Kena: Bridge of Spirits Review: A Legendary Adventure

Kena faces a giant boss in Kena: Bridge of Spirits.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits Review: A Legendary Adventure

RRP $ 40.00

"Kena: Bridge of Spirits is as beautifully and elegantly designed as a big budget game, which makes it a statement debut for Ember Lab."

advantages

  • Satisfactory exploration

  • Adorable red mechanic

  • Hard but fair fights

  • Elegant complexity curve

  • Wonderful look

disadvantage

  • Frustrating attack patterns

  • Cutscenes stutter

At first glance, few would guess that Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a self-released debut project from a small studio. The adventure game is as good as it can be, with great graphics, cutscenes that rival (if not outperform) modern CG animated films, and rock-hard gameplay mechanics. If there was ever any doubt that the barrier between “Indie” and “AAA” had eroded over the years, here is a game that breaks all remaining walls.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits was developed by Ember Lab and comes through the Epic Games Store with the confidence of a first-party game from Sony on PS4, PS5 and PC. It pulls elements from Zelda, Uncharted, Dark Souls, and many more heavy hitters above its weight class to knock its genre a knockout blow. It's no surprise that it's in the spotlight during Sony's state-of-play streams and this year's Tribeca Festival. This is the kind of statement debut that needs attention.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an exquisitely crafted adventure that blends classic and modern game design concepts with ease. Whether it comes to reefing Pikmin with its resourceful creature control mechanics or engaging in deceptively challenging battles, it excels in everything it does. The whole thing is rounded off by a poignant, Miyazaki-like story, which is told through profound world formation and cutscenes in cinema quality.

The legend of Kena

When it first debuted, Kena: Bridge of Spirits made some early comparisons with The Legend of Zelda series. These were certainly justified, but it doesn't paint a complete picture of the game. It is bursting with inspiration based on decades of video game history. The general framework feels timeless; Kena is a rod-wielding heroine who sets out to find a mountain shrine in a poisoned world that has been abandoned by all but monsters.

Kena looks at a poisoned lightbulb in Kena: Bridge of Spirits.

Many of its structural beats are familiar, but in a warm, calming way. Players tackle well-designed platform sections, hunt relics that lead them to every nook and cranny of a sprawling map, and find a slew of collectible secrets dotted around every nook and cranny. It's a classic video game premise that's kind of nostalgic for any era, but every bit of it is glowed until it twinkles.

Exploring in Kena: Bridge of Spirits always feels satisfying as each tool has a clear purpose that is easy to keep track of.

Take exploration, for example. Kena doesn't have as many tools as Link, but each is equally important for navigation. Her arrows allow her to jump flowers like a hookshot, she can climb Uncharted walls, and a ghost bomb in the middle of the game magically rebuilds broken structures to create the game's cleverest platform puzzles. Exploring in Kena: Bridge of Spirits always feels satisfying as each tool has a clear purpose that is easy to follow. there is no mechanical fluff to slow the pace.

The most adorable idea, however, comes from a surprising game: Pikmin. Kena can collect and control adorable black creatures called Red that swarm and squeak around her like the soot sprites from Spirited Away. The red permeates Kena's traditional adventure systems with its most imaginative ideas. You can lift items to reveal collectibles, lug around rocks that create new platforms, or form a water-like swarm that can break through thorny roadblocks. Every time I discovered a new interaction, I screamed with joy – both because I was amazed at how many creative possibilities the game can expand on a simple system, and because they are just so damn cute. You can even wear tiny cowboy hats!

Kena commands a Red Army in Kena: Bridge of Spirits.

Yeah, I'm serious about the last part. Another vintage piece of Kena's DNA is the Collect-a-Thon setup. There are many optional items around the world, but each one is worthwhile for a variety of reasons. The reds themselves serve as a clever but functional collectible as the swarm level up and gain new skills when Kena finds enough creatures. There are also quite a few small hats that can be found over chests and combat challenges, and each red can be outfitted with a different one. That doesn't affect gameplay, but it sure makes a fun change.

That speaks for the core strength of Kena: It's always playful. Every new tool, platform puzzle, or buried treasure brings another delightful surprise that rewards anyone willing to get lost in a digital adventure.

Don't be lazy

Don't be fooled by the cute creatures and cones, though: Kena will be deceptively tough. The fight is just as important here as the exploration and also well thought out. Initially, players only use a light and heavy staff attack to fight enemies in close combat. But the game does an excellent job of gradually increasing the possibilities for players. It's a graceful curve of complexity that naturally builds up with the difficulty of the game.

