Kenzu: Shadow and Light
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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. 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. |
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 |
| Space | Jump |
| S + Space | Jump down |
| J | Slash / Attack |
| K | Parry |
| L | Shuriken (needs unlock) |
| U | Kunai (needs unlock) |
| R | Concentration to heal |
| Left Shift | Dash |
| M | Map |
| E | Interact |
| Tab | Menu |
| P | Cheat panel! |
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Devlog 15 : what I'm working on (and what I'm fixing)1 day ago
- Update 2: new shuriken, painted animations and custom controls3 days ago
- I'm back: Kenzu is moving again4 days ago
- I want to invite you to discuss our future !14 days ago
- Long time no see...79 days ago
- Devlog #10: We're Back, And the Forest Just Got DangerousJan 09, 2026
- Devlog #9: Last deploy of the year! Happy holidays!Dec 23, 2025
- Devlog #8: New narrative scenarios for biome02 and more features !Dec 20, 2025
Comments
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Game seems fun so far. Only being able to dash while grounded makes for a distinctive, low-powered moveset that takes some getting used to; I spent quite a bit of time reflexively trying to jump+dash out of Borg’s spherical attack like I would with most other games in this genre. Only being able to pick up your remains/lost stuff while grounded is a bad choice, though, I think; the ‘F’ button prompt appears mid-air so you should probably be able to push it and if you can’t you should probably not spawn the remains in mid-air.
will the full game Also be on web or will it just be the Early Access version only
i want to make it web. maybe at some point we also plan to make a release on steam !
I really like the visuals. The art is really good.
But I after several attempts, I could not kill borg. Maybe the first boss could be easier :D
i agree ! i will try to make it a bit easier, at least the first one.
106 frames per second!!
Great to hear! I’m adding tons of new art, so I was worried it might get heavy.
I meant that on one of the game screenshots 106fps is present x)
And i think i just saw 106 instead of 120 somehow
Next week, looks like you're putting all your efforts into it! I appreciate that
Thank you so much! I’m really passionate about this project, and I want to make the most of all the feedback I’m receiving
Is there a mobile version?and what do u think about add "arabic" as a language on game
i need to make the mobile version work as soon as posible, i promise next week i will have it working.
and yes, i can add arabic ! qwhere are u from btw? we are from Argentina
Good. I'm from Algeria
Love the artstyle, the feel when you hit an enemy is great. Holding to buy is kinda inconvenient for large quantities of stuff though. I think you should add a way for players to pick how much of an item they want to buy in one go
Love to see how the project turns out
first of all, love the profile painting.
thanks u so much !
yes i will change the currency system ! thanks so much !
Yo this game is legit!
Just DMd you on instagram. Would love to help !
In the starting cutscene, the anti-aliasing looks weird ( the pixels don´t move simultaneously but instead jump around on the corners ) on 1080p
ON IT !
thanks for catching this, for the next iteration it will be fixed !
hey , i am krishna ,, an indie game developer , i would like to test ur game if u need any game tester ,,i am aware of fact game can be tested by any gamer ,, but as i am game developer , i have knowledge of not only about playing games , but also how they are made ,, so i can test any task u give me ,, and i myself can find bugs and do in game quests , find weak spots , or boring area or part or controls or ui problems ,, i can give u public or private reports as u fancy ,,
thanks ,
please bother to reply
krishna
Okay, No problem!
The mobile version is gonna release today isnt it?
Thanks a lot for playing and for asking! Right now the browser version doesn't run well on phones yet: it loads, but it runs out of memory when the game starts. We're working on making it lighter so it works on mobile. For now it's best played on PC (browser or the Windows/Mac/Linux downloads). I'll post an update when the mobile version is ready!
Very impressive! I'll come back to this later - I can't seem to get the timings right for dodging rn. Borg reminds me of my least favourite HK boss lmao.
hi !, do you mean dodge using daggers? or dodge in general? thanks for the feedback, in term of bosses we will be adding a cople more next weeks.
Dodging in general - but that's almost certainly 100% me. I'm really bad with that sort of attack pattern and not used to the rhythm yet. (Just realized you can't dodge mid-air lol). I also keep failing to jump over the rock.
