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. Nandoevil
    Sep 25, 2021
    9
    The game is amazing. With impressive grafics Kena gives you a wonderful experience. The game play is also amazing and chalenge you ( I recomend you play in hard dificult). Kena is with no doubd the begining of a big franchise.
  2. NeverCasual
    Sep 3, 2023
    9
    Increadible, overlooked game with an amazing story... and surprisingly challenging!

    The characters are well written and as you confront their fears, you will also understand the desperate measures they took to avoid the fate of the village/their loved ones. The quality of the cutscenes on another level enhancing the game experience even more. Not even AAA studios currently hold a candle    Increadible, overlooked game with an amazing story... and surprisingly challenging!

    The characters are well written and as you confront their fears, you will also understand the desperate measures they took to avoid the fate of the village/their loved ones. The quality of the cutscenes on another level enhancing the game experience even more. Not even AAA studios currently hold a candle to that. Since Emberlab started out as a film studio, it is not really surprising that they pulled this off.

    Gameplay varies between exploration (platforming, puzzle solving) and melee/bow combat. The cute minions make exploration a somewhat fullfilling, joyful experience highlighting how important a decent compagnion system can be. The combat on the other hand is punishing as hell. Even on normal difficulty the game heavily punishes mistakes. Enemy moves are strongly choreographed but missing the parry/dodge window is punishing as hell.
    "Master difficulty" is absolutely no joke in this game btw. If you're going for all trophies you'll experience a massive difficulty spike, well above Soulsborne/Sekiro difficulty due to the nature of some fights. The boss encounter themselves are not that difficult, as many things are choreographed clearly. Yet adding adds to boss encounters that hit you for 70%+ hp and lowering your courage (basically an action bar for special abilities or healing) can make many encounters an absolute nightmare. The camera often becomes your biggest enemy in those encounters as you sometimes can only track 1-2 out of 3+ adds and more often than not get hit from behind.
    If they had reduced the spawnrate and instead added an additional mechanic, it would have been a solid 10/10 for me. If you're subscribed to PS Plus Extra I'd definitely recommend this game to you, even over the AAA titles there :)    … Expand
  3. Mister_Archy
    Dec 3, 2021
    9
    Ein sehr schönes Spiel wo alles am richtigen Platz ist. Das Spiel ist wunderschön inszeniert, sodass man das Gefühl hat in einem Pixar-Film zu sein. Aber Vorsicht, das Spiel kann auch sehr fordernd sein. Alles ist gefühlt am richtigen Platz. Auch die "Nebenmissionen" und Collectables sind in der richtigen Dosis verteilt, so dass man nicht das Gefühl bekommt davon erdrückt zu werden. SieEin sehr schönes Spiel wo alles am richtigen Platz ist. Das Spiel ist wunderschön inszeniert, sodass man das Gefühl hat in einem Pixar-Film zu sein. Aber Vorsicht, das Spiel kann auch sehr fordernd sein. Alles ist gefühlt am richtigen Platz. Auch die "Nebenmissionen" und Collectables sind in der richtigen Dosis verteilt, so dass man nicht das Gefühl bekommt davon erdrückt zu werden. Sie sind auch absolut optional und für den Fortschritt nicht notwendig. Auch die Spieldauer ist mit 10-15 Stunden, je nach Spielstil/Schwierigkeit und Erkundungsbereitschaft sehr angenehm.… Expand
  4. camushyoga
    Oct 7, 2021
    9
    Excellent and beautiful game. Great graphics and story. Amazing. Totally worth it.
  5. Wombees
    Oct 10, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. When this was announced I was expecting a Zelda clone with pretty graphics as the main selling point. The graphics are indeed beautiful, with excellent lighting and artstyle that suits the game. The environments and level design are also very well done, although one (very) minor thing is that there could be more variety in terrain. What surprised me was the quality of the music and story.

    The music works so well with a melancholy yet hopeful feeling that gave the same post-apocalyptic zen vibes that Breath of the Wild did. The ambient and enemy sounds are excellent, with creaking wood sounds and impactful sound effects. The boss tracks, especially the Woodsmith, were great at creating tension.

    Each of the spirits' stories were also very well done. The brief glimpses of their pasts in the themes of fear, love, and regret made the conclusions of their stories all the more satisfying. In particular, Adira's story of love persevering, moving heaven and earth to try and help Hana come home despite not knowing the Hana's fate really resonated with me. I appreciated that the storytelling wasn't too heavy handed and you were left to interpret some of the backstories through collecting the memories and relics.

    As other reviewers have noted, the combat is quite difficult even on the 'normal' setting. Switching to story mode for the more difficult boss fights made this a non-issue, but there's plenty of interesting fights for those who enjoy a challenge.

    All in all, Kena really exceeded my expectations and I'm excited to see what else Ember Lab has to offer.    … Expand
  6. jerrett1
    Oct 10, 2021
    9
    Kena is great, but master mode can kiss my ass. Normal mode and expert are good difficulty modes, but master feels unfair at some times. Besides that one thing, Kena is an almost perfect debut game
  7. Janli
    Oct 12, 2021
    9
    As the first game of a new studio, i'd say they did a good job creating this beautiful game. The combat and visuals are the strongest points of the game. The environment is beautifully crafted. I just hope it had more enemy variety but considering that this is the first game of Ember Lab, they still did a good job. This indie game beats most of AAA games out there. It is that good.
  8. RedRangerRobin
    Oct 21, 2021
    9
    Hello everyone welcome to my first but hopefully not last review. I am your friendly video game reviewer Red Ranger Robin.

    Today I am reviewing Kena Bridge of spirits on the PS5. So I will start off by saying this, Kena is exactly what I wanted in a video game right now at this current time. While this game does feel like a PS2 game I say that as a positive thing. It is challenging    Hello everyone welcome to my first but hopefully not last review. I am your friendly video game reviewer Red Ranger Robin.

    Today I am reviewing Kena Bridge of spirits on the PS5.

    So I will start off by saying this, Kena is exactly what I wanted in a video game right now at this current time. While this game does feel like a PS2 game I say that as a positive thing. It is challenging full of traversing, platforming, puzzles and great boss fights.

    You are trying to restore a village back to its natural state after it has been filled with infected plants or roots we will say in this case here. To do this you must clear the infected roots around the areas you are exploring the end goal of these 6 or 7 areas you will explore is to collect artifacts of lost spirits and collectibles such as rot, diamonds and hats which will help you perform abilities during combat. The one issue I have with this is that after I have unlocked the hats I still have to buy them.

    The game play is a 3D platforming classic PS2 style which is amazing but reminded me just how challenging games were back then. The combat style reminds me of God of war 2018 and Assassins Creed the newest versions because you use the shoulder buttons to hit, and you have a bow and arrow which you can use which reminds me of Zelda Breath of the wild. Throughout the game you will collect I guess we will call them tokens that allows you to unlock more abilities with your weapons. The boss fights are another thing in this game that reminds of the classic video game days the bosses have patterns and you need memorize them or else you will get killed alot.

    Overall Kena is a great game that surprised with a Disney esque art style that feel like a ps2 game in the best way overall I give Kena an 8.5/10    … Expand
  9. Rallianto_Rex
    Sep 29, 2022
    9
    Absolute a high tier game, beautiful graphics, good controls, great (but somewhat simple) combat - You get a AAA feeling about this, but it is an indie game, which is really impressive.
    I have one negative thing to say about the game running on PS5, it's nowhere near the quality of PC. On my *laptop* (Legion 5, GeForce RTX 2060 LAPTOP) the game runs much better, no texture popping, no    Absolute a high tier game, beautiful graphics, good controls, great (but somewhat simple) combat - You get a AAA feeling about this, but it is an indie game, which is really impressive.
    I have one negative thing to say about the game running on PS5, it's nowhere near the quality of PC. On my *laptop* (Legion 5, GeForce RTX 2060 LAPTOP) the game runs much better, no texture popping, no object popping, higher fidelity. I don't understand how the PS5, which is much much stronger than my LAPTOP doesn't deliver as high quality as a LAPTOP does.
    I think in general the PS5 have been disappointing this gen - 90% of all games on PS5 runs 30fps or below, their backwards compatibility runs games WORSE than the PS4 did.    … Expand
  10. ihearthawthats
    Jun 20, 2022
    9
    Hours Played: 37 Hours
    Trophy Completion: 42/42 PLATINUM
    Worth My Time: Yes, it's short. Worth My Money: Yes, it's not a full price game. What I Like: Everyone talks about the graphics, but for me, it's the gameplay that is top notch. Rivals more serious AAA titles like God of War and Horizon with it's combat. I use the entire moveset except for one move (the jumping smash), which    Hours Played: 37 Hours
    Trophy Completion: 42/42 PLATINUM

    Worth My Time: Yes, it's short.
    Worth My Money: Yes, it's not a full price game.

    What I Like: Everyone talks about the graphics, but for me, it's the gameplay that is top notch. Rivals more serious AAA titles like God of War and Horizon with it's combat. I use the entire moveset except for one move (the jumping smash), which goes to show the intricacies of balance and design. It is far from a one-move button masher spamfest.

    What I Dislike: It's janky. Controls for certain actions are cumbersome. On top of that, the collision boxes are sometimes whack. The story is also quite lacking. It has some decent storytelling, but lacks depth and is full of holes.

