From the outside, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is packed with vibrant art designs, and enchanting African music by the wonderful composer Nainita Desai while being nestled in an exciting Metroidvania cocoon, but beneath its flamboyant exterior lies a deep and meaningful narrative about grief, sorrow and how a young man navigates this loss through an ever-changing universe.
This is something extremely close to the game’s director, Abubakar Salim’s heart, who was inspired to create ZAU after losing his own father and dealing with the emotional turbulence it left behind. Speaking to me and other press at Tales of Kenzera: ZAU’s virtual preview event. Salim spoke about the one important message he wanted players to take away with them from the game.
The Toxic Side Of Grief
Talking about his own experience dealing with the death of his father 10 years ago, Salim expressed how initially he didn’t cope very well with his passing and tried to cover up his grief by telling himself to “man up” but soon realized how toxic this behavior was. “I feel like going through this process and even going through it with the team, I felt like I can be vulnerable, be open” Salim continues. “I can feel bad, and that’s okay because that’s essentially part of life so that’s something I really wanted to push with this game”.
One of the main messages that Salim wants to get across to players, especially when faced with tough mental health challenges like death, as he has done, is not to feel like you need to put on a brave face or push your emotions away. “I think for me, and I’ve said it from the beginning, it’s okay to not be okay, that’s one of the big ones I want to get across.”
Salim not only created a game about exploring the themes of death and grief when faced with the loss of his Baba (father), but he also has a short film coming out on April 18 called “My Shoes, Your Feet” which is about Abubakar’s relationship with his father - a personal and beautiful journey that sets the tone for why he created Tales of Kenzera: ZAU.
ZAU’s composer Nainita Desai echoed Salim’s key takeaway when it comes to what she wanted players to carry with them while playing or when they’ve completed the game.
“You are going on an emotional journey and confronting narratives that you wouldn’t normally have experienced, so you’re learning so much from this game and realize that we are all the same, we all experience this huge dynamic range of emotions” Desai continues “I love the fact that it’s entertainment as well and that’s a really difficult balance to strike when you’re making a game that covers deep emotional subjects, but it’s wrapped up in such a rich and beautiful way”.
Zi Peters, who is the lead designer of ZAU, gave his opinion on what he felt was the most important element of the game by expressing how he wanted players to realize that they never have to feel like they need to attempt to combat issues on their own when dealing with mental health issues.
“I hope it’s a game that people can play and take these lessons into the real world with them. When you’re ready to face these problems, you aren’t alone, and you can learn and develop the tools and skills required to deal with them. I hope ZAU has that profound effect on people”.
Tales of Kenzera: Zau
WHERE TO PLAY
Wield the dance of the shaman. Reclaim your father’s spirit. Brave the beautiful and treacherous land of Kenzera with the God of Death in Tales of Kenzerz: ZAU, a Metroidvania-style adventure crafted by Surgent Studios.
