Since its announcement, Kena: Bridge of Spirits has won countless players for its beautiful visuals. It is the first project by a studio called Ember Lab. As we’re tired of knowing in this gaming industry, graphics are not everything. So there was a concern as to whether Kena: Bridge of Spirits would live up to the expectations. We are happy to say that, at least personally, we were not disappointed in the slightest.

If you’re looking for something innovative, Kena: Bridge of Spirits would not offer it. While playing, we felt various elements of other games present there, from Zelda, Horizon Zero Dawn, and even God of War. But one title, in particular, kept coming to our mind: Star Fox Adventures. We dare say, if you have played this GameCube title and liked it, Kena: Bridge of Spirits will easily please you.

Kena Bridge of Spirits Plot

Kena: Bridge of Spirits has a nice and subtle plot. The main protagonist Kena is a young Spirit Guide. There is a kind of corruption going on in the region. And through Kena’s efforts, it must be rooted out. Kena’s job is basically to help spirits go beyond. That is, they are trapped on this earth by something unfinished. Through the masks of these spirits, you will be able to see memories and remove the corruption that surrounds them to, finally, go beyond.

The story is told in several moments with beautiful cutscenes – something to be expected, given Ember Lab’s history. However, something disappointing occurs: the cutscenes run at 24 frames per second (the same rate as a movie), which passes a strange feeling every time you return to gameplay that is at 60 frames.

Kena Bridge of Spirits Gameplay

One thing that needs to be clear is that Kena: Bridge of Spirits doesn’t exactly have an open world. It’s not possible to explore all of these regions right from the start. So, we can say that progress is linear, but all areas already visited can be explored again at any time, mainly in search of collectibles.

And it’s precisely the collectibles that affect the duration of Kena: Bridge of Spirits. The campaign takes around 8 to 10 hours to complete, depending on the difficulty level and how explorer you are. Anyway, going after all the collectibles makes the game run for at least 15 hours. When you finish the game, a “very hard” is unlocked. It will make you play all over again if you want the platinum trophy. There are many collectibles memories of the spirits, a kind of letter that releases other spirits trapped in the village, shrines, and, of course, the little animals known as Rot.

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The Rot is small beings spread throughout the world of Kena: Bridge of Spirits. You’ll find some playing normally, but you can travel to discover many more. The more Rot you have, the more attack options you have. You don’t have to worry about the Rot: they don’t die and don’t take damage either. Also, when the battle happens, they hide, and, as you hit the enemy, a courage bar increases.

Kena Bridge of Spirits Controls

The combat in Kena Bridge of Spirits is simple and nice. In the beginning, few mechanics are available, as you only attack with R1 (weak attack), R2 (strong attack), and defend with L1. As the story progresses, more skills are opened, and moves are unlocked, such as the bow and bomb. It is a criticism: the bow, which is a game-changing mechanic, takes a considerable amount of time to unlock, leaving you stuck for about three hours with the basic attacks with the stick.

Kena Bridge of Spirits Graphics

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is really beautiful. Unfortunately, the landscape itself is somewhat similar throughout the journey. It’s always a forest or cave, except for the brief snow at the end). But it still deserves praise. The same can be said for the soundtrack, which is excellent and fits well with the game’s proposal.

In the end, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an excellent title. As said before, it does not bring innovations, but the vast majority of what is presented is well done.

Conclusion

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a great game. Beautiful graphics, nice gameplay, and interesting mechanics. It has some minor problems, but nothing that affects the whole work.