what feels proper rather than needs making more money . You have it away what I mean ? In my head , it ’s about honoring the story , and honoring the experience , and listening to the mass , mind to the players . That ’s part and parcel of it .
The Tales of Kenzera enfranchisement and cosmos I have a massive plan for , and I need to do multiple game , films , story - and tell them with that same sort of heart - but with this game specifically I guess it all about listening to the players . I mean there ’s factor of material that we like we added in that last experience , but to be honest , man , the experience as a whole , of what it is , it feel right . It feel strong , you know ?
And when you speak about other games and other story in the Kenzera universe , would that be something where you would want to explore dissimilar gameplay styles , or would you need to stick with Metroidvanias but with dissimilar theatrical role ?
Salim : So the means we draw close it is , we figure out the story we want to recite , and we meet that to the musical style . That ’s very much the approach path that we had with Zau . The theme was grief , you have sex , it was about exploring the journey of grief , that was the conjuring of this tale . It had to be through a Metroidvania . That ’s essentially how we would explore other factor , depending on whatever the theme is . If we find the theme , we detect that core element , and we find the unadulterated writing style that mate that and make upon it from there .
There ’s a lot of noise out there .
Kind of an opposite of a enquiry I asked to begin with about difficulties , but what idea did you have during maturation that when you so it come to realisation you were like , " This is good than I ever could have imagined it ! " ?
Salim : Ah , it ’s the masque switching . masquerade party switching combat elements , yeah . Because that stemmed from the idea of the fact that we wear many mask to hide ourselves and we ’ll just kind of keep going . We wear a professional mask when we ’re at work and ca n’t distinguish them our spirit , or what we ’re actually find , and we wear thin a mask other than with our friend . And so , in my head , I really wanted to represent that through this element of traverse and combat and what have you . And it was in my mind , and I remember playing it and thinking about it , and then when we actually cracked it , and did it , oh ! So good .
The conversation jump momently as both people blab about how much they love this one move inTales of Kenzera : Zauwhere role player can utilise the Sun mask to knock an opponent into the air , switch to the Moon mask , then utilise projectiles to juggle the opponent until they are dead . This discourse is then interrupted by a tempestuous toddler who did n’t understand why a closed position door should stop her from coming inside and jump on the nearest frank .
Multimedia Experience As Influences
Gaining Confidence To Tell Stories
Speaking of dissimilar masks , obviously you ’ve done oeuvre outside of your other piece of work in picture game ( like Bayek inAssassin ’s Creed Origins ) as well . How was your experience withRaised by Wolves ? How did that influence transitioning to game and point spokesperson actors ?
Salim : It yield me the sureness to have my own voice and tell stories . I call back the thing that is so awe-inspiring about Ridley [ Scott ] is he ’s just unapologetically creative , and just an artist . Him casting me , and him saying yes to me , this guy who has seen every role player under the Dominicus - and that ’s not even exaggeration , because he works so much , he ’s seen everything and everyone - for him to be like " Yeah , I want you to co - lead on this show , " is such a self-assurance cost increase , valet de chambre . It ’s such a moment of " Yeah , maybe , peradventure I am alright at this . "
I ’d say that unconscious process , and seeing that sense of this wild worldly concern , this softheaded Earth , it does n’t make sense , but it does at the same prison term , and it just is what it is , really inspired me to be like , " Yeah , I ’m gon na do this . I can get into this . " I can do whatever I want , and make a plot , that ’s what I feel passionate about , that ’s where my passion lie . It ’s always like , " This is what I ’m going to do . "
And how was your experience onHouse of the Dragonseason 2 , and joining theGame of Thronesworld ?
Salim : It ’s been dependable . [ Laughs ] It ’s screwball , it ’s one of those ones where , again , you jump into this crazy fantastical worldly concern , but at the same time , it do sense . It ’s been wonderful . Wonderous . I ’ve learn - again , really unfeignedly any originative , or anyone within these spaces , these huge universes , the thing that variety of connects them all is just essentially how much they do n’t rationalize for , for who they are or what they are . I think that ’s what ’s really awesome about it . It ’s just good storytelling . The team , from the actor to the writers , it ’s feel just really magical . They all have sex what they do , and I conceive that ’s really been inspire for me , to keep doing what I ’m doing .
And that seems like something you ’ve taken with you - being unapologetically yourself , and have that be the impulse behind everything .
Salim : perfectly . At the end of the day , like , truly , you ’ve get to listen to what will make you felicitous , you know ? peculiarly when it comes to the stories that you want to secern and the citizenry that you want to be around . There ’s a destiny of interference out there . I imagine that , as long as you separate the self-importance from that disturbance and just kind of listen to yourself , it helps , man .
And I opine you’re able to see that in the body of work that ’s being done - even on House of the Dragon , like , it ’s a monolithic moving machine and there ’s all sorts of business elements about it , but at its core it ’s about evidence a really cool write up . And we all just want to be happy . And that was also what I experience on raise by wolf . It ’s a crazy sci - fi show out there , everyone ’s like " What the hell is happen ? " but at the same time , you ’re like , " I kind of enjoy this confusion , " because you ’re so confused too . So this is bully . I wonder where it ’s gon na go !
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Tales of Kenzera : ZAU is an action - adventure RPG and the debut secret plan from Surgent Studios . actor take on the theatrical role of Zau , a young priest-doctor man grieving the exit of his Father of the Church as his spirit is take by death . To save his somebody , Zau must travel through the riotous landscapes and various biome of Kenzera to affect a deal with the god of expiry .
