Kena: Bridge of Spirits

 PlayStation 5
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1291 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,034 out of 1291
  2. Mixed: 162 out of 1291
  3. Negative: 95 out of 1291

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  1. Derwake
    Dec 25, 2021
    10
    Amazing game anyone will enjoy! The graphics are beautiful, the gameplay is fun, and the story is so good. It’s about the emotional times of “moving on” and death, but it does it in a beautiful way. All those aspects combine to a true gem and borderline masterpiece. This game will go down as one of the best indie games ever created and I know it will have a cult following…it’s that good.Amazing game anyone will enjoy! The graphics are beautiful, the gameplay is fun, and the story is so good. It’s about the emotional times of “moving on” and death, but it does it in a beautiful way. All those aspects combine to a true gem and borderline masterpiece. This game will go down as one of the best indie games ever created and I know it will have a cult following…it’s that good. Just buy it. The rot are too cute btw. Very very happy with this game and you will be, too!… Expand
  2. Asti157
    Feb 11, 2022
    10
    Piękna gra !
    Mega dobrze poprowadzona opowieść.
    Polecam każdemu zagrać 10/10
  3. kinglothric
    Mar 30, 2022
    10
    one the best games ever made, my whole family enjoyed this game and I wish there is more games like this
  4. alanjackson
    Mar 17, 2022
    10
    Such a breath of fresh air, and a cute game at that! If you enjoy single player adventures - this is a great game for you,
  5. Rejubileu
    May 2, 2022
    10
    Kena e um dos melhores jogos que já joguei pois tem uma jogabilidade incrível e muito desafiadora mais sem ser punitiva e além disso a história e incrível que até me fez chorar um pouco(só não dou nota 10 pela curva de dificuldade no último chefe que vai de dificuldade 1 para 999999999 de forma aleatório)
  6. iBallz
    May 17, 2022
    10
    Got this game recommended by a friend of mine and even tho I was worried that I might not be able to get the platinum (needs master-difficulty completion, which is pretty tough). But the beautiful design and gameplay motivated me to improve my skills and study the enemies attacks. It is the most joyful and rewarding struggle I have ever witnessed in a video game and I can't wait to checkGot this game recommended by a friend of mine and even tho I was worried that I might not be able to get the platinum (needs master-difficulty completion, which is pretty tough). But the beautiful design and gameplay motivated me to improve my skills and study the enemies attacks. It is the most joyful and rewarding struggle I have ever witnessed in a video game and I can't wait to check out the next installment from the producers. Job very well done!… Expand
  7. Kioksy
    Jun 14, 2022
    10
    Great game, a bit too easy combat but that's not making this game any worse whatsoever. Love it and recommend everyone to play this game
  8. ForbiddenFruit
    Sep 30, 2022
    10
    Great story, graphics and new content as well. The devs of this game surely do show passion and dedication towards this beautiful game. By far the best indie I've played.
  9. Quadity
    May 8, 2023
    10
    An open world game that slowly opens up in a satisfying way through puzzles and challenges. Truly amazing! Enjoyed every second, the music is great, characters are endearing, the combat is actually challenging and fun and the world is absolutely mesmerizing. 10/10!
  10. juniortiger
    Jun 21, 2023
    10
    I love this game and lot action game and graphic amazing and story amazing and good day
  11. Joe2539
    Jan 3, 2023
    10
    Very Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good
  12. HonestReviews66
    May 6, 2023
    10
    Gorgeous graphics, challenging combat, fun exploration, great music. One of the best AA games of the generation so far. A must play.
  13. barril76
    Apr 24, 2023
    10
    Good game for be an indie game. I would like a more open world concept, but the artisctic feature looks great. Hopes a loot a second part. The bosses looks nice, a simpel telling story with a bit of souls like game. You will enjoy and tried, it is on Ps plus extra for free
  14. Chiyou
    Dec 23, 2021
    9
    I went into this game not expecting it to be nearly as polished as it was. It could use some tweaks, the gameplay can be quite frustrating even on "normal" difficulty it demands a lot from you and explains very little in way of combat. That's a blessing and a curse as I think it might scare a lot of players away from an otherwise really fun game but it also makes it all the more rewardingI went into this game not expecting it to be nearly as polished as it was. It could use some tweaks, the gameplay can be quite frustrating even on "normal" difficulty it demands a lot from you and explains very little in way of combat. That's a blessing and a curse as I think it might scare a lot of players away from an otherwise really fun game but it also makes it all the more rewarding for getting past these bosses. Checkpoints can be frustrating, the dodge and parry I never got used to and I think I might have maxed out my expletives this year with Kena and Dread. For a new developer (of video games, they've worked in commercials and other forms of media) I am blown away and wish I played this much sooner than I did. Incredible work and I really hope Ember Lab can make a franchise out of Kena.… Expand
  15. argel1200
    Sep 27, 2021
    9
    What Kena sets out to do, it does very well. Hard to believe this is an Indy game from a studio of 15. TBH, I would have paid full AAA price for the game. The animations are great. Gameplay is a combination of exploration with lightweight environmental puzzles and standard light/heavy attack + bow combat. While it doesn't feel like it brings anything new to the table, it executes what itWhat Kena sets out to do, it does very well. Hard to believe this is an Indy game from a studio of 15. TBH, I would have paid full AAA price for the game. The animations are great. Gameplay is a combination of exploration with lightweight environmental puzzles and standard light/heavy attack + bow combat. While it doesn't feel like it brings anything new to the table, it executes what it does bring really well. Also, the animated characters (especially the rot's that follow you around) are the best I've seen in the industry, and environments are just gorgeous. If you like exploring beautiful environments with some light puzzle elements and solid combat then you'll like this game.… Expand
  16. alex82101
    Jun 10, 2023
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. KENA: Bridge of Spirits is a heartwarming game about dealing with grief, guilt, and bonds between people. The game's graphics are very pleasant to look at, being very similar to the style of Disney/Pixar movies. Combat is very fast-paced and Souls-like. The highlight of this game is definitely the story and the combat but the music and graphics shine as well. This one definitely has the potential for a sequel and I am sure there are a lot of fans who are eagerly waiting for one Collapse… Expand
  17. Schueli
    Aug 10, 2022
    9
    Als großer Zelda-Fan, gerade von den alten Teilen (Ocarina, Majora's) bin ich hier wieder total aufgeblüht. Ein tolles Action-Adventure mit schöner Grafik, sehr passenden Soundtrack, einer guten Geschichte und vor allem mit Spielspaß. Nur die deutsche Synchro hat mir gefehlt.
  18. Blindman
    Nov 20, 2022
    9
    Dark soul light levels of combat in a nice looking puzzle game.

