Grieving Through Harmony: Zau's Dance-Fueled Combat and Unforgettable Soundtrack

Surgent Studios unveiled their latest project, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, at The Game Awards 2023. The colorful metroidvania game explores themes of loss and spiritual journeys through its puzzles, combat, and bosses. Founded by Abubakar Salim, best-known for voicing Bayek in Assassin's Creed Origins, Surgent Studios is collaborating with Electronic Arts for the game's release as part of its EA Originals program, with support from Critical Role.

Tales of Kenzera follows the story of Zau, voiced by Salim, who makes a deal with Kalunga, the god of death, to resurrect his father. The game serves as a Bantu tale that a grieving boy reads as he mourns his own father's death, delving into themes of grief and father-son relationships. Salim's insights into the game's narrative and its inspiration from tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons and Blades in the Dark shed light on its depth and artistic direction. Additionally, the discussion highlighted the game's promising musical elements.

The game Tales of Kenzera: Zau will be launching on April 23, 2024 for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Switch, and PC, featuring voice acting in both English and Swahili.

On our website: Let's have a conversation. In Assassin's Creed Origins, you played a father coping with the loss of his son and seeking vengeance to preserve his memory, and in this game, you're a son grieving for his father and determined to resurrect him. What's the connection? These are two stories of African grief that you've been a part of. Care to discuss?

Abubakar Salim reflects on how grief is a universal experience, and how it manifested in his role in Assassin's Creed as anger and vengeance. He wanted to tell a perspective of grief that was honest to him and the journey he had gone through. He describes grief as messy, chaotic, and multi-faceted, and found the metroidvania genre to be the perfect encapsulation of what grief is. This genre allowed for tools to navigate and work through the experience of grief, mirroring the journey of learning and mastering it. This is why he was inspired to explore this theme in the game.

Do you see a relationship between your own feelings about work and the meaning and purpose of protagonists in your game? Does it feel dissonant? A fantasy of purpose?

In this line of work and the direction I'm heading in, I see it as a form of self-expression. Whether I'm working on House of the Dragon, Assassin's Creed, or anything else, I am showcasing a different facet of myself. It's been a profound learning experience for me, and I've only been able to truly grow because it's so personal. Being vulnerable has allowed me to be honest with myself and my audience, and to share that openly. That's all we can strive for – to be genuine and truthful.

As storytellers, that's the best we can do, right? As someone heavily involved in writing and GMing for tabletop games, I can relate to that sentiment. Creating something that speaks to me, but also allows space for others' interpretations is a valuable learning experience.

This is the beauty of it. As a big fan of tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons and Blades in the Dark, Critical Role is also helping us with this. When you embark on a journey to take players on a planned adventure, you never know what they'll do or take away from it. That's the fun part. Ultimately, all you can do is bring your own sense of fun and exploration, but you have to make space for others to share in that and play along. This is what makes games so exciting - it's not a single thing. Even in single-player games, you are still playing with a GM to achieve. That's what I enjoy about metroidvania games, throwing the player in and asking, "Are you going left or right?" and seeing what happens. This is especially enticing to us when it comes to the narrative theme of grief. It's like being hit with a challenge and deciding whether to keep pushing forward or turn back. The world is your oyster. This is the essence that I've tried to capture in the game and play with as part of the team.

How is the story and those narrative themes conveyed to the player? Solely through cutscenes? Aspects of gameplay? Is it spoon-fed to the player? Kept hidden?

We have strived for a balance, and that's evident in how we approached the game. We didn't want to hold the hand of the player too much, but we also wanted to give them the option of delving deeper into the world as a whole and conveying the sense that there is a story here and a direction that we want to go, but it's not necessarily...we are not curing grief. We are simply presenting a perspective. And I think, depending on how deeply the player wants to delve into that perspective, interacting with the collectibles, and elements and all this sort of stuff is part and parcel of it all. It all flavors it. But that is, again, your choice. And I think that is something that we really were keen on pushing forward with our game.

We have been diligent in connecting the game's elements and mechanics to the protagonist's journey from boyhood to manhood, and from grief to acceptance. This exploration and expansion have been crucial for us. With your tabletop background, especially in D&D campaigns, when a player asks to be connected to a god or otherworldly patron, it can greatly benefit the Game Master in guiding the player and keeping the story on track. Is this the role that Kalunga, the God of Death, plays in this game? What is the relationship between him and Zau like?

