Kena: Bridge of Spirits is one of the latest additions to the arguably oversaturated open world sect of games that seems to be the current industry standard. A typical mixture of action and adventure on the surface, and animated to a high standard reminiscent of a movie as opposed to a game – but does it have enough to stand out amidst every other entry is this area of the market?
The game tells the story of Kena – a spirit guide. She is tasked to help those caught between the physical and spirit worlds and help them move on. With the help of companions known as the Rot, she sets out with her humble staff as a weapon of sorts.
Not being the longest run-time for an open world game, you’re introduced quite quickly to your ‘big bad’ as much as a game this cute can amount to anyway. The mysterious angered spirit who is damaging the forest refuses the help that Kena offers to help him move on and leaves quickly – decay and corruption following his wake.
As you may have guessed – it’s Kena to the rescue, and the Rot of course.
As a gamer who grew up playing the second-hand N64 he managed to get in Electronics Boutique (the old name for GAME for those of an age…) and then proceeded to incessantly play Zelda games; specifically Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, it’s easy to see why this game plays into nostalgia for some.
I’m also fully tarring myself with that same brush. It’s a comfortable blend of platform gameplay interspersed with a slightly odd combat system and some puzzles as well.
The formula also follows the same ‘zoned’ world approach. Go to distinct area, find magical wotsit, fight related boss – rinse and repeat. This isn’t to say it’s bad, the formula works, this might be a Playstation (and PC) exclusive, but the ‘Nintendo’ formula works.
Add the fact that it’s animated like a Pixar movie, which makes perfect sense considering Ember Lab (the brains behind the game) started out as a gaming animation studio, and you have what feels like a callback to those simpler times in gaming.
The animation calibre shone on my PS4 – and from what I’ve been able to glean from PS5 footage (still awaiting that fabled re-stock) it’s only enhanced on the next-gen version. It draws you into the world and helps immerse you in every detail.
To see it truly shine, get it up on one of Samsung’s Neo QLED sets to enjoy every possible shade that has been painstakingly rendered by the design team.
The soundtrack also bears special mention. With plenty of care being taken to remain culturally sensitive throughout the process, Kena’s journey is underscored by Balinese ensemble group Gamelan Çudamani. The soundtrack remains a constant undercurrent and complement to the story itself and art-style, helping truly bring everything together.
Kena, like all good protagonists in stories, films, and indeed games of this nature, is lovely and likeable. This is a shame in this instance, as we learn almost nothing about her during the game. Some scattered lore and nuggets of exposition make it hard to identify with the likeable lead, but just enough character remains for it to also be difficult to project yourself onto her instead, unlike the similarly open but far more bleak Shadow of the Colossus.
Combat however is similar to this other wonderfully drawn open world game. It is surprisingly simple combat, provided you take a moment to grasp it. My experience with it was a surprisingly steep learning curve, followed by a rapid plateau.
It does add some variety later with some weapon modifications and mechanical additions – but even with some extra features the game does little to nudge you in a new combat direction or encourage experimentation.
This reviewer would urge you to experiment however and spice up the run time. As the game can be cleared quite comfortably in about 10-12 hours, you have time to play around with the mechanics.
The enemy variety and fantastic boss design more than fills the hours however. Couple this with the lush world design and you’ve still got a solid game, particularly if you’re not keen for a monstrous timesink of an open world adventure to occupy your precious free time.
Author: Steve, Cardiff store