    A few moments where the game really gives you no hints and you can get stuck due to bad level design was annoying but otherwise a great experience. Great graphics and music.
  19. gurru44
    Sep 26, 2021
    9
    Beautiful and great game. Every step in this world is meditation. Dificulty is very good balanced
  20. Statutory
    Sep 27, 2021
    9
    Well at first I thought that this game would be a triple A. But then they told us that the game is the first of the studio. A indie. Man, what a great game. It's simple, nothing innovative in it's mechanics but the story and combat is just great. I loved it.
  21. SuperkenGaming
    Sep 25, 2021
    9
    Kena: Bridge of Spirits
    Pure beauty
    Kena Bridge of spirits is a 7 and a half hour long 3d platformer where you play as kena, youre tasked with helping purify souls and the land around you.. there are 3 main spirits that need your help, theyre tormented by something in their past.. so youll go to each area of the map, traversing through environmental puzzles, gathering items to be able to    Kena: Bridge of Spirits
    Pure beauty
    Kena Bridge of spirits is a 7 and a half hour long 3d platformer where you play as kena, youre tasked with helping purify souls and the land around you.. there are 3 main spirits that need your help, theyre tormented by something in their past.. so youll go to each area of the map, traversing through environmental puzzles, gathering items to be able to summon the spirit of that area and help purify them in a boss battle.. let me start off by saying a lot of critics are calling this the best ps2 game of the year.. if you actually play more than AAA titles youll know that Kena Bridge of Spirits is nothing like a PS2 game other than LOL you jump in a 3D world if anything this is closer to a modern Tomb Raider game meets the pathless. Youll explore these little open areas, findig these cute charcters called Rots, you collect these rots which helps you level up and unlock new skills and you use these rots to purify the land and get to one of the 3 items you need to summon th spirit.. to do this youll go into these areas that are corrupted, there will be enemies there for you take take down, after a while you can sick your rots onto a corrupted heart and you then explode it and the land clears up and you can move on.. rinse and repeat.. howver not a repetitive rinse and repeat.. what kena does so great on is its pacing.. combat is few and far between, and im so glad it is because of how dull and boring combat is here… youre kinda just mashing buttons.. the joy comes from exploring, finding these rots, finding hats for them, and solving the puzzles… these puzzles aren’t necessarily hard.. theyre all environmental and just come down to you spotting the solution, and as you progress the game youll gain new items such as a bow that can zip you through the air, and a bomb that can fling debris up into the air.. constantly changing the puzzle solving up… but again simple puzzles.. this is a game you sit back and enjoy.. no thinking no stress.. just doing.. and I loved that.. and onto the beauty of this game.. The charcters, the level design, the set pieces.. this game is gorgeous.. my only real negative aside from the awful combat, iss the pretty lackluster story.. don’t get me wrong I absolutely loved the first half of this game, I even cried becsue the emotions and storying telling was so good.. but after that, the storytelling falls flat and is kinda just there…
    That being said Kena is a really special game and is a must play.
    I give Kena: Bridge of Spirits
    an 8.5/10    … Expand
  22. AreYouSerious
    Sep 22, 2021
    9
    As I was playing I was thinking this is a 10/10, a truly unique and amazing experience that will probably end up being in my top 10 gaming experiences of all time. But, for me, the very end of the game didn't feel like a satisfying conclusion for Kena herself. Think of Journey; it builds to this amazing, awe-inspiring ending, whereas for Kena herself (those that have played will know why IAs I was playing I was thinking this is a 10/10, a truly unique and amazing experience that will probably end up being in my top 10 gaming experiences of all time. But, for me, the very end of the game didn't feel like a satisfying conclusion for Kena herself. Think of Journey; it builds to this amazing, awe-inspiring ending, whereas for Kena herself (those that have played will know why I refer to Kena herself), it didn't feel like it wrapped-up her story. With the backstory she told, and her reason for seeking the mountain peak, I was hoping that storyline would have had a definitive bow tied around it.

    But that was just my feeling, and either way, it's still a brilliant game.    … Expand
  23. SuperDuck23
    Oct 9, 2021
    9
    Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a lovely hark back to the platforming adventures of old and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's satisfying to explore and progress, brilliant to look at and the music is great. My only quibble is that some boss fights are incredibly difficult, unfair and frustrating - which feels at odds with everything else the game offers. The story is serviceable, but the gameplayKena: Bridge of Spirits is a lovely hark back to the platforming adventures of old and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's satisfying to explore and progress, brilliant to look at and the music is great. My only quibble is that some boss fights are incredibly difficult, unfair and frustrating - which feels at odds with everything else the game offers. The story is serviceable, but the gameplay and exploration are definitely the game's strongest assets. Ember Lab are a developer to watch out for in the future.… Expand
  24. GamingNinja
    Sep 27, 2021
    9
    MORE games like this!
    amazing stylish fun combat, beautiful world, good pricing, nice story/cutscenes
  25. mds27272
    Sep 22, 2021
    9
    What a fantastic experience. If you're on the fence about this game, just get it. It stands on it's own with some of the $70 PS5 exclusives in my opinion. For $40 there's no reason to pass this one up. The production value is very high. Some of the lighting effects are among the best I've seen in any game. Loving it so far. About 5 hours in.
  26. dwhes
    Sep 27, 2021
    9
    Genuinely one of the most fun, joyful and visually stunning games I’ve played in a while. Crazy that it’s this studios first game. I can’t wait to see how they build and grow from this. This is a must play on PS5.
  27. Akahdrin
    Jan 1, 2022
    9
    I am pretty convinced that people exepect every game to be flawless or it can't be fun.

    The gameplay is fun. My 9 year old son loves it to pieces. I enjoy playing it as a 41 year old man.

    Combat isn't overly hard, exploration is enoyable, the story is simple yet cute. The 0 star reviews do not know what a zero star game is.
  28. Snooche
    Nov 30, 2021
    9
    A beautiful game and probably my favorite looking game so far on the PlayStation 5. Simple gameplay, yet some of the encounters can be very difficult. It rewards you for mastering the controls and you do end up getting better after some deaths. The platforming and puzzles are basic yet entertaining. The exploration is one of the best parts of the game while the story is the weakest,A beautiful game and probably my favorite looking game so far on the PlayStation 5. Simple gameplay, yet some of the encounters can be very difficult. It rewards you for mastering the controls and you do end up getting better after some deaths. The platforming and puzzles are basic yet entertaining. The exploration is one of the best parts of the game while the story is the weakest, though not bad and doesn't ruin the game.… Expand
  29. JeepDaddyMac46
    Dec 3, 2021
    9
    Beautiful, linear action game that reminds me of a Tomb Raider style Zelda game with the ambiance of Ghost of Tsushima. This game is not really for kids, unless they are very good gamers as enemies are quite challenging and require good technique to beat. Could use a little more story development, but that air of mystery is still very cool. Solid game and if you own a PS5 you shouldBeautiful, linear action game that reminds me of a Tomb Raider style Zelda game with the ambiance of Ghost of Tsushima. This game is not really for kids, unless they are very good gamers as enemies are quite challenging and require good technique to beat. Could use a little more story development, but that air of mystery is still very cool. Solid game and if you own a PS5 you should add this to your collection.… Expand
  30. unico
    Mar 2, 2022
    9
    Total Playtime: 14 hours (Main Story + Decent chunk of side content)

    I will get down to the specifics below, but if you need a TL;DR - "Beautiful game, amazing music, gorgeous visuals, enjoyable Gameplay. Would definitely Recommend." Now for the specifics. Graphics: The Game is not striving for photorealism, nor should it. If you've seen Pixar movies, you know what the art-style    Total Playtime: 14 hours (Main Story + Decent chunk of side content)

    I will get down to the specifics below, but if you need a TL;DR - "Beautiful game, amazing music, gorgeous visuals, enjoyable Gameplay. Would definitely Recommend."

    Now for the specifics.

    Graphics: The Game is not striving for photorealism, nor should it. If you've seen Pixar movies, you know what the art-style is like. It looks gorgeous. PS5 offers 2 modes - Quality mode(4K@30fps) and Performance mode(1440p@60fps). Both look great, and this is one of those games on which even 30fps doesn't look too bad when compared to 60fps(kind of like Uncharted 4).
    The environments look breathtaking, plus the HDR implementation is amazing.

    Music: This is one of the strongest and most memorable aspects of the game. The music when roaming around in the open world environments is soothing and area-specific. Combat music is punchy and punk-rock-esque. Definitely something that will stay with you after you finish the game.

    Story: You play as Kena, a spirit guide, who has taken up the mantle after her father. Her job is to help wandering spirits to move on. However, there is a mysterious corruption infesting the Spirit realm, and she must help destroy it and help all the spirits she can along the way. The Story is nothing too intense, but serves it's purpose really well. It's akin to a good Disney movie. There are no companion characters per se, and those that are, don't stick around for the whole game. But what little presence the NPCs have, it is always charming and memorable.

    Gameplay: The game is kind of a semi-open-world. The closest comparison that I can think of is God of War, though this is less grand and less expansive. Combat is not too complicated and can be grasped pretty quickly, but is not super easy. Not specially hard, but the cartoony art-style can lull you into a false sense of security and then BAM you've died to the first Corrupted Boss 8 times in a row(happened to a friend, not me. I'm a pro-gamer, huh.)
    Anyway, there are a few "ROT" special abilities, that you unlock in the skill tree. You have a Bow, with special attacks for it, and a Staff which you use to do Melee damage. There are a few late game basic unlocks as well that I won't spoil here.
    Overall, I quite enjoyed my time with Kena. The Boss Fights are varied and reasonably challenging, the base enemies are varied as well. Combat is not too complicated, but very satisfying.
    There are also quite a few puzzle solving sections, which are not too hard in my opinion.

