Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is an online role-playing game designed with strong influences from African mythology and storytelling.

The game was created by Kenyan-British actor Abubakar Salim, known for his role in HBO’s Raised by Wolves and Assassin’s Creed Origins. Tales of Kenzera is the debut offering from Salim’s Surgent Studios and was released in April this year for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S.

The game follows the story of Zau who must capture the spirits of three monsters and present them to Kalunga, the God of Death, in order to bring his father back to life. It features heavy action-adventure components with a focus on non-linearity, exploration, and progression. Salim has mentioned that the game comes from a deeply personal place. It was partly his attempt to grapple with the loss of his father and the memories of his father who introduced him to gaming.

Watch the Trailer:

Tales of Kenzera came to our attention after Africa Is a Country featured a review by Johannesburg-based writer and filmmaker Tsogo Kupa. The review is in the format of a typical video game video, where Kupa takes a close look at the game and details the complexities and uniqueness of the worldbuilding, storytelling, and the experience of being immersed in the world. Even if you aren’t the biggest online gamer, the attention to detail in this game and the powerful storytelling are worth exploring. Kupa also addresses the controversies surrounding the game.

Here are a few quotes we pulled:

On Mythology: 

“The world of Tales of Kenzera is rich with mythology that many of us Africans know as a heritage. As much as Kenzera is a Wakanda inspired hodgepodge of too many cultures to draw any clear influences, I found myself having fun with the references to tokoloshe or the noticeable Ndebele patterns in the game’s environment.”

On Grief: 

“Tales of Kenzera isn’t simply a game about grief. The game itself is a manifestation of it…As Zau liberates the great spirits of Kenzera, each of them leave him a unique lesson to process the loss of his father.”

On Cultural Impact: 

“Tales of Kenzera’s revealed what some are calling the new culture war in gaming…The industry needs Tales of Kenzera [for a] glimpse of what a more diverse video game industry can look like. Africans and those in the diaspora deserve a place in gaming and for games to be catered for them.”

Watch a review of the game below and buy Tales of Kenzera: ZAU!