When Kena: Bridge of Spirits was first announced at last year’s PlayStation State of Gaming event, it quickly caught the eye of gamers. The game was a clear stand-out at an event that featured games aiming to highlight just how incredibly powerful the future of gaming was with strikingly realistic graphics.
Kena, instead, aims for a style blending the aesthetics of a Saturday morning cartoon with the best of Studio Ghibli’s animated work. That unique styling, along with its innovative combat system, earned it a spot at the Tribeca Film Festival’s 2021 Game Festival, where CBR was able to get a hands-on look at the upcoming title.
Kena was somewhat jarring to pick up at first. Once thrown into gameplay, Kena suddenly feels odd in a way we had trouble describing. After a few moments, you start to realize that Kena, at its core, feels less like a next-gen experience and more like the mascot-themed platformers of generations past. As Kena, you’re tasked with a limited moveset that grows over the game, with your biggest advantage being the Rot.
The Rot are adorable little companions Kena can find throughout the world. As you traverse, you’ll find areas where the Rot can help you continue, either by manipulating the environment or dissipating areas of evil red energy they can clear to allow you to progress. It’s here that Kena begins to pick up steam, with more modern sensibilities coming into play. Essentially it becomes a lite version of Pikmin with exploration in the style of Ocarina of Time.
We were faced with plenty of challenges during our time with Kena. The Rot may be your greatest challenge, but they aren’t brave enough to help you at first. You’ll have to set an example by proving yourself in battle, eventually building a Courage meter. Once it’s full, the Rot will leap into action right alongside you. The Rot make battles a little easier as, at certain points, they can latch on to an enemy to stun them in place, allowing you to take some cheap shots.
The bulk of the gameplay experience, though, was not to do with combat. Kena is heavy on platforming, especially as the adventure carried on. The platforming was a little stiff at first, but we were able to adjust quickly. At its peak, platforming felt good and was a nice break from the game’s combat.
Ultimately we made out way to a peak to get our hands on the game’s first major weapon upgrade, the ability to convert Kena’s staff into a bow. The bow felt good at the provided archery ranges, though our limited time with the game ended before we had a chance to test it out in combat.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits certainly lives up to the level of anticipation it has created. The title’s graphically gorgeous, and the gameplay, though initially stiff and dated, lent to an enjoyable experience. As a story-driven adventure, Kena is sure to be a treat for gamers when it finally launches in the fall.
Developed and published by Ember Lab, Kena: Bridge of Spirits releases for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC August 24, 2021.
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