    Overall - The game, for me, is really one of the best gaming experiences I have had in quite a while. With a decent story, good gameplay, gorgeous visuals and incredible musical score, I would recommend this AA title to anyone.    … Expand
  31. maxgreat73
    May 11, 2022
    9
    This game is truly beautiful. The animations are perfect.
    But it lacks something in the combat system. It is still good, but in the higher difficulty setting it feels a little bit off. And it's really short and we don't know much about the story, that's why I cannot put 10/10.
  32. IIIAHMIII
    Feb 23, 2022
    9
    There is so much to love in this game, the graphics are top tear, the music is lovely, a good story, great bossfights. Only thing i did not like was the parry system which felt off and unfair. Master mode is one of the hardest challenges i have faced but was really rewarding when getting the platinum.
  33. DragonMan85
    Jan 25, 2022
    9
    Playing on Master gave me a near Dark Souls challenge with the bosses. I found all bosses to be well crafted with great mechanics. The story had a spiritual charm to it, and the art style constantly had me thinking Disney + Studio Ghibli = Kena. Hope they make a sequel.
  34. Felipeolivares
    Sep 24, 2021
    9
    Es un juego gráficamente bonito y se siente fresco en el sentido de jugabilidad.
  35. wtbrown1993
    Dec 12, 2021
    9
    A very good game with souls style boss battles and epic soundtrack.

    It's much better than the critics were letting on
  36. bersi84
    Sep 24, 2021
    9
    Kena is visually an absolutely gorgeous game. The gameplay itself can be repetitive at times but it is still very enjoyable in general. The story is nothing spectacular but interesting at its core. Overall the price/performance-ratio is very good even for the regular price. Playing on regular difficulty or aiming for completionist will probably take between 10 to 30hrs depending on whetherKena is visually an absolutely gorgeous game. The gameplay itself can be repetitive at times but it is still very enjoyable in general. The story is nothing spectacular but interesting at its core. Overall the price/performance-ratio is very good even for the regular price. Playing on regular difficulty or aiming for completionist will probably take between 10 to 30hrs depending on whether you do it the intended way or you use guides/exploits.

    After all I enjoyed my journey through Kena. I noticed some intense difficulty spikes at the major boss encounters that felt a bit awkward. Not that I like the comparison but I felt remembered of some souls-like titles. Which is strange because the regular mob encounteres are rather easy. I like the skill and character progression a lot. If you like collectibles this game will get you going for a while with different tiers of collectibles.

    The game is not flawless and straight story progression might be a bit short for some if you ruhs it. The intense backtracking for collectibles and the missing "teleport from everywhere" feature leads to my final 9/10 stars. There are very few fps dips in graphically intense areas or movies, especially the final boss encounters but in 95% of times the game runs flawless. I encountered no bugs, no bluescreen, no freezes on my 17hrs completionist playthrough (used guides and one exploit for master difficulty). The game borrows known mechanics from many different games and weaves it into a wholesome new experience.    … Expand
  37. Jond7699
    Sep 23, 2021
    9
    This is a great mixture of puzzle solving, combat, and some endearing characters. Very few things I’ve found wrong in my playthrough. Highly recommended. Probably one of the best of the year so far and that’s not hyperbole
  38. Derangedxzombie
    May 1, 2023
    9
    Excellent game, a Disney movie without the woke mind virus that you can physically play. It's a charming yet mature at times game with elements of open world sandbox, platforming and combat. On master spirit difficulty, this game is harder than any Miyazaki/Dark Souls game, so there's also that. On master difficulty and trying to unlock everything, it look me 64hrs to complete.
  39. timeslider
    Sep 26, 2021
    9
    Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a great game but it has some flaws.
    Pros
    • Art style The cuteness of this game is almost unbearable. The Rots look so cute! I love how the voice actress sounds when she’s interacting with them. It’s so adorable. Like a dog lover interacting with a puppy. The art style reminded me of Jak and Daxter from the PS2 era in the best possible way, as if there’s    Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a great game but it has some flaws.
    Pros
    • Art style
    The cuteness of this game is almost unbearable. The Rots look so cute! I love how the voice actress sounds when she’s interacting with them. It’s so adorable. Like a dog lover interacting with a puppy.
    The art style reminded me of Jak and Daxter from the PS2 era in the best possible way, as if there’s another way. You meet some sage guy early on and he reminds me of Samos Hagai, the old man from Jak and Daxter 1 who had logs strapped to his head and feet.

    The layout of the environment is beautiful but it gets complicated towards the end. Sometimes I was frustrated because there wasn’t a clear sense of which direction to go. I did notice that I did better when I calmed down and let the spirits of the forest guide me. No joke, there was a puzzle that somehow I just knew how to beat but I don’t know how or why I knew it. Other puzzles were more challenging but often the environment will give hints. Sometimes things will need to be done in order but there will be a subtle hint that might be hard to pick out. Once you understand one of them, subsequent puzzles are easier.
    I personally loved the character designs. Kena was very charming. Her animations and voice acting made her an adorable character. But don’t let her cuteness fool you. She is an absolute beast in combat. I was a little shocked with how aggressive her voice acting was but it was fitting.

    The animations were top notch. I remember the first time I climbed up a ledge and Kena spun her staff around, I was thoroughly pleased with how satisfying it was.

    •Story
    I’m sad we didn’t get to explore Kena’s past as much as I’d like. The story overall was very sparse on details. A lot of things were left up to interpretation. It was very short in scope. Literally three spirits are trapped in this world because of grief and whatnot and they’re not being able to move on which causes corruption. Kena shows how their grief was the wrong attitude and they understand and move on. The music and animation told me my heart strings should be plucked but I just didn’t get as emotionally attached to the characters I was saving over the roughly four and a half hours it took to save them. I was more emotional during the first 20 minutes of The Last of Us than at any point during this game. I’d say the story was the weakest part of the game but it wasn’t enough for me to stop playing or lose my motivation.

    •Gameplay
    But I don’t play games because of their story. I play games for the gameplay and always have and this is where Kena really shines. It reminded me of a lot of past games: Jak and Daxter, Uncharted, God of War, Ratchet and Clank, and Final Fantasy X. All the mechanics were smooth and satisfying to play. My biggest problem with gameplay was the progression system. You get Karma to upgrade your abilities which is fine. But there are also crystals that are only used to buy cute hats for the Rot. I would have loved to see more uses for the crystals. I understand this is their first game so I can’t knock them too much.

    •Cons
    Some of the environments are bugged but the latest patch fixed some of them but I haven’t confirmed. There was an invisible hole in the ground that you could fall through and get stuck. I found a board that looks like you can walk over but Kena will stop at it and you have to jump over even though there’s another board right beside it that you can walk over. I found a ledge that has some strange collision geometry making jumping across difficult. I could have loved to see better collision geometry overall. You can't stand on many things that look like you can. I’ll report all this stuff to the devs eventually and hopefully they’ll fix it. The initial release had a few game breaking bugs but many of them have been patched. I think with a few more updates I could remove this cons paragraph completely.
    Overall, I’d say the experience is worth it. I played on the Deluxe Edition but I don’t think the Golden Rot and Staff was worth it unless you want to support the devs. I would love to see them make more games like this. Hopefully this will be financially successful and they can fund much larger games.    … Expand
  40. Ruzaky
    Mar 19, 2023
    9
    Atmosphere of the village and the woods created by the pixar graphics and incredible music is unreal. Had fun playing it and trying to 100% it.
  41. gusvar
    Sep 29, 2021
    9
    The obvious: It's a beautiful game, you can tell there is a lot of love for the animation and characters. The bad: it's too short, I was having a lot of fun, and suddenly it ends....well....that's no so bad, letting you go on a high note.
    My favorite thing: the combat is hard, there is a lot of mechanics and the dynamics are very entertaining.
    In short: Beautiful and fun game, absolutely    The obvious: It's a beautiful game, you can tell there is a lot of love for the animation and characters. The bad: it's too short, I was having a lot of fun, and suddenly it ends....well....that's no so bad, letting you go on a high note.
    My favorite thing: the combat is hard, there is a lot of mechanics and the dynamics are very entertaining.
    In short: Beautiful and fun game, absolutely recommend.    … Expand
  42. behnam207
    Oct 9, 2021
    9
    after 5 days playing this game is so beautiful with good game play and good story
  43. NathanChan
    Sep 24, 2021
    9
    Nice graphics, beautiful art style and varied puzzles, for an indie game made by a first timer, it's all surprises, the only drawback is combat part which is a little repetitive.
  44. MarcusYami
    Feb 13, 2022
    9
    Great game, the bosses are quite difficult but not impossible, just the perfect amount of challenge, the world and the story us beautiful. I have enjoyed this game a lot and would recommend it to everybody!
  45. gregdelbene
    Sep 26, 2021
    9
    Kena: Bridge of Spirits exceeded every expectation and shattered every pre-conceived notion I had. Not only was the gameplay deeper and more engaging than I had assumed, but the story was deep, emotional, and thoughtful. On top of all of that, Ember Labs’ animation background really shines. During Kena’s cutscenes I would often forget that I was playing a game because it looked EXACTLYKena: Bridge of Spirits exceeded every expectation and shattered every pre-conceived notion I had. Not only was the gameplay deeper and more engaging than I had assumed, but the story was deep, emotional, and thoughtful. On top of all of that, Ember Labs’ animation background really shines. During Kena’s cutscenes I would often forget that I was playing a game because it looked EXACTLY like a Pixar film. I was truly blown away by the quality of the animation and it’s safe to assume everyone else who played the game felt the same. Aside from its short runtime, this game is near perfect. The $40 price tag easily puts the length into perspective at the end of the day though. This is a game I will revisit often just to enjoy the animation and story again - truly next-level. I look forward to a sequel or whatever Ember Labs works on next.… Expand
  46. Sunradiance
    Sep 23, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Incredible Game!

