HomeNewsTales of Kenzera: ZAU
EA reveal Tales of Kenzera: Zau, a metroidvania about grief from the voice of Assassin’s Creed: OriginsStudio founder describes genre as “the perfect encapsulation” of sorrow
Studio founder describes genre as “the perfect encapsulation” of sorrow
Image credit:EA
Image credit:EA
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU Official Reveal TrailerWatch on YouTube
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU Official Reveal Trailer
The game is being made with the help of the Ridley Scott Creative Group and celebrity tabletop show Critical Role. Its score is the work of Nainita Desai, a TV and film composer who also created music for Sam Barlow’sImmortality.
You might recognise Salim as the voice of Bayek fromAssassin’s Creed: Origins. Speaking to Gamespot in aninterviewpublished after tonight’s announcement, he reflected on how the story of that game shaped his approach to Tales of Kenzera.
“I think grief is one of those universal feelings that we’re all going to go through in some way, shape, or form,” Salim said. “And I think for me, it is funny, right? When I was doing Assassin’s Creed, as you say, there was a form of grief there that really kind of came across in a way of anger and a way of vengeance. And I think, it is one of those [stories] where it is one perspective, and it worked in that setting and it worked for that character.
“But I think what I really wanted to do was be in the driving seat and tell a perspective of grief that was honest to me, and that was honest in regards to a sense of the journey that I’ve gone through. And I feel like, especially just how messy, and how chaotic and crazy grief is; it isn’t one shade, it’s multiple, and depending on where you take it from, that’s also part and parcel of it all.”
Image credit:EA
Salim also described the metroidvania genre as “the perfect encapsulation of what grief is”, because it’s about circling back to initially blocked paths armed with new insight. “You’re thrown into an event or a space or a place that you have no idea how to maneuver or work or figure out and everyone’s experience is very unique to their own,” he explained. “But what this space does have when you look into it a bit more, and spend time with it, is a sense of tools that you can then use to backtrack and go and work with what you’re experiencing.”
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