Kena: Bridge of Spirits (2021)

I’ve been meaning to try this for some years. Finally tried it before it was taken down from PS+. Despite the beautiful Pixar-like visuals, the game didn’t grab me at all. Gameplay wasn’t that fun and the story not that interesting. I didn’t finished the game which is unusual for me. Felt like a waste of time.

Not a bad game for that, just not for me.

Rating: 🌲🌲🌲

This game ended up being so much more than I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be a simple indie game that was going to be fun, but not super dynamic for game play. I was wrong. The cherry on top was an AMAZING story.

Kena had a perfect mix of exploring, action, platforming, and puzzle solving. I was not expecting to get all of those in this one game. Not to mention you have adorable little sidekicks that help you out. The combat is super fun and feels different. I loved how I would earn new abilities and then figure out how to add those to combat and see what abilities were going to fit my fighting style.

Exploring the world was a blast, the game is gorgeous and it feels big without being overwhelming big (looking at you Elden Ring). I had so much fun exploring that this game that I was trying to find all of the extras in each area. I usually don't care too much about finding all the extras in a game. But it was just too much fun to go back to different areas with a new ability to try and find the extra items that I couldn't get earlier.

The platforming piece was great, fun and challenging without being overly stressful. This game has such a fun and fluid way to traverse the terrain that feels seamless, while still throwing some difficult areas at you from time to time.

Finally the story. If you have read any of my reviews you will know that I'm a big story person. I love to feel invested in what is happening with the character and how I can help them navigate through the world. A good story give such purpose to what you are doing. Kena: Bridge of the Spirits DELIVERED on the story. There were a few areas that I wanted more detail, but these didn't detract from the overarching story.

I highly recommend this game and I really hope that they make a second one, or at least some DLC content.

This is a beautiful game. The story is very captivating and touching. I liked the way the truth about Beni, Saiya and Taro are kept from us until the very end of their story line.

I played the first half of game in spirit guide mode and later switched to story mode due to the difficulty. In the spirit guide mode, we need to have a strategy for every boss which requires us to understand the boss and has a learning curve which itself is quite an experience similar to games like Sekiro. The story mode is too easy and we can beat any boss just by dodging and attacking and makes combat less interesting and takes away an important aspect of the game. This probably explains why From Software does not have an easy mode. The hunter path boss fight in particular was enjoyable even in story mode, it almost gave me the Sekiro vibes and I think it can be a template for creating boss fights which are challenging and enjoyable but not too difficult.

The puzzles are well balanced and as you progress some new dimension is added making them interesting, they are neither too difficult nor too easy or monotonous. Kena's voice acting was great, but the voice acting of others like Rusu left a lot to be desired. The music was soothing and at times really makes you feel good.

I really hope this gets a sequel.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits was one of the games that immediately caught my eye during one of the ps5 showcases. It looked like a great mix of action/platforming, built in a stylistic and beautiful world. It is all of those things, as well as fun, but I felt it could be a little more.

The story

While a little formulaic at times, Ember Lab succeeds in telling a touching tale about a spirit guide trying to follow in her father's footsteps, by helping the restless spirits of a recently (and mysteriously) destroyed village. It plays out like a Pixar movie and the cut scenes are beautiful to watch, with great animations and decent voice acting throughout.

The gameplay

Action and platforming are at the forefront here, with the latter being a little more prominent than the former. I found myself enjoying the puzzles for what they were at first, but they were never that challenging, and I found myself wanting to rush through to the next combat section. Speaking of combat, a few other reviews have hit the nail on the head here about the balance: the game is far too easy on "normal" difficulty, until you reach spirit bosses, where it morphs into a very strategic and high-stakes battle. I read that the devs are big fans of Soulsborne games, so that influence comes through in these areas, but it seems weirdly out of a place in a game that seems otherwise fit for all ages to play and enjoy.

The conclusion

A really enjoyable first outing from this developer but fell short of my (probably self-induced) expectations. A lot of collectibles, enjoyable environments and puzzles to complete, with slightly frustrating boss battles, makes for an enjoyable 15 or so hours. I'm very excited for what they'll turn out next!

This game totally scratched the spot for a Zelda-esque adventure with really engaging combat and puzzles. It’s small enough that getting 100% is doable, which also makes it a completionist dream. On a technical level, the animation is great.

But man there’s nothing original here. I really didn’t like the Pixar art style, it just felt like a knock off and only detracted from the game. The story is also just a clone of a million other stories, so idk. Gameplay-wise, it did exceed my expectations - the exploration and puzzles were great (weirdly gave Banjo-Kazooie vibes), the gameplay mechanics were a blast, and the combat difficulty on hard was the perfect amount of challenge.

I would recommend this game if you’re craving an experience like this, but wouldn’t say you should go out of your way to play it.

Gameplay= Mechanics, gameplay options (freedom), repetition, goals, difficulty

Story= plot, engagement, characters, world-building

Presentation= graphics, animation, environment/character design, Art direction, Script, music

Gameplay: 2.5/5 This was the biggest hit on giving this game a high score for me. The platforming is great. They added just the right amount of mechanics to make it a bit puzzle like and more complex. The combat which is pretty heavy in the game was very weak. I had multiple friends play this game on different consoles as well and they all felt the same. There is a very uncomfortable response time to the blocking in the game. Also the lack of being able to cancel a combo with the dodge felt really restraining. There also is a very common glitch where you character hitches mid run which could mean the difference to dodging an attack or not during some of the fast paced battles in this game. I beat the game on master difficulty, but not without a lot of frustation that had more to do with the controls of the game rather than the difficulty of the bosses. Story: 4/5 It had some good emotional highs. It was simple, but yet to seem to have just enough depth for the kind of game it seemed it was made to be. Presentation: 4.5/5 The game is so beautiful. Lush colors fill the world and the characters have an immense level of appeal in their design.