Really excited to hear what you're adding! I'll work on getting past the first boss so I can actually see it lmao 👍
Turns out I have to start both the dodge and jump earlier than I thought. Looking forward to the kind of movement tech this game'll bring. 😉
Here's something of note: If you die mid-air, you can't really deal with this death effigy. The prompt doesn't appear on the ground, and you can't jump for it (at least, not in my attempts).
wo, did feedback is really great, i will fix this in the next iteration ! thanks so much, please keep this feedbacks coming, tomorrow i will add a lot of new mechanics
very good game i can see myself playing this in my free time and actually beating it i like the music and plus the combats is also good just that if there is more verity in weapons or a hybrid of some sort would be fantastic i would love if there is a scythe and everything else is good keep up the work
thanks so much, its a good feedback, im trying to add variation in terms of weapons and combos. hope u enjoy whats coming next !!!
Este juego me encanta, pero siento que las hitboxes son un poco injustas, especialmente las de las espinas esas, tal vez solo sea yo, porque juego Geometry Dash y si has visto las hitboxes de GD, sabes de lo que hablo.
muchas gracias por el comentario ! se perfectamente, es una discucion tenemos , de si ser un poco mas permisivos con el hitbox de los spikes, poruqe aveces es frustrante de mas.
voy a tenerlo en cuenta. gracias!!!
I really like the art direction and style of the game (though Borg looks a bit blurry compared to the other assets). Idk if this is something that will be unlocked later, but airdashes would be super helpfu
thank you so so much !
today im fixing borg and baltus animations so they look sharp 🤓.
air dash will be unlocked in the next biome!
and this week i have something really big incoming, Kenzus ultimate. and an energy sistem that i think is really cool !
That sounds really interesting, Ill be on the look out for that
It crashed again, faster now for some reason, i can wait for the mobile version to release. Thank you
I will! After I had completed hollow knight, I couldn't find any game i liked until I found yours, it looks like it can rival hollow knight!
i just uploaded the new webgl. let me know if u like it and all the feedback is welcome, i will keep working on it. there are a bunch of new material coming,
Okay thank you!
tomorrow i will upload a updated version of the game with a lot of new features! hope u like it
I tried to load the webGL version once more, after waiting patiently it just showed a sad little box 😞 it crashed i think
hey !, sorry, yes i ment a link. im working on a mobile version. we almost have it. i have it on testflight but i neet to make a release..
i will let u know
Can you please add a mobile version? This game looks great I wanna play it
we already have it for mobile !
let me give it to you
The webGL version is stuck on the loading screen for some reason, but I didn't understand what u meant by giving it to me, is it a link ?
The game looks great, but I couldn't play much because the keyboard controls are terrible. Great artwork and style tho!
dam, we need to make them custom. thanks for the comment !
ofc! srry, didn't mean to us the word 'terrible'. bit harsh on my end
amazing
Thanks so much!!!
dash button is so goofie ass (please, remap option)
done !
Time to rush it on Ironman
The animation is really cool. You can tell the animator had fun working on this project!
The animator is a great artist and a Uruguayan friend. The funniest part is that he started working with us as a concept artist and not as an animato...in fact, he didn't specialize in that, but during the process we realized he really enjoyed it and had a lot of talent for it.
And in fact, from that point on we adapted the animation creation process to fit his style, because he developed his style himself.it's not something learned in school or "standard."
That's actually really impressive!
Yes, based on the experience we have so far, all team members sooner or later have to adapt to new tasks. Especially on the small team we have right now.
Genial el juego. Lo estuve probando y me re gustó. Ya le pasé a Gaspar mi feedback. Sigan así. Va a ser un juegazo.
muchas gracias querido !!! exelente el feedback q me dejaste, ayuda mucho.
vamos a seguir metiendole !
Amazing gameplay and beautiful design, but the controls are very unresponsive. This may just be on account of the lag.
thanks so much ! it probably have something to do with the lag. but we will try to improve it
Fist of wall: art 10, level desing art 10, animaitos 10.
But, has not the player shadows? VFX to land and perfom inputs is important as well.
I'm impressive with positive coments, but the game has some things that I think can be better.
THe fist level its hard to me. Fist, before the fist Boss, the jump section with spikes on the wall is so hard to pass... The player after take damage from spikes reset your position. Why? The player after that should to continue playing the game I think, like classics metrovanias (I don't like this system like Hollow Knight).
Other point is the "tutotial level/leve 0". The player has not dopamina moments, like battles or other event. I did take any skill and equipament (only one weapon) before fight against the boss... So, if the system there is in the game, I ought to test it in the fist battle, no?
Sucess for the game guys.
Victor ! great feedback, a lot of info.
