Impundulu is the first major boss fight of Tales of Kenzera: Zau, and it’s likely to cause players some trouble. However, there is a consistent strategy for defeating this lightning bird.
How to Survive the First Phase of the Impundulu Boss Fight
For the first two segments of her health, Impundulu mostly focuses on two attacks: a Beak Slam and a Claw Slam. The Beak Slam is the toughest to avoid. She will raise her head and slam it down quickly where Zau is standing. The only way to avoid this is a well-timed dash, so keep an eye on when she starts to move. The Claw Slam is a little easier to avoid. Just keep running when she starts raising her claws, and you’ll largely stay out of the three hits.
Don’t be afraid to dash if it looks a bit too close, though. Both these attacks leave Impundulu in a vulnerable state, which will allow you to combo with the Mask of the Sun until she recovers. After you’ve knocked off one segment of her health, she’ll add a new attack – a laser. This is marked by her rising above the platform and charging up. She will then sweep a laser from her mouth across the length of the stage, alternating the direction it travels in.
Dash through it as it approaches, then hit her with shots from the Mask of the Moon as it moves away from you. After enough damage, Impundulu will become invulnerable before teleporting to the island in the distant background. From here, she’ll launch a series of lightning strikes. They look intimidating, but the best solution is to just run from one side of the stage to the other, dashing whenever you turn around. This will cause the lightning to mainly land behind Zau, while the dash helps you avoid any stray shots as you turn around.
How to Survive the Second Phase of the Impundulu Boss Fight
The second stage of the Impundulu fight is mostly the same as the first, with some notable variations. The beak slam now has multiple attacks, while the claw slam gains an extra attack and a swipe at the end of the vulnerable stage. The strategies remain the same, only now you have to limit any combos after the claw slam stage. The claw slam also eventually gains a shockwave when you’ve knocked her down to three health segments, so you’ll need to jump to avoid this.
The laser attack also changes during this phase, as Impundulu will move to the edge of the stage rather than above it. You will still need to dodge the laser using the dash, just like the first phase, but the attack strategy changes a little due to your proximity to Impundulu after the dash. When close to her, use the Mask of the Sun, or fire through the laser with Mask of the Moon if you’re away from her. After knocking off four health segments, Impundulu repeats the lightning strikes from the end of the first phase.
How to Survive the Final Phase of the Impundulu Boss Fight
The final phase is similar to the second, although now Impundulu is faster and will throw more attacks at you in succession. She will also gain a new attack. She’ll move into position as if she’s about to shoot a laser from the side, but the attack is now a series of projectiles.
Because these projectiles head in the exact direction Zau is positioned when they’re fired, there’s a simple strategy to avoid them. Stand on the other side of the stage, jump the first projectile, and the second will sail over Zau’s head. This will cause the projectiles to alternate between low and high, so jump only after one has passed over you. Attack with Mask of the Moon where you can here.
Tales of Kenzera: Zau is out now for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
