Review: ‘Tales of Kenzera: Zau’ translates the journey of grief into a video game

The journey in 'Tales of Kenzera' takes a young man through three realms that will test players’ combat and platforming skills in this Metroidvania-style adventure. — Photos: Electronic Arts

When crafting Tales of Kenzera: Zau, Abubakar Salim thought of his father who passed away from cancer 10 years ago. The founder of Surgent Studios said his father believed that dead is dead, and that he didn’t want his son to spend time dwelling on his end.

That didn’t happen. Salim established a game studio, gathering a team of 30 to create a video game that’s a tribute to his father. Tales of Kenzera not only brings to life the Bantu culture of his father’s native Kenya, but it also carries part of Salim’s story. It’s about a boy named Keberi, who is mourning the death of his father. He searches through his late parent’s belongings and discovers a book he had written about Zau, a shaman of Amandla.