    How It Stacks Up: My personal GOTY so far. That is a highly subjective opinion though, because I think some may not be able to overlook the jank and light story. It looks like a kids game on the surface, but is actually quite challenging. Some may even be put off by it's almost souls-like difficulty. It's not fair to compare it to a game like Elden Ring, which has layers and layers of depth; but Kena, while very simple, is extremely fun and that's what I play games for.    … Expand
  11. tiske1985
    Nov 16, 2021
    9
    I am absolutely astounded by how good this game is. I honestly didn't expect much, like most indie titles, but..... wow.

    I wont spoil the game, but your companions that you aquire throughout the game are so cute. They could suck anyone into buying this game. The thing is, they don't need to. I was blown away by the fact that this was the game developers' first release. They have some    I am absolutely astounded by how good this game is. I honestly didn't expect much, like most indie titles, but..... wow.

    I wont spoil the game, but your companions that you aquire throughout the game are so cute. They could suck anyone into buying this game. The thing is, they don't need to. I was blown away by the fact that this was the game developers' first release. They have some talent if they ever want to use it towards another title or release, I'll be looking out.

    I would definitely recommend Kena to any gamer.    … Expand
  12. Giwon
    Sep 2, 2023
    9
    이 전에는 볼 수 없었던 압도적으로 아름다운 그래픽만으로도 플레이할 가치가 충분히 있는 게임이다. 이 뿐만 아니라 퍼즐과 전투, 스토리, 수집요소, 챌린지까지 모든 Contents가 부족함이 없었다. 하지만 동화같은 그래픽과는 달리 난이도 있는 전투가 호불호의 요소로 다가올 것 같으나, 오히려 소울 게임을 입문하기 좋은(?) 게임일 수도 있을 것이다. 이 게임 제작사의 다음 작품이 기대되는 좋은 신호탄의 게임이다.

    This game is worth to play with only overwhelmingly beautiful graphics that I haven't been seen before. And all contents (combat, puzzles, story,    이 전에는 볼 수 없었던 압도적으로 아름다운 그래픽만으로도 플레이할 가치가 충분히 있는 게임이다. 이 뿐만 아니라 퍼즐과 전투, 스토리, 수집요소, 챌린지까지 모든 Contents가 부족함이 없었다. 하지만 동화같은 그래픽과는 달리 난이도 있는 전투가 호불호의 요소로 다가올 것 같으나, 오히려 소울 게임을 입문하기 좋은(?) 게임일 수도 있을 것이다. 이 게임 제작사의 다음 작품이 기대되는 좋은 신호탄의 게임이다.

    This game is worth to play with only overwhelmingly beautiful graphics that I haven't been seen before. And all contents (combat, puzzles, story, collectibles, challenges) is good. Unlike fairy tale graphics, difficult battles come as elements of likes and dislikes, but it could be good to start soul-like games. This game makes me expect next game that this studio will make.    … Expand
  13. Paled
    Nov 21, 2022
    9
    Great game! It has a captivating story and well-developed characters. It has a good degree of gameplay difficulty.
  14. TheVitruvianMan
    Dec 28, 2021
    9
    Kena was a fun, charming, and surprisingly difficult at parts. Traversal and combat start out a bit basic, but they gradually become more dynamic as the game progresses. Kena is a very notable first project by Ember Labs and I eagerly await their next project.
  15. lazars
    Jan 19, 2022
    9
    A strong 9 from me. Beautiful story and graphics I really enjoyed it. Combat got very interesting as the story progressed. The only reason it isn't a 10 for me is that currency isn't all that interesting to collect so sometimes I would get annoyed when a reward for something is that. Also since there isn't a lot of Kena's backstory there is room for an interesting sequel that can upgradeA strong 9 from me. Beautiful story and graphics I really enjoyed it. Combat got very interesting as the story progressed. The only reason it isn't a 10 for me is that currency isn't all that interesting to collect so sometimes I would get annoyed when a reward for something is that. Also since there isn't a lot of Kena's backstory there is room for an interesting sequel that can upgrade on this one so if there is a plan for that I'm all in!… Expand
  16. Balzari
    Feb 24, 2022
    9
    Visuals: 8 - Audio: 9 - Fun: 9 - Longevity: 8 - Engagement: 8 - Overall Score: 9
    It's hard to believe that this is 'Ember Lab's' first game as it is really, really good.
    'Kena' looks, sounds and feels like a cross between a 'Pixar' and 'Studio Gibli' film. Combat is like a watered down 'Dark Souls' with some bosses and enemy encounters (especially near the end) requiring a steep    Visuals: 8 - Audio: 9 - Fun: 9 - Longevity: 8 - Engagement: 8 - Overall Score: 9
    It's hard to believe that this is 'Ember Lab's' first game as it is really, really good.
    'Kena' looks, sounds and feels like a cross between a 'Pixar' and 'Studio Gibli' film.
    Combat is like a watered down 'Dark Souls' with some bosses and enemy encounters (especially near the end) requiring a steep learning curve.
    Gameplay and exploration is a mix of 'Sekiro' and 'Zelda: Breathe of the Wild' with plenty to discover and collect in its beautiful world.
    The story is simple yet engrossing and I found myself caring about the characters in the game.
    If I had to nitpick then I would say that during combat the default camera and enemy lock-on could be refined but there are enough tweaks available in the gameplay settings for you accomodate for this.
    I highly recommend 'Kena: Bridge of Spirits' and really look forward to 'Ember Lab's' next game.    … Expand
  17. iKickBullies
    Mar 25, 2022
    9
    A little more freedom and cleaning up the games issues and glitches would make me change from a 9 to a 10. I've had alot of weird glitches and collision issues. But loved otherwise
  18. Xyle
    Jul 20, 2023
    9
    I haven't played a game this good in a very long time. Graphically stunning and a game that doesn't waste my time with repetitive busy work. The protagonist Kena is very cute, which is a nice bonus. Collectibles that I actually want to collect as they make Kena stronger by giving her more health or abilities. A story that is very enjoyable and doesn't overstay its welcome. Just an amazingI haven't played a game this good in a very long time. Graphically stunning and a game that doesn't waste my time with repetitive busy work. The protagonist Kena is very cute, which is a nice bonus. Collectibles that I actually want to collect as they make Kena stronger by giving her more health or abilities. A story that is very enjoyable and doesn't overstay its welcome. Just an amazing game. The only misstep the game has is in its final boss. It's not very good in the way the fight is designed, it's one of those multistage fights where if you die its all the way back to the beginning. Also the only way to damage it is by hitting weak points. Which runs contrary to all the other better designed bosses that came before it. A black eye at the end of an otherwise flawless game. Giving the game a 9/10 although the game is more of a 9.5/10 and one that I also highly recommend. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an easy top 10 game for me.… Expand
  19. blueninjaturtle
    Sep 10, 2022
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It looks like you are playing a Pixar movie. The combat system is simple but intricate. I played on Spirit I I defeated the game on Guide level, and it was challenging. In the latter part of the game, the bosses kicked my butt. As the game progresses, you really need to chain together things or improve your timing because you will catch an L fast with these relentless monsters. In some ways, I felt like some of the boss fights were harder than the ones in Zelda because this game punishes a sitting duck. You have to constantly move, and my hands were exhausted and sliding off the controller after chaining together combos or evasive moves. The asymmetry between the final boss stage and the other bosses was crazy. You had to apply basically everything you learned before with no checkpoints and you had to get through multiple waves without basically taking any damage. It was absolutely crazy but rewarding because it was not easy at all. I am not sure if I have ever played a game where there was such a sudden ramp up in the difficulty, and I regretted not finding all the meditation spots because there is no going back after entering the final stage of the game. Health counts in the end, and the camera is not your friend. I literally was blinding pressing the rot button and crossing my fingers the boss was taking damage but the camera was inexplicably focusing on ground enemies. That was messed up considering how time intensive it is to get the final state of the game, and you get could lose because of the camera.… Expand
  20. BrownieMan
    Jan 31, 2023
    9
    For this being an indie game, I am absolutely blown away. The visuals are beautiful, and the cinematics are something you would see from Pixar. Overall, the game is very fun and utilizes the Duelsense controller well. My only complaint is the game will occasionally spike in difficulty, but nothing unmanageable. I would recommend Kena.
  21. kosanton1
    Aug 8, 2022
    9
    After finishing horizon forbidden west i decided to buy this game as it was on sale and give it a go. I dont know from where to begin but this game is simply amazing! The gameplay, the story, the characters the world of Kena everything in the game is so beautifully made i can simply say without hesitation this is one of my top 5 games in ps5 i played until now and would recommend to anyoneAfter finishing horizon forbidden west i decided to buy this game as it was on sale and give it a go. I dont know from where to begin but this game is simply amazing! The gameplay, the story, the characters the world of Kena everything in the game is so beautifully made i can simply say without hesitation this is one of my top 5 games in ps5 i played until now and would recommend to anyone to buy it. Only reason i give it 9/10 is that i wished the game was much longer.… Expand
  22. xSlicK007
    Nov 2, 2022
    9
    WOW
    Everything is beautiful in this game. Graphics, Story, Gameplay and even the character and voice actors
  23. Acuity
    May 5, 2023
    9
    What to say, I had a chance to download this game thanks to the PS Plus extra and I was so impressed to do my first review here on metacritic. I state that I haven't finished the game yet, I'm about 70% of the adventure. But I can't wait and I immediately want to congratulate ember lab, the software house is at its first title and has created a masterpiece that is capable of givingWhat to say, I had a chance to download this game thanks to the PS Plus extra and I was so impressed to do my first review here on metacritic. I state that I haven't finished the game yet, I'm about 70% of the adventure. But I can't wait and I immediately want to congratulate ember lab, the software house is at its first title and has created a masterpiece that is capable of giving excellent moments of carefree and emotion. Fantastic setting, beautiful the feeling of the gameplay! Bravi… Expand
  24. Dayvidhd
    May 27, 2023
    9
    a unica coisa que não me fez da pelo menos 9.5 pra esse jogo foi so o começo, achei meio lento e sem quase nenhum boss, quanto ao final e incrivel. vale muito a pena jogar. que jogo bonitinho e divertido!
  25. manakin_90
    May 12, 2023
    9
    This game has heart. And so much of it. I felt in love since the first minutes of game. Even if the game itself it’s not super long, this is one of the games that I most enjoied playing in the last year. And, being the first game of this studio, wonderful work. I cannot wait to see what they will do in the future!
  26. Warrior_of_Doom
    Jul 19, 2023
    9
    The overall score is based on how much fun I personally had with every component of the game
    and the overall experience.
  27. SebboBastian
    Dec 12, 2021
    8
    Lovely feelgood adventure. Fun fight mechanics and I love the little pikmin dudes. Good rewarding exploratiiin.
  28. mozimozo
    Sep 22, 2021
    8
    What a fresh game !! Congrats to Ember lab for this little nugget !! Atmosphere, music, gameplay : T H A N K S
  29. ferycolection
    Sep 2, 2023
    8
    Nice story. Could be better in game play. Short campaign .OKAY game at all.
  30. Wieland
    May 22, 2023
    8
    Kena was one of the first games I played on the ps 5. This is a great game, with an original world, an interesting atypical plot, with an amazing visual (after all, the animators did the game) and visual stylistics, and excellent music, and in dramatic moments especially the music is brilliant. I think that the first and main thing that attracts in the game is the plot and the mainKena was one of the first games I played on the ps 5. This is a great game, with an original world, an interesting atypical plot, with an amazing visual (after all, the animators did the game) and visual stylistics, and excellent music, and in dramatic moments especially the music is brilliant. I think that the first and main thing that attracts in the game is the plot and the main character, on the one hand, and on the other hand the visual style, which just exactly corresponds to the fabulousness of the world. But with all the fabulousness, the game is not at all childish, at times it reaches the true drama. As for the gameplay, this is the most primitive part of the game, which is simply given not to interfere and give the minimum possible to exist in the created world. Considering that the game was made by animators, the emphasis is of course on visual and setting. Although, from the second half, the gameplay is also revealed, archery is added, a variety of skills in the action game. Separately, I would like to note the support of dualsense. Archery on dualsense is simply amazing, you just physically feel and hear how the bowstring is pulled, thanks to the support of adaptive triggers. Great job. I am sure that Kena is a pen test for developers. With all the advantages, I see more great potential in this game than a perfect performance. The plot is still not fully disclosed and has a more episodic character, the main character is interesting, but also not fully disclosed, the gameplay is primitive, the riddles are mostly simple. I am definitely waiting for the second part, where the game will be fully revealed, and then it will be 10 out of 10… Expand
  31. Zmetekk
    Sep 24, 2021
    8
    Cute little game, with great heart. Beutiful world with sadly not much to explore but still quiet enjoyable to walk trough. Combat is fun and challenging but after a while it gets repetetive. My rating would be lower, but since it came from little studio and for smaller prize i give it 8/10.
  32. Berrlett
    Jun 7, 2022
    8
    Don’t be deceived by its cartoony look, this game has a very enjoyable level of boss fights that are a bit challenging as you make your way to the final parts. Beautiful world, well balanced upgrade system and stunning visuals on a PS5.
  33. Gohax
    Oct 27, 2021
    8
    Kena: Bridge of spirits
    holy wow is this game good looking i sometimes just stopped to look around and appreciate just how beautiful this game truly is. ill keep this review short and simple because the game is just way to good and i barely found any cons so do i recommend the game ? yes a lot!
    the game delivers in gameplay music world building and characters it really felt as if im    Kena: Bridge of spirits
    holy wow is this game good looking i sometimes just stopped to look around and appreciate just how beautiful this game truly is. ill keep this review short and simple because the game is just way to good and i barely found any cons so do i recommend the game ? yes a lot!

