Tales of Kenzera: ZAU 1.3 update to add new difficulty levels and more

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU will soon be going live with a new version 1.3 update on Switch, which is highlighted by new difficulty levels.

“Story” will be the new easiest option in the game. But on the other end of the spectrum, “Brutal” will pose a huge challenge. Note that in addition to these new difficulty levels, the game is getting other additions, improvements, and fixes such as the option to skip chase sequences after a designated number of attempts.

The full rundown of the update is as follows:

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU 1.3 update patch notes

• Added two new difficulty levels in addition to Relaxed, Balanced, and Challenging. 
  • “Story” is even more forgiving than “Relaxed” in combat, providing further support on traversal and restoring full health at each checkpoint upon death. 
  • “Brutal” is a step beyond “Challenging” and is tailored for those who want to get a strong sense of the enormity of Zau’s task. “Brutal” emphasises dashing, using skills and abilities effectively, and remembering enemy attack patterns
• Adjusted hazards like the insta-kill spikes, diminishing collision slightly so they feel more fun and fair
• Added the option to skip chase sequences after a designated number of attempts determined by the player’s selected difficulty level.
• Improved the map’s fog of war, making it easier for collectors to identify areas where content may have been missed
• Fixed an issue in which players weren’t immediately aware of ZAU’s difficulty selection. Players will now be asked to choose their difficulty level upon starting a new game.
• Tied players’ chosen difficulty to their save slot for those who play on multiple saves or who share the game with others
• Added hints, tips and reminders to the pause menu
• Added a pop-up tutorial for the Kikiyaon Heart encounter

Other Fixes

• Fixed issue in which “I Am the Sun” achievement was not awarded if enemies were killed by Ignite from Supernova
• Fixed an issue in which Zau became stuck in pre-charge animation after the dash, double jump, and charge combo
• Fixed an issue in which players could not use Bamba’s Stone on GaGorib while he performs Body Slam
• Fixed issue in which seize expended dash and double jump charges
• Other minor fixes

Chase Sequences Gameplay changes

You’ve consistently given us feedback saying you wished there was an option to skip the chase sequences in ZAU, so we added it! Depending on the difficulty level you’ve selected, a Yumboe will appear after a certain number of attempts and let you skip if you’re struggling. The criteria for when the Yumboe will appear are:

• Story: The player always has the option
• Relaxed: Will appear after 3 deaths in total
• Balanced: Will appear after 5 deaths in total
• Challenging: Will appear after 10 deaths in total
• Brutal: The player never has the option

A Yumboe will remain in place once it has appeared, so if you are playing on Story difficulty and then switch to Brutal difficulty, it’ll still be there for you.

It’s worth noting that deaths are shared between all parts of the chase, so if you die 3 times in the first part of a chase and 2 times in the second part of a chase, the Yumboe will appear for Balanced difficulty players.

If the player changes difficulty, the game doesn’t reset how many times the player has died.

The Tales of Kenzera: ZAU version 1.3 update will be out “soon” on Switch. For more coverage on the game, head on over here.