    Starts of abit repetitive but thats quickly washed away. Art is gorgeous and now after the patch cinematic is 60fps not anymore 30fps*. The game offers enjoyment , relaxation , cuteness , all in all totally worth its money.

    Game really worth playing.    … Expand
  47. Godsat
    Sep 30, 2021
    9
    Por mais jogos como esse! O cinema já está cheio de filmes com esse estilo "infatil". Bem vinda Ember Lab! Um jogo maravilhoso, comovente, além de ter presenciado poucos bugs no PS5. Parabéns
  48. Raverin
    Sep 27, 2021
    9
    From the graphics to the music, the game is an absolute masterpiece in indie development. Great experience, story handed my heart, I enjoyed Kena very much.
  49. virtualvince
    Jan 3, 2022
    9
    Considering this is the team's first effort, what a stunner. The game is also deceivingly challenging for what at first glance looks like could be a Disney Pixar game aimed at your younger sibling, niece/nephew, child etc. If played on the harder modes (expert, and then later master upon finishing the game) this thing is a worthwhile endeavour. Enemies, and especially bosses all haveConsidering this is the team's first effort, what a stunner. The game is also deceivingly challenging for what at first glance looks like could be a Disney Pixar game aimed at your younger sibling, niece/nephew, child etc. If played on the harder modes (expert, and then later master upon finishing the game) this thing is a worthwhile endeavour. Enemies, and especially bosses all have move sets to learn to defend from, parry timing to master, and weaknesses to find and exploit. Sound familiar? Indeed some have compared the game to Soulsborne games, and I can see where it comes from, even though the game itself is broadly nothing like those games, the concept of mastering the bosses, failing and re-trying is very much in that vein, even if this is where similarities end.

    Visually speaking the game is lovely on PS5, even if the textures have been turned down versus its PC counter part which has options for higher quality, but in motion and practise it's not something you care about for more than a moment. The animations are cute for the most part, and generally impressive especially the aforementioned bosses, which are fairly plentiful and varied, with some particularly cool ones scattered through the whole game, not just at the end etc. The music and sound are excellent. As always best heard on a surround sound set up or 3D headphones.

    The skill tree is fairly basic compared to other bigger games of this vein but it's also one of the game's strengths, as this one is pared back to one of those older classic games you may have played on a PS2 or earlier, and lasts 10-12 hours in terms of main story. There's also no side questing to be done here, though you have various challenges and collectibles to pursue. And the story itself is well done and not too bloated. A well deserved 9 and a decent platinum pursuit as well, as encourages you to learn to the skill tree and consider different approaches to enemies, mostly in master mode.

    Definitely a decent palette cleanser for someone looking for a shorter, but still challenging game to platinum after a longer more drawn out game perhaps.    … Expand
  50. Jrw1202
    Sep 23, 2021
    9
    I am so happy that there is a game like this available on PS5 right now. It absolutely gorgeous to look at, and it is a solid platformer. Despite some criticism that it is reusing some troupes from more popular games, sometimes that is what we want. It is really challenging, engaging, and a joy to play. The fact that this is from an indie studio is amazing! I really hope we get to see aI am so happy that there is a game like this available on PS5 right now. It absolutely gorgeous to look at, and it is a solid platformer. Despite some criticism that it is reusing some troupes from more popular games, sometimes that is what we want. It is really challenging, engaging, and a joy to play. The fact that this is from an indie studio is amazing! I really hope we get to see a sequel with even more funding next time! At $40 this is easily a must-buy!… Expand
  51. Ernest_vzla
    Sep 23, 2021
    9
    Amazing this game was made by a 15 people studio. It looks beautiful and runs very smoothly. It's very polished, I didn't find any game breaking bugs or glitches, Gameplay and level design is Zelda-like with surprisingly difficult combat. The story is good and very well animated but I was left wanting to know more about the main character (Kena). It also needed a bit more variety in combatAmazing this game was made by a 15 people studio. It looks beautiful and runs very smoothly. It's very polished, I didn't find any game breaking bugs or glitches, Gameplay and level design is Zelda-like with surprisingly difficult combat. The story is good and very well animated but I was left wanting to know more about the main character (Kena). It also needed a bit more variety in combat skills but there's many type of enemies to compensate.

    Overall it's an excellent game and would absolutely recommend to give it a chance.    … Expand
  52. Robertinho123
    Dec 29, 2021
    9
    This game is absolutely gorgeous, the art direction is phenomenal. It's the first actual 'Next-Gen' experience, it uses the rumble and the triggers very well, everything loads extremely fast and the water effects are mindblowing.

    Added to that, it's also fun and challenging with a great story. You'll become emotionally invested in Kena's beautiful story. The gameplay is unexpectedly    This game is absolutely gorgeous, the art direction is phenomenal. It's the first actual 'Next-Gen' experience, it uses the rumble and the triggers very well, everything loads extremely fast and the water effects are mindblowing.

    Added to that, it's also fun and challenging with a great story. You'll become emotionally invested in Kena's beautiful story. The gameplay is unexpectedly challenging, there were many of deaths, and only on of them (I got hit by an enemy AFTER knocking the main boss out) felt unfair. It's genuinely rewarding to figure out the bosses and get the best of them.

    The only reason it's not a 10, is because there were a few glitches (one of the bosses disappeared during the fight for example) and sometimes it's a bit confusing where to go. If it wasn't for those issues, this would've been a straight 10.    … Expand
  53. VTHokies1999
    Dec 7, 2021
    9
    I think this is a great game and I wish I could give it an 8.5 but I'll round up. The story was good, the graphics are amazing, and I found the combat pretty good. I think if Ember Labs could improve the combat in the next game by making it a bit more deep, more moves and growth, it could be a truely amazing game.
  54. TheGreatKashar
    Sep 23, 2021
    9
    The game is simply a joy to play, from its breathtaking landscapes, to the missions and side quests that just get your brain’s happy juices flowing.

    I was anticipating this game from the moment it was announced, and it was well worth the price take. Highly recommend to anyone who likes metroidvanias, or just large exploration based games in general.
  55. Modax19
    Mar 6, 2022
    9
    Kena is almost perfect as an action adventure game. Difficulty on Spirit Guide (normal) is just challenging enough to be rewarding but not overly punishing. Puzzles are interesting but not frustrating. Combat is satisfying and there is a good variety of different enemy types. Game world is fun to explore. The game doesn’t overstay its welcome, it’s not too long so I didn’t get burnt out.Kena is almost perfect as an action adventure game. Difficulty on Spirit Guide (normal) is just challenging enough to be rewarding but not overly punishing. Puzzles are interesting but not frustrating. Combat is satisfying and there is a good variety of different enemy types. Game world is fun to explore. The game doesn’t overstay its welcome, it’s not too long so I didn’t get burnt out. Graphics and music are really enjoyable and add to the experience. Story is simple but solid and there is a great ending.… Expand
  56. Rouabah
    Sep 26, 2021
    9
    La DA du jeu est juste magnifique les ROTS sont ❤️ Combat fluide et a pas trop simple le challenge est la si on le cherche ❤️
  57. Tovline
    Sep 26, 2021
    9
    Pas 10 parce que il es pas parfait c'est sur mais pour un premier jeu, c'est juste magique et magnifique ce qu'ils nous ont proposé, hâte de voir leurs prochains jeu !
  58. Stikmen_
    Sep 22, 2021
    9
    Beautiful game! EmberLab did amazing job for their first game! Everything looks cool
  59. shayed__
    Sep 22, 2021
    9
    This game gave me everything I had hoped for, from start to finish.