    the game delivers in gameplay music world building and characters it really felt as if im playing an interactive Disney movie. the only bad thing i could say about the game is that its really short took me around 10 hours to finish it but it does cost around 30 bucks unlike other 6 to 9 hour games that cost way to much plus the story was really predictable

    in conclusion this game is a fantastic experience and if i could compare this to other games i would say a dynamic looking zelda with a lot of cool puzzles i strongly recommend this game and my final score to kena bridge of spirits is an easy 8.5 out of 10    … Expand
  34. MENZ0
    Sep 25, 2021
    8
    I really enjoyed my time with Kena and found it a very solid experience overall, because it doesn't have the problems many games have today. Bridge of Spirits has a focused design with almost no HUD, no quest markers, no long dialogues and no lame side quests. It actually feels like a game.

    Next to that the art-style and music together make it a very soothing and pleasant experience.    I really enjoyed my time with Kena and found it a very solid experience overall, because it doesn't have the problems many games have today. Bridge of Spirits has a focused design with almost no HUD, no quest markers, no long dialogues and no lame side quests. It actually feels like a game.

    Next to that the art-style and music together make it a very soothing and pleasant experience. This 'feel' reminded me of Journey. The story can be very touching in moments although Kena herself as a character is extremely simple. She doesn't have much to say.

    As for the gameplay I am a bit conflicted. It can be engaging at times and is never boring, but it isn't amazing either. You have a light and heavy attack, but you cannot combine the two. There is a standard combo with the light attack and if you use the heavy attack you stand completely still and this makes Kena feel quite heavy in combat. You would like her to be more agile, but she can feel quite tank-ey and clunky at times. If you compare it to God of War's combat it is definitely lacking.

    Lastly, the gameloop is repetitive which makes me put the game down after an hour or so. You are always clearing an area of - lets say - the darkness. You explore some fairly linear area, do some simple puzzles and platforming and in the end do some large fight and thereby clear the area of the darkness. You often find a new quest and basically they tell you to clear these 3 areas and I'm immediately thinking: "oh gosh this is gonna take me an hour or two. It's not gonna be super boring, but I definitely know that there is not something special or unexpected coming up."

    All in all I think it can be an incredible experience for a casual gamer, but for an experienced veteran player that likes to juggle with multiple mechanics Kena can feel too simplistic.    … Expand
  35. danield80
    Jun 10, 2023
    8
    I'm glad that this game, unlike many other, runs on the PS5 with a stable framerate. Kena BoS is graphically beautiful, has a good story and good bossfights that don't feel all the same and overall gives relaxing feelings even though the difficulty of the game is above today's consoomer standards.

    The unconventional player movement and minor directorial decisions are small drawbacks of    I'm glad that this game, unlike many other, runs on the PS5 with a stable framerate. Kena BoS is graphically beautiful, has a good story and good bossfights that don't feel all the same and overall gives relaxing feelings even though the difficulty of the game is above today's consoomer standards.

    The unconventional player movement and minor directorial decisions are small drawbacks of this game. Nonetheless, for a debut title of a non-AAA studio, Kena did a great job.    … Expand
  36. mmarkk3
    Dec 20, 2021
    8
    Kena surprised me a lot! This a beautiful action-adventure game, with a surprisingly challenging combat, that can be quite frustrating at times. Besides that, it also features a heart warming story that will keep your interest. Developer, Ember Labs, has displayed great potential with their first ever videogame!
  37. onemorelevel_1
    Sep 30, 2021
    8
    IT ALL BEGAN FROM MAJORA’S MASK
    Ember Lab is a new indie video game studio which is best known from their 2018 fan-made Majora’s Mask short film. The short film got such huge positive feedback that the studio decided to start make games and so Kena: Bridge Of Spirits was born.
    STORY, GAMEPLAY, CONTROLS AND GRAPHICS Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a story-driven adventure game, set in a    IT ALL BEGAN FROM MAJORA’S MASK
    Ember Lab is a new indie video game studio which is best known from their 2018 fan-made Majora’s Mask short film. The short film got such huge positive feedback that the studio decided to start make games and so Kena: Bridge Of Spirits was born.

    STORY, GAMEPLAY, CONTROLS AND GRAPHICS
    Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a story-driven adventure game, set in a charming world rich with exploration and fast-paced combat. The story tells about a young Spirit Guide Kena, who goes on a guest to safe the forest and its habitant from corruption that has spread all over.

    The gameplay is rather easy to follow but the combats are sometimes kinda hard, especially towards the end the new enemy types makes killing them rather difficult. Kena uses her staff to do close combat and bow to attack from afar. She also controls tiny Rot characters which can help her in the battle by binding the enemy for short period of time. The gameplay is to defeat the enemies in certain areas and destroy the evil nests that spawns the enemies. Usually at the end of every segment there is a boss battle waiting, which I found to be rather easy to win.

    The controls are easy and nice to maneuver, there is no lock mechanics in the controls so shooting arrows might be the only aspect of the controls that takes time to master.

    Graphically Kena: Bridge Of Spirits looks amazing and animation-like. The game has two graphical fidelity mode, which the other has 30fps and other 60fps. Also photo mode is included and I took very nice shots with it.

    THE FINAL VERDICT
    In the end I did enjoy playing Kena: Bridge Of Spirits tremendously. Even though the game combat was hard at times, it did offer three difficulty modes in the beginning. Unfortunately I didn’t beat the final boss because of how hard it was. The game is about 9 to 12 hours long and it took me about 10 hours to finish this on normal difficulty. I did had to use online and search for solutions to some puzzles, but mostly it was just something small I did overlook. I do highly recommend this game.    … Expand
  38. Sumbyv1
    Sep 29, 2021
    8
    Wasnt expecting this games combat to be as challenging as it is..some late game bosses took me as many tries as sekiro bosses.

