Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, the game that will finally make Africa shine?

Unfortunately, African folklore remains underutilized by the video game industry. Fortunately, this is changing, especially with the release of games like Tales of Kenzer: ZAU. A platformer and adventure game inspired by the Bantu culture of East Africa. In which you play as a young grieving shaman named ZAU who signs a pact with the death god Kalunga so he can resurrect his dead father.

From hairstyles and clothing to in-game music, including voice acting entirely in Swahili, everything is designed to properly represent African cultures as desired by its creator, Abubakar Salim. ” I want to show that people want to hear our stories. That they want to hear our voices. We have so many interesting prospects and talented creators. I want Tales of Kenzera: ZAU to be a way to open doors and inspire he explains into the RFI microphone.

Of course, this isn’t the first adventure game to highlight African myths and cultures. Last year, Chronicles of Wagadhoo was released as an MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) with afro-fantasy and role-playing games. It is also impossible not to mention Aurion: Legacy of Cory Odan, a pioneer in this field, is a PC game coming soon to Xbox. These are the games that paved the way Tales of Kenzera: ZAU you can see the light of day.

But if Tales of Kenzera stands out, firstly, because it was announced at the Game Awards! Tales of Kenzera did what others couldn’t: was published by the big fish that is none other than Electronic Arts – the publisher behind it Sims or FIFA. Only that !

Additionally, the game is greatly supported by the charisma of its creative director, Abubakar Salim, already a household name in the industry as he voices the character of Bayek de Siwa in Origin of Assassin’s Creed, highly praised by fans. Additionally, the character ZAU is inspired by his own story, as the game is intended as a tribute to his father, who died of cancer ten years ago. Abubakar explores, in both the game and his own documentary, a period of life with which we can all identify—the experience of losing a loved one.

Finally, you just have to see how popular this game is already among players of African descent and African players, but not only that! Tales of Kenzera: ZAU This is, first of all, a good game that is distinguished by its originality and gameplay. So here we are, finally, a game that is about African myths, but is also beautiful, fun to play, and has a great story. What else ? As an African gamer, as an Afrogamer, I feel like I’ve finally been served. Many thanks to Abubakar Salim for this nugget, which we hope will inspire more than one.