    It really is THAT indie game. It is so obvious to see how emberlab started out as a film studio. The sheer quality of the pre-rendered cutscenes, the ingame animations, and visual effects speaks for itself. This is one of those games where you can really feel the passion behind it. From what I've heard, the team    This game gave me everything I had hoped for, from start to finish.

    It really is THAT indie game. It is so obvious to see how emberlab started out as a film studio.
    The sheer quality of the pre-rendered cutscenes, the ingame animations, and visual effects speaks for itself.

    This is one of those games where you can really feel the passion behind it.
    From what I've heard, the team over at emberlab was only about 10 to 20 people strong when they developed this game.
    That is ridiculous for a game of such quality.
    I mean it is very obvious that each and every person that worked on this game was incredibly skilled in their craft

    Kena isn't just good looking, it also delivers a simple but effective story that warmed my heart throughout the game.
    While the concept of the story and its characters is fairly simple, the writing is really nice.
    Combine the cute writing with stellar cinematography in the cinematics and you're up for some really beautiful story beats.

    What can I say about the soundtrack other than.. it's perfect? It fits the adventurous vibe of the game so incredibly well.
    They really poured in a lot of work into the music. I mean we're still talking about an indie production here.
    It's not like the game has just a few good soundtracks no, each map section has its own little soundtrack. Variety is guaranteed.

    The gameplay is very smooth for the most part.
    The camera controls and the dead zone of the sticks felt a bit off when I first started the game,
    but it's not so severe that it impacts the overall gaming experience.
    The combat controls are for the most part very responsive and all the action animations and visual effects look and feel absolutely great. I still get surprised at how good everything looks.
    The combat also gets better the more you progress in the game due to the skill tree.

    The game's side activities aren't the most outstanding, they are fairly limited,
    but I still found great enjoyment in roaming around the map and collecting things.
    The world of Kena is brimming with beauty, it really reminds you of older games like Zelda at times.
    The combination of the well-designed lustrous world, and the soundtrack really makes the adventure outside of the main story enjoyable.

    I played on the highest difficulty that was available in the first playthrough. I really enjoyed the balance of the difficulty.
    It wasn't too hard where I'd have to fight a boss for hours on end, but it also wasn't too easy.
    I feel like it was nicely balanced for a game like Kena.
    There is a even higher difficulty setting which I assume is for new game+. From what I have heard, that newgame+ mode steps it difficulty up by a lot.

    Kena is a cute character, I really like the voice actress.
    I'm happy that they chose a more "deeper" sounding actress instead of a generic higher pitched child voice.

    The Rots are the most adorable thing I have ever seen in a game, the way they carry around things for Kena or the way the swim behind you in the water.
    Everything about them is just so wholesome.

    The game's length is totally fine for me.
    If you fully explore everything and play around with the photo mode a bit you'll spend more than 10 hours with the game.
    I've heard that, if you want to get the platinum trophy for the game it takes roughly 20 to 25 hours.
    I'm glad that this isn't a bloated empty open world game.

    I'm very happy for emberlab and I congratulate them on their first game.    … Expand
  60. CircusBoy
    Sep 26, 2021
    9
    Kena Bridge of Spirits is such a good game, Is like playing a Pixar movie.

    Playing on the hardest difficulty available from the start, gives you a nice challenge, some of the bosses are a little bit tricky to beat.

    Could have a system for the collectibles, to know which one you already got
  61. Cryptic_Vyper
    Sep 23, 2021
    9
    Awesome game. My only issue being a PS5 player and playing in 60 FPS is the 30 FPS cut scenes. Other than that, extremely enjoyable, love the story, AAA quality from this small studio with their first production. Yes it pulls ideas from other games, but it blends them in a unique way that work well enough to stand on its own the one critique I have as far as the Kena world, is it should beAwesome game. My only issue being a PS5 player and playing in 60 FPS is the 30 FPS cut scenes. Other than that, extremely enjoyable, love the story, AAA quality from this small studio with their first production. Yes it pulls ideas from other games, but it blends them in a unique way that work well enough to stand on its own the one critique I have as far as the Kena world, is it should be more open world and character should be able to climb all rocks that she can jump above instead of invisible walls. Otherwise I loved it.… Expand
  62. Tapies
    Sep 24, 2021
    9
    Kena: Bridge of Spirits, is an absolute work of art, incredible visuals, beautiful narrative and super entertaining gameplay, without words.
  63. Eladl
    Sep 27, 2021
    9
    Most enjoyable game I played this year, I like the environment so much, the gameplay is amazing and the rots is
  64. Cesar8
    Sep 24, 2021
    9
    La verdad este título me ha sorprendido mucho en el aspecto de ser un indie y tener algunos elementos que no tendría que envidiarle nada otros títulos que pueden tener más trabajadores o un presupuesto más elevado. En el apartado artístico me ha parecido algo increíble y uno de los mejores que he visto en este tipo de animacion tal cual así como partículas de algunos enemigos ya sea en elLa verdad este título me ha sorprendido mucho en el aspecto de ser un indie y tener algunos elementos que no tendría que envidiarle nada otros títulos que pueden tener más trabajadores o un presupuesto más elevado. En el apartado artístico me ha parecido algo increíble y uno de los mejores que he visto en este tipo de animacion tal cual así como partículas de algunos enemigos ya sea en el ambiente o en los enemigos me ha parecido un buen acierto. En el apartado de la historia me ha parecido muy buena la verdad como cada pedazo de las historias que nos plantean con ciertos puntos o situaciones diferentes entre ellos pero que al final nos damos cuenta que todas se entrelazan o tienen algo en común. En el apartado de lo musical me ha encantado, para mí es uno de los puntos más fuertes del título, combinando tonadas que suenan algo muy tradicional de Asia, pero que a la vez hay ciertas tonadas que en verdad me han traído recuerdos de como sonaban algunos soundtracks de antes y aveces me traían recuerdos de algunos juegos antiguos. En el apartado del combate me parecido algo normal, algo que en verdad no innova pero que le queda bien al juego, tomando elementos de combate de otros títulos y agregando unas características que te pueden recordado a un título Souls. La verdad es un juego muy bueno que me ha sorprendido mucho, para mi este es el indie del año y que posiblemente lo veremos compitiendo tal vez por mejor juego del año, pero que a la vez que sea buen juego no quiere decir que sea la octava maravilla, definitivamente una de las sorpresas de los videojuegos de este año.… Expand
  65. RomulusReviews
    Sep 26, 2021
    9
    Kena: Bridge of Spirits is simply an instant classic! Everything about this game spews grade A quality and completed by a developer who's first game this happens to be. It perhaps could have been a little bit longer but the story was fantastic pulling on your heart strings during every pre rendered cinematic cutscene.
  66. NxtDoc
    Sep 25, 2021
    9
    Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a charming, fun, yet simple game. The combat is simple, but fun. Kena does not over stay its length. As every game does not need to be over fluffed with empty side quests, and ridiculously arbitrary grind.
  67. superkapitan82
    Sep 22, 2021
    9
    Игра буквально позволила вспомнить радость и магию первого столкновения с видеоиграми в детстве. По-настоящему волшебная графика, простой и понятный геймплей, незатейливый добрый сюжет. Оказалось, что больше ничего не надо и что всего этого не было так давно.

    Мне напомнило золотую эру PC адвенчур 90-х, Kyrandia, Stormlord, Jazz Jackrabbit, Lands of Lore, Simon the Sorcerer. Но судя по    Игра буквально позволила вспомнить радость и магию первого столкновения с видеоиграми в детстве. По-настоящему волшебная графика, простой и понятный геймплей, незатейливый добрый сюжет. Оказалось, что больше ничего не надо и что всего этого не было так давно.