    Beautiful game, minimal story (which is a shame as characters were interesting), sometimes clunky controls (having to press 4 buttons to do certain special attacks etc) but overall an amazing game.
  39. SEVa_
    Sep 24, 2021
    8
    Игрой заинтересовался еще с первых трейлеров, которые были довольно красивы. И они не подвели, игра получилась хорошая. Арт впечатляет, хочется, чтобы все больше инди выглядели также. Сам мир небольшой, выполнен в виде хаба от которого идут линейные ответвления. Локации интересно изучать, ведь в них спрятано много секретов. Прокачка персонажа скудная и не слишком разнообразная. БоеваяИгрой заинтересовался еще с первых трейлеров, которые были довольно красивы. И они не подвели, игра получилась хорошая. Арт впечатляет, хочется, чтобы все больше инди выглядели также. Сам мир небольшой, выполнен в виде хаба от которого идут линейные ответвления. Локации интересно изучать, ведь в них спрятано много секретов. Прокачка персонажа скудная и не слишком разнообразная. Боевая система простенькая, но заскучать она не дает. Видов врагов хватает и у каждого есть свои особенности. Боссы удались, некоторых получилось победить с 3-4 попытки. Сюжет простенький, но но наблюдать за ним приятно. И конечно же маленькие помощники получились весьма забавными, но хотелось бы больше разнообразия с ними в плане геймплея. Игрой остался доволен, самое то, чтобы расслабиться часик другой после работы.… Expand
  40. Lord_PaiinZ19
    Dec 5, 2021
    8
    Auf dieses Spiel habe ich mich nach seiner Ankündigung besonders gefreut. Gott sei Dank kam, entgegen der ersten Meldungen, auch eine physische Version dieses Spiels raus.

    Positive Aspekte: - unverbrauchte Story mit netten Ideen - tolles Voiceacting (wenn auch leider ausschließlich Englisch) - spaßige Kampfmechaniken - wundervolle Spielwelt Negative Aspekte: - auf höheren    Auf dieses Spiel habe ich mich nach seiner Ankündigung besonders gefreut. Gott sei Dank kam, entgegen der ersten Meldungen, auch eine physische Version dieses Spiels raus.

    Positive Aspekte:
    - unverbrauchte Story mit netten Ideen
    - tolles Voiceacting (wenn auch leider ausschließlich Englisch)
    - spaßige Kampfmechaniken
    - wundervolle Spielwelt

    Negative Aspekte:
    - auf höheren Schwierigkeitsgraden stellenweise sehr schwer
    - relativ kurz
    - Erforschung der Spielwelt lohnt sich kaum

    Fazit:
    Ein Blick in das Abenteuer rund um Kena und die Rott´s lohnt sich für fast alle Altersgruppen. Ein schönes Spiel mit vielen neuen Ideen.    … Expand
  41. swkane
    Aug 10, 2022
    8
    Kena: Bridge of Spirits was a peaceful, cute game with a surprisingly deep and rewarding combat system. There were some minor camera bugs that made certain boss battles more difficult than needed to be. But overall, I enjoyed my time as a spirit guide and would recommend to a friend.
  42. ONEEX
    Feb 12, 2022
    8
    Хорошо исполненная игра.
    Графика 7/10
    Звук 7/10
    Геймплей 8/10
    Оптимизация 6/10
    Повествование 8/10
    ________________________

    Well executed game.

    Graphics 7/10
    Sound 7/10
    Gameplay 8/10
    Optimization 6/10
    Narration 8/10
  43. hrtbrk
    Sep 29, 2021
    8
    While the gameplay isn't anything innovative, I am thoroughly enjoying my time in this world of Kena's. I'm playing on Pc and while it is simply gorgeous, I am experiencing frame drops during the intense action. Other than that, I can't complain one bit.
  44. BAZZER
    Sep 23, 2021
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Brilliant game stunning graphics never got bored battles had a good challenge… Expand
  45. marvsfontanilla
    Dec 5, 2021
    8
    Story: 8
    Graphics: 8
    Sound: 9
    Gameplay: 8
    Game Time: 13 Hours (Main Story + Extra)
  46. Rixam
    Jan 13, 2022
    8
    There is much to love with this game. The graphics are sweet, Rot creatures are super cute, music is beautiful and there is plenty of things to find and discover. I felt like the length of the game was perfect. Not too long, not too short. New mechanics are also introduced at a nice pace.

    On a personal level the storytelling is a bit too disconnected to keep me tightly hooked. The    There is much to love with this game. The graphics are sweet, Rot creatures are super cute, music is beautiful and there is plenty of things to find and discover. I felt like the length of the game was perfect. Not too long, not too short. New mechanics are also introduced at a nice pace.

    On a personal level the storytelling is a bit too disconnected to keep me tightly hooked. The gameplay, although for the most part very fun and clever, is occasionally too unforgiving for my liking. My wife noted that on many occasions I was saying "This is not fun" out loud even after switching difficulty level to Story Mode. I usually play games on normal difficulty and I felt like the options were either too unforgiving or too easy.

    Still overall I think the game was a very nice experience and I'm really glad I played it. The shortcomings taxed the experience for me but I can definitely recommend the game to anyone. Especially if you are into more unforgiving and precise games.    … Expand
  47. Monster800
    Mar 3, 2022
    8
    I bought this on a bit of a whim when I first picked up my PS5 and had nothing to play.
    It looked a bit cute and childish, but looked to have a fun puzzle/adventure style to the gameplay.
    What I found was a charming story, filled with interesting characters, great little puzzles and some really touching moments. Some of the combat is really nicely done, and it does make you think about    I bought this on a bit of a whim when I first picked up my PS5 and had nothing to play.
    It looked a bit cute and childish, but looked to have a fun puzzle/adventure style to the gameplay.
    What I found was a charming story, filled with interesting characters, great little puzzles and some really touching moments.
    Some of the combat is really nicely done, and it does make you think about the style you are using on the different enemies. The skill trees are nicely done, allowing you to pick your style of combat to suit your gameplay.
    The graphics are pretty, almost in a Pixar cartoon kind of way, and the game ran with no issues at all, no frame drops, no pop-in.
    I think it took me around 12 hours to complete, which was OK for the €40 price point. I would have like it to have been a little longer, but it was fine.
    The only reason I have not given this game a 9 or a 10, is that I don't think it has much replay value.
    But I guess the best compliment I can give is that if there is ever a Kena 2, I will absolutely be buying it.    … Expand
  48. shmitzles
    Sep 25, 2021
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Game is honestly really fun and the combat feels good. The two things taking this down to an 8 for me is that platforming is just okay, and an awesome dash ability comes into the game way late and you can't upgrade it so you could do an air dashs. I'm excited to see what Ember Labs has next.… Expand
  49. srinu634
    Jan 6, 2022
    8
    Great game and amazing graphics. The gameplay is a bit repetitive though. Cannot complain at all given it's the first game for the studio. Ember lab, you did a phenomenal job. You people are awesome!
  50. martinho_99
    Oct 11, 2021
    8
    + impressive grafics and art design
    + rotts as entertaining companions with good implementation into gameplay
    + strong storytelling with deep moments + challenging and spectacular fights + music and atmosphere + very straight forward game, I like this aspect not every game needs a giant open world - weird jumping animation (please fix that, it looks like Kena beams up in the air and falls    + impressive grafics and art design
    + rotts as entertaining companions with good implementation into gameplay
    + strong storytelling with deep moments
    + challenging and spectacular fights
    + music and atmosphere
    + very straight forward game, I like this aspect not every game needs a giant open world - weird jumping animation (please fix that, it looks like Kena beams up in the air and falls back down)
    - no animals, the grafics are amazing and lively but there are no birds, fish or insects that would make this world come alive
    - very unbalanced difficulty, the easy mode is far too easy but medium mode can already be brutally hard, especially the fight against the Hunter
    - the parkour part in the final fight ruins the fight partly for me, overall the final fight is too chaotic and not on the level of the great other fights, this is very dissapointing for me (~ the game is kind of philosophic and wants to be deep but what is its message? It is useless to try to change bad things happening to your loved ones?) Overall I liked the game a lot. It feels like Kena Bridge of Spirits tried something new. The story feels very original and remembers me of the legendary Studio Ghibli movies. I personally loved the rotts. The grafics are breathtaking and some of the fights are souls like hard and very cool (especially the fight against the Woodsmith is a gaming masterpiece moment). I think it is impressive that this game was developed by such a small team (aaaand is actually amazing, something you can't say about Biomutant which was also developed by a small studio but is a disaster). After release I read a lot of fake reviews here like someone said "it is so bad and easy you can play it in just 3h" this is just wrong. On medium difficulty it took me about 15h, if you just run through everything and ignore every magic aspect of the game - then you will finish it faster but you played it wrong. A really nice game!    … Expand
  51. Paul84
    Sep 22, 2021
    8
    For a small indie team making their first ever full game I wasn’t expecting too much but this has to be one of the best experiences. It’s a short game but every moment is just a joy, anyone who’s seen a clip will know it’s graphically stunning but the story is sincere and hits perfectly; it is like being in a Ghibli movie which is such a pure feeling, and the gameplay keeps you entertainedFor a small indie team making their first ever full game I wasn’t expecting too much but this has to be one of the best experiences. It’s a short game but every moment is just a joy, anyone who’s seen a clip will know it’s graphically stunning but the story is sincere and hits perfectly; it is like being in a Ghibli movie which is such a pure feeling, and the gameplay keeps you entertained but without breaking any new boundaries. I hope this game gets all the success it deserves with awards and sales because I feel this could easily become the staple franchise for this studio. An amazing achievement.… Expand
  52. defstm
    Oct 31, 2021
    8
    The best bow mechanics that I have seen. 8/10

    Gorgeous looking game, one of the best graphics this year, the cinematics look and feel alive, taken from an animation movie, the characters are perfectly animated. The world feels and immersion is transferred to the user through the character design and enemy design. On the gameplay side, so fun, with lots of mechanics and combinations,    The best bow mechanics that I have seen. 8/10

    Gorgeous looking game, one of the best graphics this year, the cinematics look and feel alive, taken from an animation movie, the characters are perfectly animated. The world feels and immersion is transferred to the user through the character design and enemy design.

