Almost a year since its release, the debut title from Surgent Studios – Tales of Kenzera: Zau, has won the ‘Games Beyond Entertainment Award’ at the prestigious Bafta Awards ceremony held in London.
The category of award which was launched in 2018 recognizes the game with the most impact outside of its entertainment value – something which elicits some sort of transformational experience beyond pure entertainment.
The game fended off some heavy weights in its category, including Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II and Tetris Forever to win the coveted award.
Upon receiving the award, a visibly emotional Salim dedicated the award to “those who really supported me through this journey.”
Writing about the game upon its release GIA said,
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, is a heartfelt metroidvania-inspired single-player action-adventure platformer that brings a new take on the experience of finding hope and courage after loss. The loss of a parent figure has been explored across the gaming medium numerous times, but rarely from the perspective of a black creator straddling a multitude of lines that include what it means to be a black man shouldering fear, deep sadness, emotional awareness, colourism, vulnerability, the need for space and the duality of being a proud African rooted in the vanilla lands of Europe.
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