    Мне напомнило золотую эру PC адвенчур 90-х, Kyrandia, Stormlord, Jazz Jackrabbit, Lands of Lore, Simon the Sorcerer.
    Но судя по всему каждому она напоминает свое.    … Expand
  68. pretobr
    Feb 23, 2022
    9
    Um excelente jogo, uma boa historia, e uma jogabilidade boa(poderia melhorar), e "boss" bem difficiles até.
    Mas super recomendo,
  69. LordBarco
    Oct 9, 2021
    9
    KENA BRIDGE OF SPIRITS REVIEW
    Reviewed on PlayStation 5
    What happens when you mix The Legend of Zelda with Dark Souls and the cuteness of CGI as in a PIXAR movie? You get Kena Bridge of spirits. Yes, you heard me… Dark Souls. Do not be confused by the cuteness of the characters and the world because this game is hard as hell, and if you play in a higher difficulty, Kena will kick you    KENA BRIDGE OF SPIRITS REVIEW
    Reviewed on PlayStation 5

    What happens when you mix The Legend of Zelda with Dark Souls and the cuteness of CGI as in a PIXAR movie? You get Kena Bridge of spirits. Yes, you heard me… Dark Souls. Do not be confused by the cuteness of the characters and the world because this game is hard as hell, and if you play in a higher difficulty, Kena will kick you on and on and you will die a lot. An amazing experience that got me off balance, this game is an incredible adventure to enjoy.

    SETTING
    You, Kena, a spirit guide, arrives to a land full of spirits and mystery. You are tasked to liberate these pour souls from their relentless pain as they struggle to leave this world and passing to the next. The setting is good and although there is no more background, I was ok with it. You are not given any additional information, and you do not need it. You embark on a mission of redemption with an amazing weapon, a staff, and some of video game’s most cute companions, The Rot. Puff like creatures that you want to squeeze and kiss as they are really cute, but again, do not get confused as this game is hard!

    MECHANICS
    • Combat:
    The Legend of Zelda elements are there: lock on feature, light attacks with a 4-hit combo, hard attacks with a chargeable swing… you can upgrade your basic moves to add a running hit, a jump hit, or even combining your attacks along the Rot for a devastating hammer attack (my favorite) which does major damage to even bosses. You must move around the field all the time as enemies may swarm you, and Kena has a cool evade move to slide back or sideways. She can cast an energy shield to create a type of shield, but if you overuse it, the shield has stamina, and it will break, So, you need to rely more on evading. Stamina is not present, so combat is more fluid and vivid. You can also use bombs and arrows in battle to create different tactics depending on the situation.
    The combat is good and well balanced, and the bosses… oh my, I saw some scary ones and the battles are intense. You will die a lot in this game!
    Finally, you have a Rot gauge that depending on the difficulty you select, will only fill once you attack, get hit, or fills automatically. This gauge allows you to unleash devastating attacks to enemies, creating a huge advantage in combat.

    • Exploration:
    Combat is good, but I love mor to explore in this vast game. This is not an open world, but rather a series of interconnected lands to several Hub locations (a massive forest, a ruined village with a mine, a big mountain) and in each hub area there is a lot to collect: crystals to buy outfits for your Rot (I honestly did not like this, I would have loved outfits for Kena) power ups to increase your abilities, lost mails to open up areas within Village which is the main hub of the game. Not only that but you also need to find Rot, as they will increase in number and ergo, your effectiveness in battle will be enhanced.
    Pull an arrow to some well-placed energy flowers and you will be propelled a la hookshot in Zelda, throw bombs to magically enhanced stones to create pathways to move either vertically or horizontally. You can and must trace back to other visited areas to collect additional upgrades, and the overall exploration feeling is amplified by the beautiful world surrounding Kena. I would have loved to have a swimming ability to go underwater, that would have given an additional depth of exploration, but anyways, the game exploration is amazing.

    VISUALS
    This is a gorgeous game. I mean if you can play in Playstation 5 in full 4K you will be amazed. The graphics are incredible, and the characters look real even if they are Disney-like, it is as if you were playing an actual animated movie. Kena is a cute character, and I love how she express her emotions, you rally connect with her and her journey. And the Rot, well, those guys are so cute I hope they merchandise them to buy a couple… those cheeks! The game is alive and it breaths life even when the world around is struggling to move forward due to the main plot in the story.

    SOUND
    As the game is based in eastern cultures, you will hear familiar sounds and melodies reminiscent of Ninja games, and that was amazing for me. The tone of the music is accompanied by an occasional chord, and it changes drastically when you go into battle.
    The boss battles have epic music, but I what I loved most were the vocals used in the game for the many songs. The main hub or the village music is amazing, I just stand there hearing it. The soundtrack was well done

    FINAL VERDICT:
    My final Verdict is 9.0 for the game.
    Ember Labs created an amazing adventure packed with a good combat system, amazing exploration, and they fooled everyone as the cuteness of its characters is shadowed by the difficult battles.    … Expand
  70. vermillionedge
    Jul 28, 2022
    9
    Such a breath of fresh air in the game world. Finally something that felt really new and original that I could really get into. Sure it's not perfect, but it's this comes a far closer to it than 90% of the triple A releases these days. Absolutely beautiful and stunning to listen to. I loved every second of its story and experience.
  71. Ahmed1994
    Sep 25, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Amazing and fantastic game , thanks to Sony studios ( we want more games in this level )… Expand
  72. Jerberry561
    Sep 29, 2021
    9
    An overall amazing game. Both in how it looks and game play. This game looks absolutely fantastic, with small puzzles, mini bosses and platforming throughout. Definitely a must buy, even despite the short length. Finished it around 10 hours.
  73. Abroadus123
    Sep 23, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After playing several hours of the the game, it has lived up to my expectations. The controls are tight, the combat is fast and challenging. The graphics are Pixar level quality with amazing film like cut scenes that make you fall in love with the people you're helping. Emberlab has made a beautiful game & i hope to see more from them.… Expand
  74. lessacebola
    Jun 16, 2022
    9
    Jogo simplesmente fenomenal, principalmente levando em conta que foi desenvolvido por um novo estúdio Indie. História, visual, músicas, tudo incrível. Só a gameplay que é um pouco arrastada às vezes, mas nada que estrague a experiência.
  75. Pascal1602
    Feb 20, 2022
    9
    Lovely game! Recommend it to anyone who enjoys 3rd person adventure games. Gameplay feels really good and the game just looks beautiful. Story is rather weak especially after a good beginning. But that‘s pretty much my only complaint.
  76. MBays
    Oct 26, 2021
    9
    Beautiful game from start to finish. Support this developer seriously this is their 1st try and they pulled this off. Buy this game you won't regret it!!
  77. lite_lite
    Dec 12, 2021
    9
    Абсолютно потрясающая, красивая, милая и трогательная история.

    Великолепная графика, отличный душевный саундтрек, незамысловатая, но крайне приятная боевка, простой, но такой же занятный эксплоринг - всё это в совокупности складываются в действительно нечто очень запоминающееся и прекрасное. Для меня одно из самых приятных, добрых и одновременно с этим грустных приключений, а так же    Абсолютно потрясающая, красивая, милая и трогательная история.

    Великолепная графика, отличный душевный саундтрек, незамысловатая, но крайне приятная боевка, простой, но такой же занятный эксплоринг - всё это в совокупности складываются в действительно нечто очень запоминающееся и прекрасное.

    Для меня одно из самых приятных, добрых и одновременно с этим грустных приключений, а так же одно из открытий года.

    Крайне рекомендую, попадос прямо в сердечко.    … Expand
  78. dsrs1994
    Feb 6, 2022
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Maravilloso, entretenido, muchos BOSS y bastante dificultad si lo deseas, un diseño muy bonito, espero en el futuro una secuela.… Expand
  79. MarleyW
    Dec 16, 2021
    9
    Amazing looking game like a playable pixar movie. Good puzzles, story, and combat too
  80. js83667
    Nov 4, 2021
    9
    Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a beautiful, wonderful game. Amazing visuals, stellar cutscenes, and solid gameplay. My only gripes are where the AA nature of the game starts to show.