    On the gameplay side, so fun, with lots of mechanics and combinations, and the enemies and bosses are well built, and each of them unique. I liked the fast-paced combat, and the bow is awesome, the best arcade-style bow mechanics that I have ever seen, it feels so natural, and the arrows combined with the dual sense adaptive triggers it's just a pleasure to use the bow.
    The story is simple, not the most interesting one, but it is a story that will keep you hooked and immersed in the game world, it's the kind of story that a AA (double-A) game deserves, not too complicated..

    I enjoyed my time with this game, it was worth a buy!    … Expand
  53. Ker000neL
    Sep 22, 2021
    8
    Very nice visuals, good story, some gameplay challenge if you play on expert. Completely relaxing game, no hassle. Not for everyone. 8/10 its a good score for it!
  54. Maxilion
    Sep 29, 2021
    8
    A really really well made game but not without its flaws. Kena controlls very well and the combat is fun and sometimes challenging. However, the fun of exploration dies out about halfway through the game. Chests you find in the world contains either one of four things: Hats for your little ROT buddies, fruit for your little ROT buddies, Chrystal's that you use to buy more hats or anotherA really really well made game but not without its flaws. Kena controlls very well and the combat is fun and sometimes challenging. However, the fun of exploration dies out about halfway through the game. Chests you find in the world contains either one of four things: Hats for your little ROT buddies, fruit for your little ROT buddies, Chrystal's that you use to buy more hats or another ROT buddy. So you have these little ROT buddies following you around and helps you out in combat. They are adorable and cute. But I feel that they could be more deeph to them. More spells or skills that's they can learn. The hats are only cosmetic and does nothing to enhance either you or your ROT buddies. Fruit gives you charm (exp) that you use for buying what ever few skills available (not that many). When I was halfway through the game I didn't want any more hats, and I had bought all the skills and then I felt exploration lost its charm. But the game is charming, fun combat and a kinda good story (not that well but it holds up). Some bosses gave me the feeling I was back in Deamon Souls, some bosses are really challanging and demanding. The game is a bit on the short side and took me about 13 hours to complete (I did some exploration so you could most likely do a run in mutch less than that. Music is really good, really loved the music. All and all a very solid game that I can recommend.… Expand
  55. FRIST_008
    Feb 6, 2023
    8
    Очень красивый и незамыслованый слешер/платформер. Но ему банально не хватает глубины, не только в сюжете, но во многих игровых аспектах.
  56. Darkula666
    Dec 27, 2021
    8
    Good indie game, beautiful graphics and fun gameplay, cool abilities. The only thing I didn’t like was the story and empty characters, I just didn’t care about it at all. Definitely glad I bought it and played it
  57. fensh
    Aug 6, 2022
    8
    This Game was a nice experience. The graphics are amazing on ps5. The story is wholesome and combat is pretty neat. Great first Game by emberlabs!
  58. Guados
    Jan 1, 2022
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx    … Expand
  59. Manne03
    Jan 21, 2022
    8
    really intriguing story, it needs to be analyzed a little to fully understand, even a little of the past of kena, which I would like to discover more in depth, very difficult combat even at the level of guiding spirit, this difficulty in my opinion is given by the camera perhaps a little 'too slow, and from the enemies that it is not easy to guess the moment of the attack. kudos to thisreally intriguing story, it needs to be analyzed a little to fully understand, even a little of the past of kena, which I would like to discover more in depth, very difficult combat even at the level of guiding spirit, this difficulty in my opinion is given by the camera perhaps a little 'too slow, and from the enemies that it is not easy to guess the moment of the attack. kudos to this team for coming up with a really nice game, especially the cinematic parts, just perfect… Expand
  60. Uncle_Sam
    Sep 23, 2021
    8
    A company with 15 creative and competent collaborators delivered a playable animated movie, where you can connect with the characters and feel an ocean of emotions.
    The game is by no means a cake walk, it is challenging enough, specially during boss fights.
    Being the first game they create, sets big expectations for the future!
    A solid 8/10 for me.
    Congrats
  61. patbol
    Oct 25, 2021
    8
    I like this game. The sound is immersive and the story very interesting ! Good game
  62. Chocomint
    Sep 22, 2021
    8
    So many good things to say about this game, the art is beautiful, the story is captivating, the mechanics are fine, the cinematics are smooth as butter but unlike the game which is a little bit poorly optimized so I've had a lot of framerate drops. It isn't a 10 but for its price it offers the fair amount of fun and enjoyment you'd expect and I hope the studio that made it will put moreSo many good things to say about this game, the art is beautiful, the story is captivating, the mechanics are fine, the cinematics are smooth as butter but unlike the game which is a little bit poorly optimized so I've had a lot of framerate drops. It isn't a 10 but for its price it offers the fair amount of fun and enjoyment you'd expect and I hope the studio that made it will put more games in the future.… Expand
  63. hsnnoznn
    Sep 23, 2021
    8
    First of all, I want to talk about the cons. I would expect storytelling from a game like this, albeit short, at the beginning. The absence of this created a small question mark. The other part that caught my eye so far was the cutscene transitions. These transitions could have been a little smoother. Another minus is watching the boss fight cutscene and watching it again when it restarts.First of all, I want to talk about the cons. I would expect storytelling from a game like this, albeit short, at the beginning. The absence of this created a small question mark. The other part that caught my eye so far was the cutscene transitions. These transitions could have been a little smoother. Another minus is watching the boss fight cutscene and watching it again when it restarts. Of course, he gives the right to pass, but he could have started directly with the fight.

    Combat mechanics were a bit lacking for me. I would like to state that I did not fully get the feeling of hitting. During the hit, it could freeze the time for milliseconds or give some effects that would increase this feeling. In the case of kill, such a situation does not exist and the feeling is sufficient.

    In some cases, the character's idle, walk, run and sprint animations may not match the character's speed. As such, the map can leave an impression as if it is sliding under you.

    On the pros, the atmosphere is quite nice, the art design is pleasant and peaceful. VFX and SFX elements are also very nice. It's a small detail, but it's a nice gesture that controller icons can be selected. Apart from these, this game is a perfect game to use in situations where there is a shortage of games to distract yourself and have a good time. I say stay away from this game. You should definitely play. We can wait more games from Emberlab.    … Expand
  64. Quanlib
    Sep 23, 2021
    8
    Beautiful game, fun combat. There are some odd jumping & exploration mechanics. Dialogue is ok. Definitely a great game at the price point.
  65. JoeyCNL
    Oct 5, 2021
    8
    A great game with a beautiful story. I see this game as a mix of Pixar meets Uncharted meets Okami.

    Not perfect. Some animations, like swimming and lip-sync, feels unfinished. Also the game length is a minus. Within 8 hours I saw the end credits. I don’t feel the urge to collect everything after the story is finished. However, I did enjoy every minute playing this game. The graphics    A great game with a beautiful story. I see this game as a mix of Pixar meets Uncharted meets Okami.

    Not perfect. Some animations, like swimming and lip-sync, feels unfinished.
    Also the game length is a minus. Within 8 hours I saw the end credits. I don’t feel the urge to collect everything after the story is finished.

    However, I did enjoy every minute playing this game. The graphics and music are amazing. The combat is challenging at boss fights and fun between them.    … Expand
  66. B_Ray1892
    Oct 1, 2021
    8
    Kena is a wonderful game which is beautifully finished and stunning to look at, it's a fantastic addition to games of this style.The game is based along one storyline which is easy to follow, the enemy's are challenging and boss fights feel like boss fights. Your character progresses the further through the game you get adding more depth to what you can do which in turn helps you solve theKena is a wonderful game which is beautifully finished and stunning to look at, it's a fantastic addition to games of this style.The game is based along one storyline which is easy to follow, the enemy's are challenging and boss fights feel like boss fights. Your character progresses the further through the game you get adding more depth to what you can do which in turn helps you solve the puzzles withing this magical world. It is also a challenge to find every single one of your little companions (Rot) and at times feels a little like hide and seek which although sometimes feels annoying actually just adds to the game. All in all though it is worth giving this a shot if you want to play through a well made and beautiful story style game.… Expand
  67. MGamer490
    Oct 16, 2021
    8
    Before we begin, just something to keep in mind, this game was developed by Ember Labs and it was the first game they made so not everything is going to be amazing, but if you look at this as a developer's first game, its actually quite impressive.

    Story - I had no complaints with the story to be honest, but I didn't feel like it was anything that truly hooked me. It is easy to follow    Before we begin, just something to keep in mind, this game was developed by Ember Labs and it was the first game they made so not everything is going to be amazing, but if you look at this as a developer's first game, its actually quite impressive.