Kena soon gains the ability to shoot arrows from her staff, adding a ranged component to the mix. Bombs add another layer around halfway through the game and bring some puzzle mechanics into the fight. A stony boss can only be damaged if Kena uses bombs to expose the wooden skin underneath. Each item also has a few select upgrades, each of which feels useful and is not just a nice but useless perk.

Kena faces a giant boss in Kena: Bridge of Spirits.

The reds also play an excellent supporting role in battles. When Kena has built up enough determination, she can use the reds for various purposes. You can swarm around an enemy to briefly distract them, heal Kena through blooming flowers on the battlefield, or even penetrate them with weapons to create powerful special attacks. Every time I had enough energy, I had to make decisions about how I would command the reds. Should I heal myself while my health is low or fire a red arrow for additional damage? It's a strategic depth that makes red seem almost like an RPG magic system.

Shielding and evasion also play a big role in battles and give the battles a manageable advantage of Dark Souls. Kena has a ghost bubble that acts as a shield in battle. Block too often and it will break, but activate it at the right moment and it will parry enemies and leave them vulnerable for a few seconds. While my instincts initially insisted on avoiding it, it quickly became critical to my battle plan.

It's a graceful curve of complexity that naturally builds up with the difficulty of the game.

It is important to have a plan as the fights get serious in the back half of the game. The challenge, of course, increases with fights that feel tough but are achievable. While fights tend to feel fair, they offer some of the rare moments of frustration in the game. Certain enemy attacks can go surprisingly far, making them a little difficult to read or avoid. Some creatures also seem to have the ability to turn anything they throw into a homing missile. I constantly felt like I was dodging a rock cleanly, only to turn into a curve ball and beam on my head.

However, these moments are rare. Most of the time, I felt totally in control in combat because I had a good understanding of all of my tools. At the penultimate boss, I found myself pinning a bomb on an enemy, firing them with a rot-infused arrow to do additional ranged damage while detonating them, charging forward to close the range, and my shield activated at the right time to fend off an attack and swing my staff to quickly lower its health bar. Kena gets players to this point at a constant pace, making sure they have enough time to fully grasp the potential of a tool before introducing a new idea that adds more depth.

Eat your heart out, Hollywood

The developer Ember Lab started out as an animation studio and that is easy to see. One of the first things players will notice when Kena boots up is that it offers beautiful graphics that couldn't possibly seem like they came from a small, first-time game studio. Environments pop thanks to a rich color palette that contrasts the cool blues and greens of the natural world with neon-like splashes of red and burnt-out browns. Every little character is brought to life with animation details, including every single red.

The high production value is particularly evident in the game's cutscenes, which really look like they were taken from a high budget CG animated film. It feels like Ember Lab is pushing video game animation to the limit here – which can be seen as some of the game's busier sequences tend to experience noticeable frame rate stutters.

Kena stands in front of a waterfall in Kena: Bridge of Spirits.

All of these pretty pictures are well received because Kena's true strength is expressed in the form of his story. The game plays like a classic Hayao Miyazaki movie (think Princess Mononoke or Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds), with Kena fighting to preserve the natural beauty. Ultimately, she is on the lookout for an environmental disaster that has caused an entire village to flee. On her way to the shrine, she interacts with the spirits of those who could not stop him. The ghosts hanging around here mourn a once beautiful place and highlight the personal pain that arises from our failure to protect the world around us.

The high production value is particularly evident in the game's cutscenes, which really look like they were taken from a high budget CG animated film.

But Kena is not a story of darkness and doom. It pauses to instill empathy for those overwhelmed with pain, but it still moves forward offering hope for the future. The game hangs on moments of environmental catharsis when Kena uses the rot to turn dead areas back into blooming, grassy plains. Watching gnarled wood and toxic gas return to lush hills (an effect that occurs seamlessly in the game thanks to next-gen technology) turns Kena: Bridge of Spirits into a true power fantasy. Not one in which a grizzled soldier with a massive weapon destroys everything in sight, but one in which even the smallest person has the power to rebuild the world around him.

It's not that easy in our own world, but Kena is a much-needed optimism for players young and old.

Our opinion

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is the best adventure game in years and a clear highlight of the latest console cycle. Both the exploration and combat components become increasingly complex with tools that always have a clear purpose. This sleek mechanical design focuses on the game's compelling storyline, which tells a painful but hopeful story of an environmental disaster. There are a lot of points of comparison when you break it all down, but Kena: Bridge of Spirits puts every little influence together into its own great mix.

Is there a better alternative?

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the adventure game to beat, but Kena is the best option for PS5 owners right now.

How long it will take?

The story takes about 10 hours to complete with a healthy collection. Finding everything will keep the game time extended, as will the Master Difficulty Mode, which will be unlocked upon completion.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. Forget Deathloop and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart: This is the defining console exclusive to the PS5's debut year.

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