    For some reason, the walking animation is just so clunky. It is the one of the weirdest walking animations I have ever seen in a game, especially when everything is else so high quality. The final two bosses are    Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a beautiful, wonderful game. Amazing visuals, stellar cutscenes, and solid gameplay. My only gripes are where the AA nature of the game starts to show.

    For some reason, the walking animation is just so clunky. It is the one of the weirdest walking animations I have ever seen in a game, especially when everything is else so high quality.

    The final two bosses are disappointing. The second to last boss can be entirely cheesed by using a pattern of attacks/upgrades you get by endgame. The final boss has a large difficulty spike, and it is quite long with multiple phases and no checkpoints.

    Besides the two final bosses, combat has been tight, fun, and rewarding. Also the game is on the short side, but for its price, it is well worth it.    … Expand
  81. leon29
    Sep 25, 2021
    9
    awesome graphics the combat and the music. im excited to play this game the display design is awesome and the characters too.
  82. Nimesin
    Nov 5, 2021
    9
    This game really surprised me in a good way. I knew that it was beautiful but wasn't expecting the combat difficulty to be this high and the gameplay to be this good. Really loved it and recommend it.
  83. FuzzyBearbarian
    Oct 9, 2021
    9
    Visuals are eye candy. Music is ear candy. Boss fights are challenging, especially on Master difficulty. Exploration is plentiful. This is kind of a souls-like boss combat game mixed in with Pixar like visuals. A bizarre mix but it works and it's fun to play. As a first game for Ember Lab it's utterly incredible. Cannot wait for the second game. Totally recommend this, no question.
  84. Norse93
    Sep 27, 2021
    9
    Kena Bridge of Spirits is the game to play if you have ever been inspired by a Pixar/Disney film and wanted to know what it feels like to play one. The animation is immediately recognizable and comparible and its very easy to want to play the game based on those aspects alone.

    The moment you move Kena you will realize that the developers have obviously put a mountain of effort into    Kena Bridge of Spirits is the game to play if you have ever been inspired by a Pixar/Disney film and wanted to know what it feels like to play one. The animation is immediately recognizable and comparible and its very easy to want to play the game based on those aspects alone.

    The moment you move Kena you will realize that the developers have obviously put a mountain of effort into optimizing gameplay mechanics. It feels like bits and pieces from your favourite games mixed together. To be more specific, I felt like Aloy running around in The Legend of Zelda. Running, jumping, shooting your bow, swinging your staff, it all feels so smooth and natural and while combat is easy to pick up, its definitely hard to master. Thats due to a plethora of different types of enemies and attacks, and, a surprisingly unforgivable spike in difficulty. You'll be quite fond of Kena's abilities until you realize that they do require some strategy to gain advantages in certain combat scenarios. This is where the game really shines because Kena feels very much so like a walk in the park with your favourite pal, until suddenly its not. On the higher difficulty settings, Kena is more of a reoccuring intense storm with small windows of recovery. And thats one of my favourite parts, in a World of "too easy" and "too hard" Kena comfortably slides right in between like hot butter.

    While Kena is not a massive World RPG style game, you might forget that while playing. There were a number of times that I got stuck, lost, confused, and even distracted in the large forest that acts as a "hub" that you can freely explore. There were enough side quest style activities to keep me from feeling "caged" like I normally would with a linear design. The Forest is large enough to make it feel open World just enough to "itch" that scratch in case you feel restricted. I almost feel like the level design was too large at times for a linear focus. One of my favourite parts about Kena (aside from an unbeleivable OST) is simply the map design. The map was designed in a rugged three dimensional style and makes navigation fun, but not always accurate or easy. Kenas position on the map works in a way that doesnt allow me to be very accurate, but rather look at the map, and kind of make a "guess" as to where to go because her icon moves really quickly and is slightly too large in my opinion. I think thats literally my biggest dislike about the game overall, Kenas map icon being slightly too large for the map itself. And honestly thats probably just me. What a weird negative point.

    Puzzles are a big part of progressing in Kena. I actually got stuck on a few puzzles and had to cheat and use google, otherwise I proably would still be stuck looking at a bunch of clues on a rock and not knowing that they are actually a clue. This was my fault, not the games, as I had forgotten about multiple features to help solve puzzles and the game actually does not hold your hand when you get stuck. Anyways, the puzzles are actually very good. They require the player to not only use critical thinking, but combining that with timing and physics.

    I was really happy to understand that Kena atually needs her little buddies (The Rot) to gain an advantage in not only many combat scenarios but puzzles too. Instead of just being an addition, or a selling point, or an almost completely useless feature, the Rot are actually an essential part to both the story and gameplay of Kena and that really means a lot in a World full of games with aesthetic focused features rather than useful.

    Now lets get to that story. No spoilers here. Im just going to say that Kena has a story that is easy to engage in simply because the cinematic scenes are kept short, crisp and informative. Its not the kind of story that you feel tempted to skip. Its very inviting to watch, lots of clean vibrant colors and excellent character design. You dont feel the concious desire to skip the way you might with majority of games. The story is definitely not boring, bland or uninteresting. Instead it is full of mystery, excitement, fear and love.

    So now that Ive clearly stated the good parts about Kena, I have to share my least favourite parts about the game. Which include the lack of protagonist customization, and the lack of protaganist character development. I haven't finished the game yet but Kena feels very focused on everyone but Kena. Hopefully that changes in a potential sequel and maybe was intended in the first place, maybe the story on her background opens up further on I dont know just yet. The Rot can be customized for fun photo opportunities.

    Kena Bridge of Spirits really deserves a minimum of 9/10 for me. Beautiful soundtrack, smooth gameplay, engaging story and all the while retaining its framerate through fast paced action. Ember Labs did this title justice. For their first videogame they really knocked it out of the park and I think big AAA publishers met ther match.    … Expand
  85. Tenoz
    Sep 26, 2021
    9
    Really loved the game. The only drawback for me is the lack of dialogues, which sometimes gives me a sense of emptiness, but also has a soothing effect at the same time. As a casual gamer, I am not looking forward to test the Hard mode as I already struggled a lot on normal. But I will eventually have to since I am a completionist.
  86. OldGuys
    Sep 29, 2021
    9
    Absolutly wonderfufl game. Beautiful story, smooth gameplay, warm characters and really hard enemies. Playing on Spirit Guide for me it was really hard game. But at the end its very good game.
  87. samuraizero
    Sep 22, 2021
    9
    Gameplay details and review:
    Amazing sound track and sound Very Satisfying gameplay Excellent voice acting Good story and premise Very impressed with this being from a small independent studio team and this being their first game Gameplay details:
    Game does have parry and dodge which all action originated games should have. Has some of the newer Tomb Raider series mechanics as far as    Gameplay details and review:
    Amazing sound track and sound Very Satisfying gameplay Excellent voice acting Good story and premise Very impressed with this being from a small independent studio team and this being their first game Gameplay details:

    Game does have parry and dodge which all action originated games should have.

    Has some of the newer Tomb Raider series mechanics as far as traversal platforming.

    Has double jump -Combat is basically Pixar’s version of blood borne control scheme wise -Combat itself presents a challenge but not dark souls challenge -Has a bow and arrow you unlock later and if you jump and shoot , you get a slow down like horizon zero Dawn - combat is very smooth and you can interrupt enemie hits except the bosses unless you hit a weak point on the boss - puzzles are very easy IF you pay attention to EVERYTHING around you

    Worth the $39 totally    … Expand
  88. OmegaGames
    Sep 22, 2021
    9
    The game looks amazing, the combat has a parry, a shield, a dodge, a jump and a heavy and light attack, as well as a ranged attack and a power with the Rot.

    The scenery and level design with all the puzzles and the interactive elements decorated with blue crystals highlight the work that went into the ambiance. Together with the charming OST and the narrative, they make a masterpiece    The game looks amazing, the combat has a parry, a shield, a dodge, a jump and a heavy and light attack, as well as a ranged attack and a power with the Rot.

    The scenery and level design with all the puzzles and the interactive elements decorated with blue crystals highlight the work that went into the ambiance.

