How long should a game be? This is a question that’s been circulating in the video game world for years and a debate that brings up many answers. Some players want a game to completely immerse them for hours on end, while others value shorter titles that they can realistically finish due to their busier lifestyles.
There’s probably no right or wrong answer to this, and it all comes down to preference, but for those who prefer the latter, Surgent Studios, who are about to release their Metroidvania-style debut title Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, an adventure between a father and son and the transformative power of loss, wants to offer players a game that “respects their time” where they get enough value for their money.
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As we’verecently seenin games such asMarvel’s Spider-Man 2where some players felt that $69 was too much to pay for a 15-hour game, there’s been a never-ending debate about whether a game’s short storyline can justify its higher price. There’s so much to factor nowadays when crafting a title; is there enough immersion to keep all players happy? Will the graphics be to everyone’s taste? Are there enough side quests, and will players enjoy how the characters are created?
I can’t even begin to understand how stressful of a process this must be for developers, but in a recent virtual preview event for Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, Surgent Studios' head, Abubakar Salim, believes that they have created the perfect balance when it comes to game length and value for money.
“We are looking at around 8 to 10 hours as a campaign length and 12 to 15 for the completionist run.” Going into ZAU’s gameplay hours, Salim said they wanted to “respect people’s time” because of the many incredible titles currently available on the market.
“The way we looked at it is like a really good season of TV and treated it that way, but again, we looked at it from the respect element because the game is $20, so we wanted to make sure that people got a good experience with the price they are paying and making it as accessible as possible.”
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU’s lead designer Zi Peters also spoke about the game’s story and how they wanted to make sure they didn’t include bulk narratives into ZAU’s storyline, making it as streamlined as possible. “It speaks to the core when focusing on ZAU’s story and we aren’t adding any dead weight into the experience for players.”
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.
