Xbox Game Pass Just Added One Of The Best Metroidvanias Of The Decade

Video games can be an incredibly adept way to tell emotional stories. Watching a character’s journey on the big screen or television is one thing. It’s another thing entirely to embody those experiences and moments of growth.

A recent example of a game leveraging its interactivity to tell a resonant and relatable story is Surgent Studios’ debut game, Tales Of Kenzera: Zau. The game recounts a young man’s struggle with grief, a hardship we all go through at one point or another. This gorgeous tale succeeds on every level as a narrative and manages to deliver a fun Metroidvania in the process. And for those who haven’t played through one of last year’s best indie games, Tales Of Kenzera: Zau is debuting on Game Pass this week.

Tales Of Kenzara: Zau has two parallel narratives that mirror one another. The game first introduces us to Zuberi, a young man living in the futuristic African city of Amani. When we meet Zuberi, we discover he’s just lost his dear father. Seeing her son wrestle with the pain of losing a loved one, Zuberi’s mom suggests that he read some of his father’s writing.

Zuberi reads the story of Zau, a shaman from the ancient lands of Kenzera who is also grappling with the loss of his father. Still in the throes of grief, Zau decides to use his great power to set out on a perilous quest that will bring his Dad back from the dead. Helping him along the way is the god of the dead, Kalunga, who provides guidance and wisdom. Zau goes through a series of biomes completing parts of the ritual that will eventually bring his deceased “baba” back to life.

Players make their way through Zau’s quest, meeting mystical figures, fighting ferocious foes, and gaining new powers along the way. As a Metroidvania Tales Of Kenzara as sound as they come. Platforming is fantastic and demanding when it wants to be. Zau is fast and agile, with the ability to dash, double jump, wall bounce, glide and even use a grappling hook. Levels towards the end of the game will put those abilities and your reflexes to the test in a challenging but fun way.

Combat is just as deep, as Zau has mastery over two distinct fighting styles. His moon style is focused on ranged attacks, while his sun style shows his ability to get in close and knock some sense into those who stand in his way. Combat happens both in the explorable world and in contained battle arenas. In the latter, Tales Of Kenzara takes heavy inspiration from Super Smash Bros., battles in 2D fight arenas are all about using tight spaces and the range of your attacks to your advantage.

The true star of the show is the game’s touching and well-written story. It manages to captivate throughout its 10-hour runtime, before sticking the landing with a particularly moving grand finale. Zau and Zuberi’s journey through the stages of grief closely mirrors the actual process, something that players who’ve lived through this painful experience will appreciate. It’s all a testament to how well actor and Surgent Studios founder Abubakar Salim managed to translate his own growing pains with losing a loved one into his team’s very first video game.

Tales Of Kenzera: Zau was one of 2024’s best games and one more people should feel for themselves. It’s a golden example of how powerful the medium of video games can be, adding new dimensions to experiences and tales as old as human existence. It’s an addition to Game Pass that story-minded players should seek out right away.

Tales Of Kenzera: Zau is available now on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.