    Together with the charming OST and the narrative, they make a masterpiece for fans of zelda and dark souls, especially considering it's indie nature.    … Expand
  89. colbango
    Sep 28, 2021
    9
    What a game. I loved every second of it. I expected a nice adventure around a cool fantasy world and I got it. What I did not expect was a tough challenge. Some of the boss fights in the game are tough but really satisfying.
    The game is gorgeous and the animation is obviously wonderful.
    I heard some people saying the game is short but it was €40. I got 14 hours out of it. In comparison,    What a game. I loved every second of it. I expected a nice adventure around a cool fantasy world and I got it. What I did not expect was a tough challenge. Some of the boss fights in the game are tough but really satisfying.
    The game is gorgeous and the animation is obviously wonderful.
    I heard some people saying the game is short but it was €40. I got 14 hours out of it. In comparison, I paid €70 for Uncharted 4 and I think I went through that in 16 hours. It's good value and the map is much bigger than you'd think.    … Expand
  90. MetaReviewer0
    Sep 24, 2021
    9
    Ember Lab’s first game Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a wonderful experience that feels like a AAA experience at a $40 price tag. I played Kena on PS5 and it took full advantage of the powerful SSD. Kena has beautiful graphics and a calming soundtrack that fits the theme of the game, Kena’s only downfall is the story which is just okay but if you’re looking for a game to play over a weekendEmber Lab’s first game Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a wonderful experience that feels like a AAA experience at a $40 price tag. I played Kena on PS5 and it took full advantage of the powerful SSD. Kena has beautiful graphics and a calming soundtrack that fits the theme of the game, Kena’s only downfall is the story which is just okay but if you’re looking for a game to play over a weekend this is the game for you.… Expand
  91. AuBiKa
    Sep 22, 2021
    9
    For their very first game, Ember Lab did a really good job. The artistic direction is beautiful, technically it follows, and the atmosphere is grandiose. I was transported from start to finish. It is very refreshing.
  92. Radioo
    Sep 22, 2021
    9
    In general the game sets out to do a limited number of things, and it gets most of them right. Presentation is key here, and while other aspects take the backseat, I've definitely seen games being worse in secondary aspects.
    This game has breathtaking visual style. Especially on the hard difficulty, bossfights can become a welcome and memorable challenge. Combat evolves throughout the    In general the game sets out to do a limited number of things, and it gets most of them right. Presentation is key here, and while other aspects take the backseat, I've definitely seen games being worse in secondary aspects.
    This game has breathtaking visual style. Especially on the hard difficulty, bossfights can become a welcome and memorable challenge. Combat evolves throughout the entire game. It's not the deepest, most complex combat we've seen, and some abilities feel more polished than others, but it's definitely fun. The puzzles are not too complex, but also not overly simple. The story is alright, with stellar presentation though.

    Overall a very enjoyable journey, but minor hickups and imperfections keep it from being a perfect game for me.    … Expand
  93. dduong84
    Sep 23, 2021
    9
    Games visuals is gorgeous, gameplay is easy to follow and doesn't take hours to get used too, challenging battles, throwback to ps2 days with Pixar loving. Highly recommend!
  94. SamuraiMaxis
    Nov 14, 2021
    9
    One of the Best Game of 2021. Incredible Art, Narrative, Story, Characters, Musics, Cinematics, Boss Fights, Rots, Combat. All Around Really Nice Game to Play. There are Many Things I Can Say But Just One Sentence: You Can Easily See Developer's Passion to This Game.

    A Game You Should Definitely Experience. Game Obviously Shines With it Art. But There is More Than That İn This Cute    One of the Best Game of 2021. Incredible Art, Narrative, Story, Characters, Musics, Cinematics, Boss Fights, Rots, Combat. All Around Really Nice Game to Play. There are Many Things I Can Say But Just One Sentence: You Can Easily See Developer's Passion to This Game.

    A Game You Should Definitely Experience.

    Game Obviously Shines With it Art. But There is More Than That İn This Cute Game. There is Actually a Really Nice Story, Great Narrative With the Support of Nicely Directed Cinematic . I'm not Going to Spoil Anything, You Should Experience Yourself. Gameplay Feels Really Smooth, A Lot of Boss Fights and They Are Not Easy, Mission Designs Are Good, You Are Not Getting Lost in Those Puzzles or You Are Not Losing Your Way in the Missions. Music Supports the Atmosphere Beautifully. And Many More Things

    I Think There is No Massive Negative Side of the Game. Only Little Things, That Even the Best Games Has. Parrying Requires Absolute Perfect Timing but Not That Rewarding. Core Mission Designs of Story is a Bit Repetitive. But You Are Not Feeling That Repetitiveness due to Different Locations, Art Designs and Kena's Upgrades. Also Kena's Biggest Upgrades Comes With Story But I Wished Skill Tree Was More Rewarding. Picking Outfit for Kena Would be Nice. Also At The Beginnings You Are Not Connected to Kena Much. She is 2 Level Above From No-Face No Voice FPS Characters in the Beginning. But Later You Are Connecting to Her But İt Could Have Been Earlier.

    I Hope We See a A Sequel. I Created This Account Just For This Review and I Want to Thank Ember Lab for This Amazing Piece of Art.    … Expand
  95. HuntingCarrot
    Sep 23, 2021
    9
    Games presentation is by far it's greatest feature as the environment and cutscenes are phenomenal. The optimisation is great as long as you have bought a gaming computer within the last 2 years. I had no issues with the combat and the puzzles really complimented the mechanics nicely. I guess the only reason this is not a perfect score is because it's a semi-short game. Will take youGames presentation is by far it's greatest feature as the environment and cutscenes are phenomenal. The optimisation is great as long as you have bought a gaming computer within the last 2 years. I had no issues with the combat and the puzzles really complimented the mechanics nicely. I guess the only reason this is not a perfect score is because it's a semi-short game. Will take you between 8-10 hours to complete the main campaign but keep in mind that it's all quality content and there is no grinding or any boring quests.… Expand
  96. iMarc1996
    Sep 23, 2021
    9
    A phenomenal first game by Amber Labs. Amazing visuals and fantastic directorial vision define a truly immersive experience. Gameplay is absolutely solid with satisfying combat and fun world exploration. Small negatives: The platforming can feel a little stuff and the difficulty modes aren’t very well balanced.
  97. OriVinci
    Sep 23, 2021
    9
    great game.
    the story,the world and the graphic.
    but it's too easy to kill bosses and monsters.
    anyway,you must to play this game.
  98. nicholasgames
    Sep 23, 2021
    9
    Very good game much better then anticipated better then last game I played Deathloop
    Story wise I'm going 8/10 very good story here
    Graphic wise I'm going 10/10 beautiful game it looks amazing especially on PS5
    Gameplay I'm going 9/10 good gameplay here
    Overall I'm going 9/10 and I highly recommend it
  99. Stf0akuma
    Sep 25, 2021
    9
    Is a indie game, that surprise me
    Character: 10
    Combat: 10
    Graphics:10
    Story:7
  100. KiKiHUN1
    Sep 25, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I loved this game. With an rtx 2080, it was smooth trough the game.
    The story is lovely. The small spirits are cute.
    I only miss a warning mesaage at the end, because i wanted to collect everything, but accidentaly i finished the last main mission.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

34
#34 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2021
11
#11 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 82 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 71 out of 82
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 82
  3. Negative: 0 out of 82
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 18, 2022
    80
    Kena is a playful and beautiful adventure, but it does not bring any breathtaking innovation. But it has the potential to take you to a fairy tale and let you experience the story of a young girl, which is a balanced experience.
  2. CD-Action
    Jan 19, 2022
    90
    Ember Lab didn’t try to reinvent the wheel. Instead the developers opted for tried and true mechanics that entertained us time and again in many action adventure games, and mixed them in an almost perfect way. The beginning might be a little slow, but when Kena: Bridge of Spirits gains momentum, it becomes truly great. It’s hard for me to point out any significant flaws apart from overall lack of originality. What a debut! [12/2021, p.74]
  3. Impulsegamer
    Oct 28, 2021
    100
    Kena: Bridge of Spirits should take most gamers around 10 to 12 hours to complete, depending on the amount of exploring and the level of difficulty. While the blockbusters games of 2021 continue to deliver the same ho-hum experience of 2021, Kena is a much needed ray of sunshine to the current choices of titles available and more importantly, looks fantastic on the PlayStation 5.
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