Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a PlayStation and PC exclusive role-playing game that got released on the 24th of August, 2021. This adventure game managed to build pretty decent hype for itself after its initial trailer, and we can safely say that the final product definitely did not disappoint. Today, I’m going to give you guys my honest review of Kena: Bridge of Spirits – a spiritual adventure game with many touching moments.
Story & Progression:
The story of Kena is very simple yet beautiful. Our protagonist is a young spirit guide named Kena, who is currently making her way through a dying village as she is trying to find the sacred mountain shrine. Along the way, Kena runs into many lost spirits and guides them towards the right path. In every single arc of the story, we get to meet new spirits and understand their tragic stories.
While the individual stories are very beautiful and fun to play through, not much is revealed about the past of Kena and the world itself. Overall, I’d say that the story of our protagonist was pretty beautiful but not properly explored.
Characters:
The characters in Kena: Bridge of Spirits are all extremely lovable and have something to add to the story. Despite being a relatively short game, Kena: Bridge of the Spirits properly focuses on the lives of most of the characters in the series and the series of misfortunes that they had to endure.
The protagonist herself is just simply adorable. You’ll definitely fall in love with her at first glance and keep on loving her self-sacrificing and cheerful personality throughout the entire run of the game. Despite having such a likeable protagonist, Kena: Bridge of Spirits doesn’t really focus too much on the life of Kena herself. Other than getting a few hints here and there, we are never able to learn any crucial details regarding Kena’s past or how she ended up becoming a spirit guide.
All of the characters fit perfectly inside the world of Kena: Bridge of Spirits and their individual stories are very fun to explore and understand. Different arcs in the story introduce us to different spirits that are not able to pass on because they still have some unfinished business in this world.
Gameplay & World Design:
The gameplay of Kena: Bridge of Spirits is also handled very well. Despite being the first game by game development studio, Ember Lab, it is surprisingly well-built. The combat doesn’t really introduce anything new, but it still seems pretty engaging as some fights can be quite challenging. Even at normal difficulty, some bosses in the game will make you retry a few times before they finally let you move on to the next thing. Thankfully, the developers also added an easy mode to the game that can be chosen by the people who are just here to enjoy the beautiful story.
You fight the enemies in the game with the help of light, heavy and ranged attacks. You can also block and parry the enemies’ attacks to quickly defeat some of the hardest opponents. Overall, while the fighting doesn’t really add anything new to the genre, it works perfectly with all the existing elements and provides us with a complete experience.
Of course, there are also many puzzles involved in the game that you will have to solve in order to progress. I would say that this aspect of the game is a little weak compared to the combat system. The puzzles are not very challenging, but they are still pretty engaging as you have to properly use the power of your little furry friends and analyze your surroundings.
Visuals:
If visuals are the only thing you really care about when playing a new game, then you can stop reading this Kena: Bridge of Spirits review right here, as the game looks absolutely stunning. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is one of those few games that look more like an animated movie than an actual playable game. If you are a fan of 3D Pixar movies, then you’ll instantly fall in love with the look and feel of the game. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is one of the few games of 2021 that truly look like a next-gen title.
Sound Design:
The music of Kena: Bridge of Spirits is very relaxing and properly fits the wholesome theme of the game.
Conclusion
If you are just looking for a relaxing game to play over the weekend, then Kena: Bridge of Spirits is definitely the game for you. The game will let you experience a compact and emotional adventure through the eyes of a young spirit guide that is just trying her best to help all the people around her. I’d like to end this Kena: Bridge of Spirits review by saying that this game definitely deserves the hype.