Kena: Bridge of Spirits

[Moonface]

Release Date: August 24, 2021

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows


Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a story-driven action adventure set in a charming world rich with exploration and fast-paced combat. Players find and grow a team of tiny spirit companions called the Rot, enhancing their abilities and creating new ways to manipulate the environment.

Kena, a young Spirit Guide, travels to an abandoned village in search of the sacred mountain shrine.  She struggles to uncover the secrets of this forgotten community hidden in an overgrown forest where wandering spirits are trapped.



Build Your Team
Find and collect Rot to gain powerful abilities, make discoveries, and transform the environment. Rot are timid and elusive spirits scattered throughout the forest. They maintain balance by decomposing dead and rotting elements.

Explore
A forgotten village and a strange curse. Draw on the power of the Spirit Realm to restore this once majestic world.

Fast Paced Combat
Spirits have become corrupt, trapped and unable to move on, challenging Kena at every turn.

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Anyone else interested in this game? I didn't actually realise it was releasing on PS4 and thought it was next-gen only, but I might wait and play it whenever I get a PS5 so I have more games to play on it when I get one, and it lets me finish up my PS4 games that I'm not done with yet.

[Karo]

The graphic and animation really does feel like an animated adventure and I love it and the gameplay seem fine.

I'm just not sure if it something I will pick up on release date or might wait for it to become a $20 game.

[Moonface]

I'm definitely waiting to see how much content the game has before I buy it, just in case it releases at $70 but doesn't justify the price. I think it might launch cheaper though, because it might be dead on arrival if it has a high price point.

[Moonface]

Kena: Bridge of Spirits Previews
Various gaming media outlets have been sharing new previews for Kena: Bridge of Spirits, presenting more information and a look at the games earlier areas.



These previews come off the back of a new developer presentation for the game that took place during the Tribeca Games Spotlight, where the developers at Ember Labs elaborate on the game's score, and cinematic quality, and speak on their background in Hollywood animation, and the influence of playing action adventure games growing up, and how that's impacted the direction of Kena: Bridge of Spirits.

[Dragon Lord]

Anyone try this game out yet? I'm considering picking it up when I have time for it, but wondering if anyone can give me any views on the game beforehand. Mainly I'm wondering how good the combat feels.

[Moonface]

I haven't tried it because I'm waiting to get a PS5 to play it, but I have watched people playing it on Twitch. I haven't seen any of them complain about how the combat or controls feel, and it looks a lot better than the promotional materials for this game makes it look.

[Moonface]

Details Revealed for Kena's Free Anniversary Update
It's been almost an entire year since Kena: Bridge of Spirits launched, and to celebrate the upcoming one-year anniversary, Ember Lab are bringing an anniversary update to the game which includes: New Game+, Charmstones, Spirit Guide Trials, Kena Outfits, accessibility features, and more.

• NG+ will feature brand new enemies in redesigned and more challenging combat encounters, as well as additional phases for bosses.
  
• Charmstones are unique collectibles that each provide different adjustments to Kena’s stats and abilities. Some Charmstones contain a benefit and a drawback, encouraging players to strategize about how they want to take on certain enemies and challenges. Rare Cursed Charmstones are aimed at players who want a serious challenge by attacking the game with reduced abilities. Players will find most Charmstones hidden around Kena’s world, but a few will be found in the all-new Spirit Guide Trials.
  
• Spirit Guide Trials are a whole new game mode accessed from the Mask Shrine, and offer a variety of replayable challenges designed to encourage players to test out different combinations of their upgrades and deepen their combat experience. The Spirit Guide Trials fall into three different categories: Obstacle Courses, Wave Defenses, and Boss Reflects.
  • Obstacle Courses focus on Kena’s primary abilities: the Bow, Bomb, and Dash as they navigate through courses designed to test their accuracy, timing, and platforming.
    
  • Wave Defenses pit players against multiple rounds of increasingly difficult enemies in unique scenarios with limited chances to heal.
    
  • Boss Reflects allow players to revisit their favorite boss fights and perfect their tactics. Nothing new will be present in the fights, but it's a chance to revisit a favourite fight or try experimenting with different approaches.
    
• New outfits for Kena can be obtained by completing the aforementioned Trials. Colour variations and unique Charmstones can also be unlocked by completing bonus objectives within the Trials.
  

