Summary
In a night that was practically a back-to-back onslaught of world premiers and new trailers for upcoming games, one of the most interesting surprises from The Game Awards 2023 wasRaised By Wolvesactor (and voice of Bayek inAssassin’s Creed: Origins) Abubakar Salim taking the stage to announce his new gameTales of Kenzera: Zau. Described as an homage to his late father thanks to the connection the two shared through gaming,Tales of Kenzera: Zauis the debut game from Salim’s newly minted game company Surgent Studios, and it also looks to be providing some strong competition for another of 2024’s upcoming Metroidvanias –Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
Outside his role as Bayek inAssassin’s Creed: Origins, Abubakar Salim’s voicework credits in the medium of video games are wide-ranging, including roles inDiablo,Xenoblade Chronicles, and one of 2023’s indie gems,Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical. The announcement ofTales of Kenzera: Zaucomes as a twofold surprise, not only for being the debut game from a new studio but for it being a Metroidvania coming to players courtesy of an AAA publisher, in this case, EA. Prior toZau’s reveal,Prince of Persia: The Lost Crownwas the only known AAA Metroidvaniareleasing in early 2024, and it now has a clear rival arriving not long after its launch.
Tales of Kenzera: Zau and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Share More Than Just Genre
Outside both being side-scrolling Metroidvania titles with a twin emphasis on combat and movement,Prince of Persia: The Lost CrownandTales of Kenzera: Zauare that rarest of quantities within the genre thanks to both being Metroidvanias coming from AAA publishers.Tales of Kenzera: Zauis one of the games releasing on EA’s newer EA Originals label, whilePrince of Persia: The Lost Crownis the latest game in the franchise since it’s been under Ubisoft’s tutelage. But where many longtime fans arehopingThe Lost Crownwill breathe lifeinto a mostly dormant franchise,Tales of Kenzera: Zauis not the type of risk that AAA publishers normally take, giving a bit of weight to EA’s belief in Abubakar Salim’s vision.
Additionally, both games utilize a significant cultural component through their use of mythology and folklore in their storytelling and environmental design.Prince of Persia: The Lost Crownutilizes Persian mythologyand the rich cultural history of the Middle East as the framework for its narrative, whileTales of Kenzera: Zaulooks to the traditions and tales of the Bantu people for its story revolving around courage in the face of grief. It’s not common for a Metroidvania title to embrace African or Southwest Asian cultural storytelling in its presentation, much less to get two games doing just that, releasing within 3 months of one another.
What remains to be seen aboutTales of Kenzera: Zauis how it incorporates the twin halves of its Metroidvania gameplay, as well as what players can expect in terms of the game’s world and expected length.Hands-on previews ofPrince of Persia: The Lost Crownhave been mostly positive, with many walking away sharing the sentiment that it’s both a bold new step toward bringing thePrince of Persiafranchise back into the spotlight and a quality action-platformer that stands on its own two feet.
The reveal trailer forTales of Kenzera: Zauwas certainly impressive, but little more is known about the title beyond its initial announcement at The Game Awards. Still,Metroidvania fanshave a lot to look forward to in the first quarter of 2024 thanks to both of these excellent-looking titles' planned launches.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
WHERE TO PLAY
Dash into a stylish and thrilling action-adventure platformer set in a mythological Persian world where the boundaries of time and space are yours to manipulate. Play as Sargon and evolve from sword-wielding prodigy to extraordinary legend as you master acrobatic combat and unlock new Time Powers and unique super abilities.UNLEASH YOUR INNER WARRIORUse your Time Powers, combat, and platforming skills to perform deadly combos and defeat time-corrupted enemies and mythological creatures.LOSE YOURSELF IN THE PRODIGIOUS MOUNT QAFDiscover a cursed Persian-inspired world filled with larger-than-life landmarks and explore a variety of highly detailed biomes, each with their own identity, wonder, and danger.LIVE AN EPIC ADVENTUREImmerse yourself in a Persian mythological fantasy through an intriguing and original story as you use your wits to solve puzzles, find hidden treasures, and complete quests to learn more about this corrupted place.
