4/5 ★ – QuickPlay's review of Tales of Kenzera: ZAU.

I went into Tales of Kenzera thinking it’d be the diet version of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. But it was $10 cheaper in the Steam sale, and I was intrigued by what I had heard of the story. It’s a strong, competent Metroidvania, confident in its story and setting most of all. Backgrounds are beautiful and feel intentional, and there’s a lot to take in even as you’re zipping past, with thoughtful world-building that is likely meant to lead into a shared universe under the “Tales of Kenzera” banner. The story is effective but predictable, though the writing is often beautiful, particularly with certain idioms or turns of phrase. It’s all bolstered by the knowledge that this is a product of the creative director’s grief, which adds a real-world heft. Zau immediately gives the best of both worlds in Metroidvanias by allowing you to switch stances between from quick projectiles with the Moon Mask to melee combat with the Sun Mask, each providing their own skill tree of additional moves. Alongside these variable combat stances, it’s generous with abilities from the jump, providing a double jump and satisfying dash at the start of the game. However, new abilities are few and far between, mostly amounting to different keys to new areas, but each having an additional, but simple combat function. Platforming is satisfying, but those who prefer a more maze-like Metroidvania will be disappointed. It’s egregiously linear—which I generally prefer, but a handful more branching paths would have helped flesh out the world. Even with the linearity, there’s an annoying amount of backtracking between story acts, but that's alleviated by plenty of fast travel waypoints. It’s a challenging game, but not punishing, with quick deaths buoyed by ample checkpoints (save for the arduous boss battles). I played on Steam Deck, where it performed great, though it’s a bit muddy on such a small screen and hard to follow your character in frantic moments. A stylized banner to reach the 800px is a little disappointing, but Zau overall worked great as a handheld experience. Zau won’t often find itself in ‘Top 10 Metroidvanias Ever’ lists, but it’ll likely be a deserving honorable mention. It’s the quiet parts that help set it apart: for one example, health upgrades coincide with times of quiet reflection. Sit, enjoy the scenery, and listen to the wind a bit in the midst of the challenges around you.