    Story - I had no complaints with the story to be honest, but I didn't feel like it was anything that truly hooked me. It is easy to follow and tied in well with what you were doing in the game, just wasn't anything overly special. Still enjoyed it though.

    Graphics and Performance - It goes without saying but this is one of the more beautiful games on the PS5 right now. It feels like an interactive Pixar movie. The idea of clearing out the corruption and allowing the area to look beautiful is a great idea too as the game is just so gorgeous that it feels really nice to accomplish this goal. Performance had some issues here and there, just some framerate drops which typically occurred during some fight scenes but nothing to ruin the game.

    Combat + Difficulty - These two I wanted to address in the same section because this game leads you into a false sense of security. The game starts off very easy, a lot of the enemies being a piece of cake, to the point where I started to believe this game might be focused more to children which would make sense with the graphics and cute characters... but nope. I played on the normal difficulty but this game gets hard real quick, when you start taking on some of the stronger enemies(mostly boss fights) they can really do a number on you. I genuinely felt the sudden shift in difficulty was a result of me just being bad at the game, so I turned to google and reddit to see if others expressed the same thoughts and a lot of people did feel the same. Is it a bad thing? No, I think the difficulty was fine and I appreciated the challenge, but it was just hard to wrap my mind around how abrupt how difficult the game suddenly became and definitely could've been handled better, that alone could be enough to turn people away from playing this as it is quite the shift. Luckily there is a story difficulty which will help the people who struggled with the standard difficulty but just something to keep in mind, this game does not go easy on you. The final boss definitely took me a few tries. As for the combat itself, I felt it was good fun, you don't get a whole lot to work with, its a fairly basic game compared to others of this style, but with the difficulty being at what it was, I felt I got to better know how to use what I had to help me beat them, this might not be a positive for others though.

    Upgades + Collectibles - Upgrades are ok, they don't dramatically change what you can do, some might be as simple as allowing you to shoot an extra arrow from your bow before it needs to cooldown, while another might add a charge based heavy attack to your offense. The collectibles are nothing all that special though, you level up your character by finding these cute little creatures called Rots who help you in battle so they are a collectible themselves really and feel good to find as the serve to upgrade your skills, but then you have hats and gems that you can find as well, the hats are there purely for cosmetic purpose which your Rots wear, and the gems are to buy those hats, it is cute but not all that exciting and doesn't change anything in the gameplay. You can also do certain things with the Rot that will earn praise-like points from them which can earn you upgrades which I discussed above, these are things like feeding them or fixing up statues that had fallen over, clearing corruption etc. I didn't go through and collect everything, but I felt this was just a little shallow, aside from the rots, I didn't feel a huge need to collect all this stuff.

    Music - I legitimately got Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisp vibes from the music in this game, it is very beautiful and lends itself so well to the story, which is fitting because in Ori games there are elements of that where there is corruption around an otherwise beautiful world and you can clear it up.

    Final Review - I had such a fun time with this game and was surprised by how challenging it could be. One thing I need to mention again, but this was the first game made by this developer, you can definitely feel that it had some great ideas but not all of them were used in the best way, but I still had a genuinely good time and truly would love to see more from them. It might not be for everyone but I think it is worth giving a shot, just keep in mind the difficulty might be a little rough depending on your skill level but can always turn the difficulty down should you want to just enjoy the story.    … Expand
  68. TheVezyrQ
    Feb 8, 2022
    8
    This game is beauty. Not so long but it's enough to have fun. Animation is cool! Story is great.
  69. Kyragos
    May 16, 2022
    8
    Beautiful. Exotic. Promising.

    Game finished at 100 % on PS5 in easy mode. Strengths: • Graphics: the game is technically beautiful. A feat from such a small studio. • Art: Ember Lab drew from south eastern Asian cultures in order to craft a familiar, yet unique, open world. • Soundtrack: the music complements perfectly the art, with yet again Asian influences. Weaknesses: •    Beautiful. Exotic. Promising.

    Game finished at 100 % on PS5 in easy mode.

    Strengths:
    • Graphics: the game is technically beautiful. A feat from such a small studio.
    • Art: Ember Lab drew from south eastern Asian cultures in order to craft a familiar, yet unique, open world.
    • Soundtrack: the music complements perfectly the art, with yet again Asian influences.

    Weaknesses:
    • Performance: I played in performance mode and got notable frame rate drops, especially while sprinting through the world.

    Miscellaneous:
    • Gameplay: combat and exploration mechanics have nothing unique to speak about, yet they are polished. The enemy locking system could be perfected. There is a lack of different settings for camera sensitivity, as aiming can be too sensitive.
    • Narrative: this is clearly not the main focus of the game, which does not necessarily needs it. The initial exposition is sometimes not enough to really understand the basics of the world and Kena's journey.
    • Length: the main story can be finished in a dozen of hours, more or less depending on the difficulty. This can be extended for those after collectibles. However, the game is greedy in information beyond how many collectibles are still missing in each zone, so an online map may be needed or the player has to be ready to look for every nook and cranny of the map.    … Expand
  70. Aashir52970
    Jul 15, 2022
    8
    I cannot believe this came from a small developer. Well done, Ember labs
    Pros.
    1. Combat is well flushed out. The game is hard and you really need to master the combat. 2. The soundtrack is soothing 3. Rots are damn cute 4. GRAPHICS Cons 1. Kena guides other spirits but her own story is not very clear. 2. Collecting all the rots and chests becomes a chore A small game with a big    I cannot believe this came from a small developer. Well done, Ember labs
    Pros.
    1. Combat is well flushed out. The game is hard and you really need to master the combat.
    2. The soundtrack is soothing
    3. Rots are damn cute
    4. GRAPHICS

    Cons
    1. Kena guides other spirits but her own story is not very clear.
    2. Collecting all the rots and chests becomes a chore

    A small game with a big heart....you will cherish the 15-20 hrs you give to this experience.    … Expand
  71. adamflame7
    Mar 19, 2023
    8
    A great game. It may play like other action adventures but does so with a nice sheen of polish. The visuals are strait out of Pixar and look amazing, that has yet been done well, or at all, in video games. The music is a stand out feature that does a great job of capturing and enhancing the different moods throughout. The combat is good, though unoriginal, and holds a good level of balanceA great game. It may play like other action adventures but does so with a nice sheen of polish. The visuals are strait out of Pixar and look amazing, that has yet been done well, or at all, in video games. The music is a stand out feature that does a great job of capturing and enhancing the different moods throughout. The combat is good, though unoriginal, and holds a good level of balance and difficulty. I'd say the story is present and a focus, but not very impressive or original.… Expand
  72. Giero
    Jun 22, 2023
    8
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  73. derKoenig
    Jan 6, 2023
    8
    Visually one of the most amazing games I played in recent years. My biggest issue: I was rushing through it because I had so much fun. Fluid, polished and intuitive gameplay. The Zelda-Vibes ar real and there is plenty of stuff to do - almost unbelievable that this is the first game of emberlab. There's only one thing I would critize: The boss encounters. While the game is fairly easy theVisually one of the most amazing games I played in recent years. My biggest issue: I was rushing through it because I had so much fun. Fluid, polished and intuitive gameplay. The Zelda-Vibes ar real and there is plenty of stuff to do - almost unbelievable that this is the first game of emberlab. There's only one thing I would critize: The boss encounters. While the game is fairly easy the Boss battles are hard. They are doable but it somehow feels unbalanced compared to the rest of the game.… Expand
  74. N-Finite
    Feb 2, 2023
    8
    كينا ، بردج اوف سبيريتس

    هي لعبة مغامرات / اثارة من منظور الشخص الثالث في عالم خيالي ساحر يضج بالمخلوقات الاسطورية و الغابات الجميلة، تتميز اللعبة بمؤثرات بصرية جميلة جدا و تصميم رائع للشخصيات و بيئات اللعب . تدور احداث قصة اللعبة حول بطلة اللعبة Kena ، مرشدة الارواح الشابة التي تستخدم قدراتها السحرية لمساعدة الموتى بالانتقال من عالم البشر إلى عالم الأرواح .تبدا احداث لعبة "كينا" عند    كينا ، بردج اوف سبيريتس

