Tales of Kenzera: ZAU gameplay length detailed, devs talk inspiration from Black Panther, Metroid and more

We’re less than two weeks away from the release of Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, and the games developers are making the rounds to spread the word on this upcoming emotional Metroidvania.

The most recent Metroidvania to come out and make waves was the excellent Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, which turned out to be quite a lengthy endeavor; far more so than most Metroidvanias. If you were looking for something a bit more standard, you’ll be happy to know that Tales of Kenzera: ZAU will run about 8-10 hours for a regular playthrough, or 12-15 if you’re trying to find everything.

As for what helped create Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, it’s a laundry list of big names across all sorts of media. The game certainly aims to tell its own tale with a heaping helping of emotion, but plenty of other franchises have paved the way for this unique experience. The dev team has shared that they’ve been inspired by the Black Panther movies in particular, especially in relation to the films’ ancestral plane location. As for other games, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU pulls from Castlevania, Super Metroid, Hollow Knight, Ori and the Blind Forest, Devil May Cry and God of War.

Inspired by Abubakar’s personal journey dealing with the loss of his father and their deep mutual bond of video games, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU celebrates Abubakar’s father through heartfelt single-player metroidvania-style gameplay, all while showcasing how greatness comes from resilience and the experience of finding hope and courage after loss.

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU releases on April 23 on Switch for $19.99. Pre-order the game now to earn a 10% discount, in addition to two shaman points unlocking up to two skills in-game, Kalunga’s Blessing visual effect variant, as well as the Tales of Kenzera: ZAU digital companion comic, Soulshifters, which dives deeper into the rich lore of Kenzera.