The Anniversary Update will be a free update available on September 27.

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Happy I didn't get this game yet to start it so I can experience all this new stuff without having to go back to the game. It's nice to see NG+ is adding additional challenges and content so it gives something new and incentivizing to check it out. Most games just buff enemy damage to try and keep the player from being too overpowered.

[ShiraNoMai]

This game is so gorgeous. Watched it get played a few times and each time it's such a treat to the eyes. It also looks fun to play as well and has surprisingly modern combat tech from a first time game dev. Their animation work is what truly shines here, though, through environmental storytelling to the character designs.

[queenzelda]

I bought this game for my PS5 and I like it, I just need to get back to playing it. Thing is.... Even though yea it's pretty, the game play is interesting... Kena after a while I stopped playing and haven't gone back. o-O I need to but I'm just meh about it. XD

[Moonface]

Did you ever go back to it @queenzelda?

I got the game recently on Amazon for $25, and started it a few days ago. I don't feel like I've gotten very far yet but either way, so far I'm really enjoying this game. For anyone who likes a bit of challenge, I'd suggest playing on the Master Spirit Guide difficulty since my time with that difficulty so far has been tough but fair and balanced, and I can't really imagine playing the game at an easier difficulty for myself.

I think what I love the most about this game so far is the vibe it has. It has a particular charm about it that reminds me of Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy in some ways and I love that game, so this one grabbed me really quickly in that regard.

I also really like the level design. There's a good mix between very linear segments and more open areas that leave you struggling on choosing what way you want to go first.

[queenzelda]

When I finish playing Pokémon Scarlet and Violet I'll try going back to it. :3 I just feel like I've played Kena before and I don't know why.. Still, yea. XD

[Moonface]

When I finish playing Pokémon Scarlet and Violet I'll try going back to it. :3 I just feel like I've played Kena before and I don't know why.. Still, yea. XD

How far in did you get? I found that the very early parts of the game are a little misleading into making me think it's going to be this animated-movie-looking platformer with melee combat and then I hit the first main boss and felt more like I was in a Souls game. Having got to before the final boss the game is definitely nothing I was expecting it to be.

I think the biggest shortcoming the game has is that it gets a bit repetitive because of the whole "fetch 3 items, fight boss" approach it does in every area, and all of the areas don't really mix up their appearance very much. Everywhere is just "run down village in lush green setting with the odd cave scattered about" and I was excited for the mountain to offer some variety only to find there's actually just a boss there and no actual level. If a sequel happens then I'd like to see more variety in everything and I would like to see the developers come up with an actual story too, since this game feels like it has the plot of a 5th gen platformer.
Don't get me wrong, the game is good, especially the combat and the boss fights, I just think it has some very noticeable shortcomings once you've gone through the first two main areas of the game.

[Moonface]

Picked up this game again after not touching it since November of last year, and finally beat the final two bosses of the game! Corrupted Rot God is such a good boss fight, with my only gripe with it being that I didn't know what I was supposed to do in the third phase at first nor knew the boss had gone outside of the arena so ended up dying to an attack I didn't know was coming because I couldn't pick out the boss from all the scenery. Toshi's fight (at least on Master Spirit Guide) is paramount on knowing how to parry, otherwise you'll likely die or take a long time to build up enough courage for a Rot Hammer.

For anyone who like me intends to get the Platinum trophy, Master Spirit Guide is only needed for the main game. You can turn the difficulty down after it pops for the side content if any of it is a slog to do on that difficulty; however, you can't change it back once you do so.

Overall I'd say it's a decent game, although the animation frames are too long at times. I can't really see where the story would go for a sequel other than more of the same, and I think the plot point of Kena travelling to the village in this game for the purposes of searching for the sacred Mountain Shrine is utterly useless and very weak. I also dislike it as a plot point because if the village it's located in hadn't gone to shit, she would have presumably just walked on up the mountain and that would be it. Would've been better to just be that she heard about the village troubles and wanted to try and prove herself by solving it, instead of this "right place right time" thing it does.

A sequel also sorely needs a tutorial section to remind yourself of mechanics after not playing for a while. I got stuck in the Corrupted Rot God fight at one point for a few minutes because I simply didn't remember what to do with glowing blue rocks. Don't make me have to Google up how to play a game because I didn't play for a while and there's nothing in-game to relearn mechanics; it's inexcusably bad design.