Kena Bridge of Spirits

amazon Kena Bridge of Spirits reviews

Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Studio Ember Lab, a young team with a core of only 15 members based in Los Angeles, is a very strange name to the gaming industry.

But in fact, they have achieved much success with animated movies and short films adapted from the popular Zelda game series.

So, becoming a game studio is the next step of transformation, and a lot of ambition has been put into their first “brainchild” named Kena: Bridge of Spirits.

The game was unexpectedly introduced in mid-2020 during Sony’s large-scale event to announce the key products to welcome the 5th generation of Playstation, which has left many impressions on viewers with its evocative graphic style. Remember Pixar’s illustrious animated masterpieces combined with fast-paced and engaging “hack ‘n’slash” gameplay.

Like the heroine coming out of a Disney cartoon, the main character Kena is portrayed as lovable and won the writer’s sympathy right from the “first sight.”

The little girl carries on her body the important thing to avoid leading super souls to escape from the human world.

But somewhere, there are still lingering souls containing intense hatred and anger that corrupted, deforming everything around.

At that time, Kena had to set out to find the root cause to “purify” and return them to peace.

She will need the help of the pretty little spirits known as Rot, who live in the sacred forest, which the player will gradually collect throughout the journey.

These tiny and very “small” Rots not only help guide Kena when “difficult” but also play an important and key role in the puzzle and combat mechanics.

They can carry heavy objects, climb high jumps or even transform into weapon form and are the most powerful tools to overcome obstacles in the game.

In the hands of experienced artists, the animation and visual quality of Kena: Bridge of Spirits is nothing to criticize.

Each expression and charisma of Kena and other characters or villains are very vivid and impressive. Music is also an indispensable spice and is performed very well with the combination of folk props and harmonious melodies, creating a very personal and mysterious atmosphere.

It can also be said that this witty character line and this colorful spiritual world of Kena: Bridge of Spirits easily remind the writer of the once-popular film Spirited Away by Studio Ghibli.

The gameplay of Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a combination of a semi-open world without a loading screen with the traditional screen path of the classic Zelda series.

In addition to the usual Light/Heavy two-button attack, Kena can also play acrobatic, block, and counter (parry) flexibly, plus the ability to perform great moves and support spells of Rot’s legion through an energy bar.

The “next-gen” features such as Haptic Feedback or Adaptive Trigger on the Dualsense handle are also fully exploited, especially the feeling of tension when pulling the bow is very good. There’s no shortage of fun climbing, swimming, and puzzles.

These factors are not new, or not to say, are too “familiar” when they have been exploited for so long. But when the features are combined smoothly and carefully, those are still the core values ​​that keep players.

For example, a very “popular” feature that is taking photos in Photo Mode is also created and enhanced by Ember Lab.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits boldly breaks down the “fourth wall” barrier for the game’s characters to interact directly in front of the camera as if waiting for the player to shoot. To produce your favorite photos, you will have the right to control NPCs or even Kena to pose in all sorts of ways or “say cheese” as you like!

Suppose the colorful, shimmering world and cute; witty characters make you think Kena: Bridge of Spirits will be very “chill” and relaxing. In that case, you’re mistaken because the game’s difficulty is very high and somewhat quite “hardcore.”

Even at the Normal level at the beginning of the game, the writer always had to concentrate and hone his defensive skills very smoothly if he didn’t want to see Kena’s blood bar run out in just a few hits when facing opponents, mediocre monsters.

The game does not have any normal healing items; you have to find the wildflowers on the game screen and ask the Rot to help you suck them up to pump blood. The number of flowers is extremely limited, can only be used when the energy tree is full, and can only be used once.

However, these experiences have brought players tense, suspenseful duels and the feeling of overcoming formidable bosses and their annoying armies.

If you are a fan of collecting trophies (Playstation) or achievements (PC), to unlock them all, you will have to complete at least two times to handle the highest difficulty – Expert Spirit Guide, of the game.

It can be said that the first stage of Kena: Bridge of Spirits is the biggest obstacle when the player has only one melee weapon, the wand (also the only weapon until the end of the game), and the opponents appear not many, lack of variety, making the battle part quite lackluster.

The pace of the game is also very slow, with many details geared towards children.

Only after many hours of diving into the game, when Kena had “genuine” upgrades for wands such as shooting arrows, bombs, and many unique moves, did the writer begin to feel that the game was really attractive.

The interface is simplified to an almost minimal level. The game also does not have any options for equipment or changing the “skin” for the main character.

Almost the only thing that can be changed and collected on the road is the very “cute” and cool hats for the Rot spirits.

The camera viewing angle is also a limitation when the game does not have a quick turn or change direction, making it easy for players to be put in dangerous situations if they don’t carefully observe everything around.

Unfortunately, Kena: Bridge of Spirits has a modest length and not too many things for players to explore after completing the game.

where can you get a Kena Bridge of Spirits online

Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Deluxe Edition (PS5) – PlayStation 5: Buy it now

Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Deluxe Edition (PS4/): Buy it now

Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Deluxe Edition (PS5): Buy it now