I agree that we're missing quite a few VFX that communicate feedback, we're also already planning to add more content in the first few minutes, not only in terms of dopamine, but narrative elements as well. Thank you very much for the feedback, it helps us, we'll keep working on it and I hope you'll play it again later to see what you think of the changes.
I am waiting for more 5 minutes to can play the game. The web version is so slow to load the game...
the areas that need the strong slash to acces broke the game instantly, so my bad. other than that, how much is the full game?
Hey there!
First of all, thank you so much for playing the game and for showing interest in it .it truly means a lot to us.
Last year we poured a ton of energy into this project. This year, we've put it on hold for a while as we work on a smaller game. Our plan is to build some traction with Kenzu and then pick it back up once we have that momentum going.
In the meantime, we're really excited about Hokus which you can also play over on itch.io! We put out a first pixel art demo, and this month we're rebuilding it with more content and hand-painted art in a style similar to Kenzu.
Thanks again, and I hope you keep enjoying the content we put out .your feedback genuinely helps us!
Cheers!
hermoso proyecto lo vengo siguiendo hace tiempo, me encanta que se esten desarrollando estos juegos con arte tan cuidado en Argentina!
Muchas gracias Chandemon ! nos tomamos un tiempo de vacaciones pero ahora estamos de vuelta.
esta semana sacamos un minijuego pixel art ! pásate a mirarlo
El cariño que está teniendo el desarrollo de éste juego es tremendo... se nota que van en serio, muy divertido, muy lindo, muy bien las mecánicas, los combates, el diseño. Futura joya del género.
Muchas gracias Pablo! Pusiste llegar al 2do bioma? Ahí Kenzu consigue más habilidades y se ponen mucho más interesantes las mecánicas, pronto cerramos la 2da hora de juego
Como gran fan del género Metroidvania y habiendo pasado cientos de horas en Hallownest con Hollow Knight y su esperada secuela Silksong, tengo que decir que lo que ha logrado Lambda Forge con Kenzu es verdaderamente excepcional y eleva el listón del género.
Si bien Hollow Knight nos enseñó la belleza de la exploración sombría, y Silksong mejoró la fluidez del combate, Kenzu toma esos cimientos y los lleva a un nivel completamente nuevo.
Hola Santi! Muchas gracias por el comentario!
Estamos trabajando ya en el 2do bioma, en estos dias vamos a subir una actualizacion del juego con nuevos rooms, nuevo arte y nuevos enemigos ;)
El juego es excelente, con un diseño visual y sonoro inmersivo. La jugabilidad es adictiva y satisfactoria, con un buen equilibrio entre desafío y recompensa, y un diseño de niveles variado.
Grafica maravillosa, Descripcion del juego de nivel preofesional.
Gracias por este comentario no automatizado!
Great game to be honest, I like the art feel of everything, the ambience is great. The developers have truly created a rich and immersive world. The visual design is stunning, and the audio experience perfectly complements the atmosphere, pulling the player deep into the game's setting. Every detail, from the character models to the environment textures, feels polished and intentional.
The core gameplay loop is incredibly satisfying and addictive, offering a great balance of challenge and reward. I was particularly impressed by the level design and the variety of mechanics introduced as the game progresses.
My only suggestion for improvement—which would elevate the experience even further—is the implementation of customizable keybindings (or key mapping).
Thanks for your feedback! Yes we aim to add customizable keybindings in a few weeks!
We need to add optional key mappings this week
Consider it done!
did we already do it? let's upload it!
hi boss, first iteration of keybinding comes out in a few hours o7
The visuals are absolutely gorgeous, and while I think some mechanics like the dash and parry should be polished, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the game.
I wish you all the best! It was a lovely experience and really fun too!
Thank you! Agreed, the parry mechanic is only on its second iteration. What suggestion do you have for parry and dash? Is it the dash animation or the cooldown?
Amazing game! You can clearly see the dedication and time put into the environment, music, characters, and gameplay. It promises even more, and I’m looking forward to keep trying it out.
Thank you so much!
I love the art style, it has a level of personality that makes every scene feel alive. Also, the combat and parkour mechanics are incredibly smooth and responsive. Even in this beta stage, it shows a ton of promise, and I’m genuinely excited to see how you build on this foundation. This could easily become something special, can’t wait to see where it goes.
Thks so much for your words! Since Kenzu is a cat, the parkour has to feel smooth and fluid 😜
We’re really glad that came through. We’ll be uploading new updates in the next few days!
Very cool first chapter, it is promising.
Thanks a lot!! Chapter 2 early access coming on Friday!