Kalunga serves as a guiding force, providing the player, or Zau, with a sense of direction. The quest involves Zau's journey to bring back his father, and a poem in the game explores the concept of sending three great spirits to the realm of the dead in exchange for a wish. Zau's drive is influenced by the presence of the God of Death, who acts as a witness to the unfolding events. The story is a tale within a tale, following a young boy who embarks on a journey with a book gifted to him by his late father. The choice of the God of Death adds to the mystery and intrigue of the story. Bantu myths and cultural gods offer a wealth of inspiration, with Kalunga standing out for its depiction in Bantu stories. Kalunga is not just a being, but also a place, similar to Hades, offering rich potential for exploration and interpretation.

When it comes to most metroidvania games, the protagonist typically resolves their challenges through combat--defeating bosses is often the primary way to signify player advancement. How does that dynamic translate to this particular game, one that explores a journey as introspective as grief?

It was something that I was truly debating during the development of this game, deciding whether we wanted elements like combat and battling enemies or bosses. How does that truly reflect the experience or journey of grief? And to be honest, there are two sides to this. On one hand, I enjoy video games and embodying a powerful character capable of performing impressive Dragon Ball Z-style maneuvers.

I desired to showcase the combat in our game as a dance, allowing players to experience moments of anger, sadness, and relief, challenging their sense of self-control. The two masks in the game can be switched between seamlessly, creating chaos for button-mashers but also offering a chance to find a rhythm and master the scene. With new abilities, players can experiment and find their own flow and rhythm, similar to games like Devil May Cry and Final Fantasy 16.

I wanted to capture and embody the essence of the Dance of the Shaman within Zau. It's a delicate balance of control and chaos, questioning whether the enemies are there to challenge me or to engage in the dance. The element of juggling represents the power struggle, where I may feel in control but also vulnerable to unexpected threats. This is why combat is an essential part of the experience, as it embodies the expression of emotion and the unpredictable nature of the journey. It's a reflection of the struggle with grief and the emotional battles within oneself and the world.

I can tell that you're a fan of games with "dance-like" combat, like Hades and Hollow Knight. The music for this game is going to be amazing. Our composer, Nainita Desai, is incredibly talented and brings an authentic and grounded vibe to the soundtrack. It's like a blend of Black Panther and Tenet, with natural elements of music in contrast with modern synth and electronic beats. The result is going to be absolutely dope.

The music is a unique blend of both traditional and electronic elements, showcasing Zau's cultural perspective. While these two styles may clash, they also complement each other, creating a truly captivating sound. Additionally, our music features the same choir that worked on Black Panther, adding even more depth and richness to the overall composition.

I promise you, we put in a lot of effort for this. Nainita worked with artists not only from our local area, but from all over the world including South Africa and Ghana. It's a space filled with passion and celebration that I can't wait to share. Every time Nainita sent us tracks, we were blown away. Do you have anything else to add as we finish up?

I am filled with anticipation to release it and for people to engage with it, play it, and connect with it. This project is truly a labor of love and an indie endeavor for us. It's incredible that EA has provided us with the opportunity to showcase it to the world. We feel very fortunate to be in this position.

Ultimately, I hope that players will come away from this experience realizing that it's okay not to be okay. This is the essence of the project. It's something that I discovered during my own journey with grief and it has been a valuable tool for me in dealing with it. I haven't necessarily overcome my grief, but I've come to accept it. I'm still grieving, but I feel like I have a better grasp on it. I've spent enough time immersed in this world to understand what I'm going through. I can't wait to share it with everyone.

This interview was edited for both brevity and readability.

Editor's P/S

As a Gen Z netizen, I am excited about the release of Tales of Kenzera: Zau. The game's unique blend of dance-fueled combat and an awe-inspiring soundtrack featuring the ethereal harmonies of the renowned Black Panther movie choir has captured my attention. I am eager to immerse myself in the colorful metroidvania world of Kenzera and embark on a spiritual journey filled with puzzles, combat, and challenging bosses. The game's exploration of themes such as loss and father-son relationships resonates with me, and I am curious to see how the narrative unfolds.

Abubakar Salim's personal connection to the game's themes adds a layer of authenticity and depth to the storytelling. His insights into the inspiration behind the game, drawing from his own experiences and tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons and Blades in the Dark, showcase his passion and dedication to creating a meaningful and immersive experience. The game's release on multiple platforms, including Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Switch, and PC, with voice acting in both English and Swahili, ensures that a wide audience can enjoy this captivating tale.