Kenzu: Shadow and Light
What is Kenzu: Shadow and Light?
Kenzu: Shadow and Light is an in-development metroidvania platformer. Players explore hand-painted biomes, unlock weapons, skills, charms and upgrades, and fight increasingly challenging enemies and bosses while uncovering lore about the world and themselves.
Kenzu: Shadow and Light is an in-development metroidvania platformer set in a world collapsing into chaos. Kenzu reconnects with the legacy of the seven Kato clans to tap into ancient powers and save his people. Players explore diverse biomes with hand-painted art, unlock weapons, skills, charms and upgrades to shape a personal build, and face increasingly challenging enemies and bosses. The game also includes lore about the world and the protagonist, plus interactions that help those around you. It is inspired by recent indie masterpieces such as Hollow Knight and Blasphemous. The first Early Access version offers about 1 hour of play while remaining chapters are finished.
How to play Kenzu: Shadow and Light
- Move left and right with A or the left arrow key and D or the right arrow key.
- Jump with Space, crouch with S or the down arrow key, and use S plus Space to jump down.
- Slash with J and parry with K.
- Dash with Left Shift and use R to concentrate and heal.
- Interact with E, open the map with M, and open the menu with Tab.
- Shuriken and kunai require unlocks before use.
Kenzu: Shadow and Light controls
Controls are taken from the developer's itch.io page.
Tips for Kenzu: Shadow and Light
- Use Chrome for browser play with Xbox and PlayStation controllers. Gamepad compatibility can vary by brand, browser and operating system, so downloading is recommended for optimal compatibility.
- Downloading is also recommended for better VFX quality.
- Shuriken and kunai need to be unlocked before they can be used.
- R uses concentration to heal.
- The current Early Access build has about 1 hour available; the full game is planned to offer 8–10 hours of gameplay.
Kenzu: Shadow and Light FAQ
What is Kenzu: Shadow and Light?
It is an in-development metroidvania platformer. Players explore hand-painted biomes, unlock weapons, skills, charms and upgrades, and fight enemies and bosses while uncovering lore.
How much playtime is available now?
The first Early Access version offers about 1 hour of gameplay. The full game is planned to offer 8–10 hours.
What platforms are supported?
The game is available for HTML5, Windows, macOS and Linux.
Can a controller be used?
Xbox and PlayStation controllers are mentioned for browser play, with Chrome recommended. Gamepad compatibility can vary by brand, browser and operating system, and downloading is recommended for optimal compatibility.
Is the game finished?
No. It is in development, and the current release is the first Early Access version while remaining chapters are finished.
Who is developing it?
A small South American team has worked on the project for over a year; the developer name is not specified.
About this game
Read the full developer description
Discord // X // Reddit // TikTok // Instagram
In a world that's collapsing into chaos, Kenzu will reconnect with the legacy of the seven Kato clans to tap into ancient powers and save his people.
Kenzu: Shadow and Light is a metroidvania inspired by recent indie masterpieces like Hollow Knight and Blasphemous.
- Unlock weapons, skills, charms and upgrades to create your personal build!
- Explore rich and diverse biomes filled with hand-painted art!
- Combat ever more challenging enemies and bosses!
- Unlock the lore about the world and yourself and help those around you!
We recommend downloading the game for better VFX quality and gamepad compatibility
⚠️ Early Access Notice
This is the very first Early Access version of Kenzu: Shadow and Light.
The full game will offer 8–10 hours of gameplay, but for now only about 1 hour is available while we finish the remaining chapters.
We’re a small South American team that’s been working on this project for over a year, and we’re putting everything we have into completing it. Our goal is to release the entire first half of the game here on Itch.io, starting with the first few hours and updating frequently.
Some enemies and environments still use placeholder or unfinished art, and certain visual elements (like the loading bar and UI polish) are being improved.
Your feedback and support mean the world to us — it helps us keep building and improving every week.
Thank you for playing and for being part of this journey! 💜
Controls
Joystick
Use Chrome for a better browser experience with Xbox and PlayStation controllers. Due to compatibility differences between different gamepad brands, browser versions and operating systems, we can't assure compatibility between the browser version and your gamepad.
For optimal compatibility, we recommend downloading the game.
Keyboard
Key Action A / ←Move left D / →Move right S / ↓Crouch SpaceJump S + SpaceJump down JSlash / Attack KParry LShuriken (needs unlock) UKunai (needs unlock) RConcentration to heal Left ShiftDash MMap EInteract TabMenu PCheat panel!
Description from Kenzu: Shadow and Light on itch.io, by the developer.
Screenshots
Not listed by the developer: developer name, published date, full release date, gamepad button mappings, touch controls, Android/iOS support, system requirements, multiplayer details, save system, explicit free-to-play status. We left these out rather than guess.