    هي لعبة مغامرات / اثارة من منظور الشخص الثالث في عالم خيالي ساحر يضج بالمخلوقات الاسطورية و الغابات الجميلة، تتميز اللعبة بمؤثرات بصرية جميلة جدا و تصميم رائع للشخصيات و بيئات اللعب .
    تدور احداث قصة اللعبة حول بطلة اللعبة Kena ، مرشدة الارواح الشابة التي تستخدم قدراتها السحرية لمساعدة الموتى بالانتقال من عالم البشر إلى عالم الأرواح .تبدا احداث لعبة "كينا" عند وصولها الى احدى القرى للتحري عن احداث غريبة تعرضت لها هذه القرية، و ظهور أرواح شريرة ، تهاجم البشر و تستنزف الحياة من الغابة و البيئة المحيطة ، يؤخذ على قصة اللعبة انها غير مركزة و مشتتة و مشوشة ، و لا تبني ترابط ذا قيمة بين اللاعب و اغلب الشخصيات التي ستقابلها باللعبة ، و حتى انك لن تتذكر اغلب اسماء الشخصيات التي قابلتها اثناء مغامراتك في عوالم اللعبة فور انتهاءك من اللعبة.
    اللعبة ببساطة عبارة عن لعبة مغامرة مشابهة لألعاب دارك سولز و لكن في عالم جميل يضج بالحياة، و بدرجة صعوبة اقل بقليل، و لكن لا تنخدع بالشكل البريء للعبة، فاللعبة تقدم تجربة لعبة صعبة بشكل عام و خصوصا في معارك الزعماء ، و تتطلب من اللاعب استخدام كافة المهارات المتاحة له من اجل الحصول على فرصة للهجوم و القضاء على الاعداء.
    و ايضا ستجد في اللعبة القليل من عناصر العاب تمثيل الادوار، و التي من خلالها ستكتسب مهارات جديدة كزيادة قوة الهجمات و مهارات التفادي و الهجوم المرتد و زيادة قوة الدرع و رفع مستوى مؤشر الطاقة ، و ستضيف هذه المهارات عمق اكبر في القتال و الدفاع و حل الألغاز، اضافة الى مزيج من مراحل بعناصر الارصفة (البلاتفورم) و الاستكشاف و الرماية بالأسهم ،و العديد من المواقع السرية القابلة للاستكشاف.
    تعد من اجمل الالعاب التي صدرت في ٢٠٢١ من الناحية البصرية، تم رسم اللعبة بشكل جميل جدا ، و وضع المطورون اهتمام واضح في رسم الشخصيات و البيئات و الادوات بشكل منقطع النظير ، ستلاحظ تكرار الشعور بالانبهار البصري طوال العبة ، و رغبتك في التوقف بشكل متكرر لالتقاط العديد الصور اثناء اللعب .
    التحكم في اللعبة ممتاز بشكل عام ، استخدمت اللعبة قدرات و مميزات يد التحكم Dual sense بشكل مثالي جدا ، بشكل يربط اللاعب بتجربة اللعبة و ما يحدث على الشاشة بشكل رائع، و خصوصا عند استخدام سلاح القوس و رمي السهام.
    تقدم اللعبة موسيقى تصويرية ممتازة جدا و مناسبة جدا و مكملة لأجواء اللعبة، و تعكس الطابع العام الذي تحاول اللعبة تقديمه ،و تعتبر احد اقوى عناصر اللعبة .
    تتراوح مدة اللعب الإجمالية بين ١٤ إلى ٢٠ ساعات في التجربة الاولى بالاعتماد على درجة الصعوبة، كما تقدم اللعبة قيمة اضافية في اضافة مستويات اعلى من الصعوبة وامكانية البحث عن الكثير من المقتنيات القابلة للتجميع.
    التقييم النهائي
    تعتبر لعبة كينا من الألعاب الجميلة جدا، بعوالمها الأسطورية وبيئاتها المتنوعة و الاخاذة، اضافة الى تقديمها تجربة لعب ممتازة و غير معقدة و متوازنة بعمق كافي لدفع اللاعب بالانغماس في تجربة اللعب. مناسبة لكل شخص يبحث عن لعبة بسعر اقتصادي و تجربة مختلفة في عالم الألعاب. 83%    … Expand
  75. PlayerEight
    Mar 23, 2023
    8
    Game is harder than it looks, which is a challenge I prefer. Looks like a HQ Pixar movie pretty much at all times.
  76. Krispyy
    Apr 14, 2023
    8
    Stunning graphics, challenging combat yet simple mechanics, Kena has a nostalgic feel that brings my mind back to the old-school 3D platformers like Banjo Kazooie. The story, however, lacked certain elements that prevented it from being a full 10. I feel they could have stretched out the total completion time to just fit in a few more details that made the story feel less vague.Stunning graphics, challenging combat yet simple mechanics, Kena has a nostalgic feel that brings my mind back to the old-school 3D platformers like Banjo Kazooie. The story, however, lacked certain elements that prevented it from being a full 10. I feel they could have stretched out the total completion time to just fit in a few more details that made the story feel less vague.

    Nonetheless, a solid and stunning game that is well worth a run through.    … Expand
  77. realhamidreza
    May 9, 2023
    8
    If you are looking for a good feeling, this game is exactly what you are looking for. Everything in this game is wonderful, it has a lot to say, and it entertains you well with its challenges during the game.
  78. P-Daniele
    Aug 15, 2023
    8
    questo titolo soffre di qualche limitazione dovuto al essere realizzato da uno studio che è partito direttamente a fare come primo gioco un titolo estremamente ambizioso.
    riuscendo sotto molti aspetti a creare un prodotto estremamente valido, ma che in alcune occasioni si nota che lo studio doveva fare un po più d'esperienza.
    partiamo dalle qualità dello studio, ovvero fare animazioni,    questo titolo soffre di qualche limitazione dovuto al essere realizzato da uno studio che è partito direttamente a fare come primo gioco un titolo estremamente ambizioso.
    riuscendo sotto molti aspetti a creare un prodotto estremamente valido, ma che in alcune occasioni si nota che lo studio doveva fare un po più d'esperienza.
    partiamo dalle qualità dello studio, ovvero fare animazioni, riuscendo in pieno a trasportare quella loro qualità nel gioco, e riuscendo quindi a raccontare una piacevole storia.
    il titolo è strutturato in una mappa dove alcune parti ci saranno precluse fino a quando non otterremo certe abilità o oggetti.
    e ci saranno davvero tanti piccoli luoghi segreti da trovare per ottenere i varie collezionabili e potenziamenti.
    un po meno riuscita invece il fatto che le due zone più grosse offriranno la stessa identica struttura, cambiando la narrazione, sarebbe stato meglio riuscire a differenziare anche come tipo di attività differenti.
    mente la parte ludica sarà strutturata in due fasi quella dei combattimenti, e quella più platform.
    entrambe specialmente nelle fasi più complessi vengono un po depotenziati dalla inesperienza dello studio, dato che la protagonista avrà delle animazioni non agilissime.
    nei combattimenti capiterà di trovarsi di fronte un nemico con lo scudo e non avere il tempo materiale per distruggerlo, e appunto questo lo si noterà negli scontri più difficili o nelle sfide a tempo dove un errore potrebbe precludere la buona riuscita della sfida.
    mentre nelle parti più platform in particolare in una certa sfida a tempo noteremo tutti i limiti delle animazioni, vedendo la protagonista cadere innumerevoli volte.
    fortunatamente queste problematiche sono circoscritte a poche situazioni, ma si spera che per un futuro nuovo progetto siano migliorate.
    per il resto il titolo offre una sfida davvero elevata, forse anche troppo in alcune situazioni, ma che nel suo complesso riesce a regalare delle sfide belle impegnative da superare.
    le piccole creature che accompagneranno il viaggio della protagonista invece forse le si potevano usare un po meglio.
    nei combattimenti serviranno solo a rendere vulnerabili alcune cose, o per potenziare alcuni attacchi.
    mentre nel esplorazione serviranno a spostare qualche oggetto e poco altro.
    il titolo comunque nel complesso si concretizza in una bellissima esperienza.
    in un mondo dove i platform adventure vengono sempre più spesso dimenticati, questo gioco ci offre un più che valido gioco, con qualche piccola limitazione qua e la
    voto 83    … Expand
  79. RedPebbles
    Jun 28, 2023
    8
    This is a game that is well balanced, good story, great asthetics and world, and cute companions, that is deceptively hard with really deep combat (I'm a souls series veteran, and it was still very challenging). Some of the puzzles are also engaging and challenging - i needed to look up some solutions online.

    Will recomend to anyone up for a challenge.

    Its much more than meets the eye.
  80. foxneo
    Oct 26, 2021
    7
    An insanely beautiful game that slowly begins to lose its charm from start to finish, due to the relatively small number of mechanics and the lack of a complex lore.
  81. Katalkyste
    Oct 19, 2021
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. okay lets get a bit real among all of those perfect 10 rating which are in no way, shape or form representative of the game itself.
    To start: this game is GOOD.. no question.. yes, the game does not invent a new genre and it doesnt break barriers and walks on new ways but what it does it does solid and stable. Lets start by dissecting the game in its parts:
    Music/Soundtrack: The music does not annoy you after a while, so thats at least for most people all they would ask for. The dynamic goes with the known action game pacing, increasing when action is at hand and retracts in the background when you explore. so it does perfectly what it should, without breaking any new grounds: 9/10
    Pacing/Tempo: the game progresses without haste and doesnt push the player to proceed, thats good, you can pick your own pace and go with it, change it an park when ever you want. the progression is nice and gives you some meaningfull new skills but doesnt stretch out far enough to reach the end of the game (an impression of an issue i also feel with a lot of those reviews here . i dont think those guys have ever reached the end.. ) The game would have needed some "special skills" at the end of the game, but it wasnt too shabby without them.

