Moon Studios’Orivideo games are widely celebrated as modern masterpieces for their stunning visuals, immersive gameplay, and beautiful soundtrack combined with heartfelt storytelling. As beloved as they are, it’s no surprise that theOrivideo games were also a big inspiration for developer Surgent Studios' debut title,Tales of Kenzera: Zau,a Metroidvania about grief set in a colorful and whimsical world.Oriwasn’t the only influence, as it also draws influence from African Bantu folktales, various otherMetroidvania games, and more.
Game Rant recently attended a preview event forTales of Kenzera: Zauwhich helped shed more light on the game’s mix of influences and inspirations. Game Rant also sat down with Surgent Studios' lead designer Zi Peters and art lead/character artist Ackeem Durrant to discuss how games likeOrispecifically inspiredTales of Kenzera: Zau.
How Ori Inspired Tales of Kenzera: Zau’s Visuals, Worldbuilding, and Gameplay
During theTales of Kenzera: Zaupreview event, Peters cited several classic and modern Metroidvanias as inspirations for its level design and gameplay, includingHollow Knight,Guacamelee,Super Metroid,Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and, of course, theOrivideo games. Peters also namedDevil May CryandGod of Waras inspirations for the game’s combat. However, when asked howgames likeOriandHollow Knightspecifically inspiredTales of Kenzera: Zau, Peters spoke about howOri’s “visual beauty” and “worldbuilding” were an inspiration, “and certainly, fromTheWill of the Wisps, as they pushed more into the combat sort of sense.” Combat and gameplay-wise, Durrant also added that Ori’s backflip directly inspired the same move of Zau’s.
AlongsideHollow KnightandBaba is You,Durrant also citedOrias an inspiration forTales of Kenzera:Zau’s art style and visuals. Durrant explained the contrast ofZau’s colorful art style as agame about grief and lossis also influenced by Bantu culture, where funerals are brighter, more celebrated events than in Western culture. The game also deliberately includes various seemingly conflicting dualities from life and death to protagonist Zau’s Sun and Moon mask. Durrant also talked about the influence of African culture inZau’s level design with its tall Baobab trees with their tree of life symbolism, something that could also potentially be an interesting comparison withOri’s Spirit Tree.
It’s clear when looking atTales of Kenzera: Zauhow much it pulled fromtheOrigamesand Bantu culture, but the developers did mention everything from comics to anime as well. How it derives all of this into a new, cohesive product capable of standing on its own remains to be seen, but it’s interesting nonetheless.