    Story/Realization: the game starts very nicely but with a lack of explanation.. why Kena is there and how she arrived there is not really explained, but: the game can do without and this stays just a plot hole.. its simply missing from the coherent narrative but its not a gamebreaking hole.
    [Mild Spoilers incoming here ]
    the first Spirit is a nice but sad story and its wrapped up properly and the player gets all the information he needs to conclude this section plus some "lose ends" to lead into the second one.
    the second spirit is the blacksmith of the town, and its also crafted with a lot of dedication to details, that sometimes border to an oversupply of information that doesnt connect to the overall story and has a lot of sidearcs. its not bothering or disturbing at the time you play through this chapter but will become a contrapoint later in the game. The enemies grow stronger and more elaborated and the endboss has a beautifull crafted entry animation that is simply beautyfull to watch. Wonderfully animated.
    the last and halfway final spirit is a bit of a breaking point of the game. you normally search for three relics and have to fight each aspect of them , especially in the second chatpter, the lovestory, this aspect is nicely played out and the endboss is a nice mix of finding outhow to beat it and using your newly found abilities, the last three relics do not have any of those..

    as soon as you enter the last realm you feel a break in pattern, You already have all the abilities except one that enables you to go after the spirit, but you know already everything. So the exploration of new skills is missing from that chapter which diminishes your experience. same with world exploration.. while in the first two realms you can find rot, or crystals everywhere, and need to turn every stone to get the last trophies, in the last realm this is missing, you have one straight line to the target and you need some skill to time your shots and abilities to clear the way. The three relic holders of the last spirit are very easy to learn and once you got the easy rhythm its not really hard to kill them quite fast. they dont have any great enviromental assets and nearly dont use it. while in chapter 2 you needed to interact with it to beat the boss.
    the last boss is a multi stage fight with you starting blank with no rot support, then some and them you get them back in full. its a bit tricky to find the process to damage the boss and you can go for a minute or two without you finding the key to be able to damage him further, but eventually something will blink on the screen just out of pure luck and you get a faint idea how this works.. honestly i still dont know exactly how its suposed to work but eventually i beat him and this is also the end of the last spirit. so you dont really fight the last guy to the end.you fight his "surrrogate".
    after this you get a nice animated wrap up story animation of how the last spirit contributed to the desaster, but the player does not receive a wholesome explanation.. and is also left a bit puzzling what kena is supposed to do after this only a cryptic message that she knows now what she has to do.. while there is not really anything to do for her..

    so all in all the last chapter feels "stripped down" more reduced to core progression and reaching the end than like the lush storyteling of the first two chapters. especially the second chapter feels like it has gotten the most love and dedication from the developers while they spared way less time in the last chapter to flesh out the last and final bit.

    so all in all : good game but not a great game. I also did not encounter a single bug in the game which is a rare sight and very welcome.    … Expand
  82. winzentween
    Dec 23, 2022
    7
    It's ok. It's average. It looks good but it's not as good as it looks. It has some really bad design choices and iffy controls. And it's hard but not nec fun. Everything is stolen from better games. It's fine. I loved it until I hated it.
    Also Google the behind the scenes shenanigans. They didn't pay the head designer lol not cool.
    The game annoys me because it pretends to be awesome but    It's ok. It's average. It looks good but it's not as good as it looks. It has some really bad design choices and iffy controls. And it's hard but not nec fun. Everything is stolen from better games. It's fine. I loved it until I hated it.
    Also Google the behind the scenes shenanigans. They didn't pay the head designer lol not cool.
    The game annoys me because it pretends to be awesome but it's just not. It couldnjave been ...But it's not. Great for young adults.    … Expand
  83. spwittbold
    Sep 22, 2021
    7
    Game is gorgeous. The Rot that follow you around are very cute.
    The game is incredibly short and can be completed in about 4 hours if you zip through it. The combat and exploration though feels stiffer than I would've liked but overall it is a good adventure game and accessible for a wide audience.
  84. agent13
    Dec 9, 2021
    7
    kena is a great game considering that it's made by an indie studio while the animations let me a little down, the graphics and the art style is really good and satisfying, the story is ok for a game of this scale, however it could be better, and the gameplay is a good and balanced mixture of platforming, combat and puzzles almost what you expect from this genre, overall kena bridge ofkena is a great game considering that it's made by an indie studio while the animations let me a little down, the graphics and the art style is really good and satisfying, the story is ok for a game of this scale, however it could be better, and the gameplay is a good and balanced mixture of platforming, combat and puzzles almost what you expect from this genre, overall kena bridge of spirits is the best indie game of 2021 and worths buying and experiencing.… Expand
  85. Gutsukyo
    Sep 22, 2021
    7
    Kena is a very appealing visually, but may appeal more to a younger audience rather than adults. Although quite short and seems to get a little boring at times, it is a decent adventure overall.
  86. Wackme
    Sep 19, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Beautiful game, nice music/sounds. What i didn't like were the game mechanics and controls. I didn't like any boss battle, but it became less irritating after getting the dash possibility. The levels became also repetitive for me, so i set the game on "story mode", the game became ok for me. The story was also lacking, missed the Kena who, why, when and how explanation.

    I played the end boss, but i couldn't finish the game, because every time the beast threw me into the lava zone, i died. One mistake, and you die. I played until i died multiple times in phase 2 with "story mode". I know that i must use the block and dash to avoid, but if you forget/not fast enough/don't have a block, you have to start over the entire end boss battle.

    There were moments i enjoyed the game, but i don't know if i would buy a Kena 2.    … Expand
  87. DMJReviews
    May 5, 2022
    7
    An impressive feat from this new indie developer. The animation and visual design is downright "disney" in a good way. The difficulty and inspiration from Soulslike genre was a surprise albeit not a positive one. Fortunately the game offers difficulty options to tailor your experience.
    The game is very charming and excels in visuals and audio. The vibe is a highlight as well.
    The game    An impressive feat from this new indie developer. The animation and visual design is downright "disney" in a good way. The difficulty and inspiration from Soulslike genre was a surprise albeit not a positive one. Fortunately the game offers difficulty options to tailor your experience.
    The game is very charming and excels in visuals and audio. The vibe is a highlight as well.

    The game design is run-of-the-mill. You won't notice anything sticking out. It's solid but not memorable.    … Expand
  88. DmitryV
    Feb 13, 2022
    7
    Игра классная , но есть местами просевы на пс5. и сложность очень странная
  89. iMustang
    Dec 13, 2021
    7
    Kena Bridge of Spirits is the first from a studio who's stellar animation abilities led to a viral video many years ago, and now they've moved on to game design. Their first game can either be classified as a masterpiece or something that's just okay depending on which camp you fall in, and if you feel like reading on, I can tell you which camp you may be in.

    To get the objective    Kena Bridge of Spirits is the first from a studio who's stellar animation abilities led to a viral video many years ago, and now they've moved on to game design. Their first game can either be classified as a masterpiece or something that's just okay depending on which camp you fall in, and if you feel like reading on, I can tell you which camp you may be in.

    To get the objective positives out of the way, this game is absolutely beautiful. The Pixar level visuals during cutscenes are amazing and even as you explore the gorgeous world you're constantly stunned by the level of effort the creators put into this title. Every area has secrets to find, things to collect, and adorable creatures called Rot you find along the way. The music is an even greater highly with tracks that vibe with your very soul itself and are filled with emotion and feelings. While the story is not great, it's not terrible either, though it leaves many unanswered questions about Kena herself (which can be forgiven if they intend on a sequel). This game could be enjoyed just as much being watched as being played, and I rarely say that.

    The more divisive area of this game comes down to it's gameplay, or perhaps it's more accurate to say it's game design. The exploration and puzzle-platforming of the beautiful mountain range is fine, but the boss battles are quite problematic. While the first handful of bosses feel like something from Zelda, near the halfway point of the game they become closer to the bosses from the Souls games incorporating elements of both puzzles and brutality. Each boss becomes harder than the boss you faced before without your character becoming much stronger, and eventually playing on normal mode feels closer to hard mode. You can change your difficulty to easy mode at any time to make up for this, but then the game feels too easy. There really is no good way to set the difficult for a standardized experience, and I do think the developers could have thought this through a bit better. Given that this is their first game, I don't believe they properly scaled for progression since the difficulty spike dips so greatly. If you're a bigger fan of balanced experiences, this could potentially break the entire game for you, but likewise if grueling boss battles make a game great for you, then look no further.

    Overall this was not an experience I regretted, but for me personally it also was not one that blew me away. If this was a AAA game I would be much more critical, but as an indie studio's first game I must give them high marks and praise. I do hope in future titles they scale their difficulty a bit better, or at least advertise their game as a difficult experience, but for what this game is they did a decent job. In short this game is beautiful, but brutal. If you think you can take on the challenge then it's definitely worth the pickup.    … Expand
  90. burnitdown
    Oct 1, 2021
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is beautiful, animations are nice and story is just ok. The reason why I'm giving it a 7 is because there's quite a few issues with the gameplay / combat, major one being the lock on system which is pretty unusable!

    The final boss is actually terrible, you spend the whole game building up your character and the game takes that all away from you for a multi stage boss fight!

    Not sure what this current obsession of developers is with adding LGBT storylines in every other game, at least inform people when selling who aren't into this kinda stuff..    … Expand
  91. Welkinz
    Dec 13, 2021
    7
    Love the graphic, art and music, really didn’t enjoy the fighting portion. It frustrates me a lot
  92. BradMorgan
    Oct 11, 2021
    7
    Kena Bridge of Spirits is a diamond in the rough that may not have fully shown its true potential yet. Where it felt very basic in the first hours, the gameplay only came into its own after spirit/level 2. Various additions such as the bow and sticky bomb made it really fun because the player is able to combine mechanics to defeat the different enemies. The only problem is that the game isKena Bridge of Spirits is a diamond in the rough that may not have fully shown its true potential yet. Where it felt very basic in the first hours, the gameplay only came into its own after spirit/level 2. Various additions such as the bow and sticky bomb made it really fun because the player is able to combine mechanics to defeat the different enemies. The only problem is that the game is quite short (which is fine), so offering certain mechanics later on feels like a waste of the first hours. Certainly since there is no NewGame+ mode available. Nevertheless, this game is breathtakingly beautiful and you immediately notice how good the soundtrack and -design is in combination with the fantastic voice overs. It is a pity that the game world feels very empty but after all, Emberlab can be proud of their first game related project.

    Pros:
    - Art design
    - Soundtrack/Sounddesign
    - Voice overs
    - Use of Dualsense
    - Story
    - Variety in enemies

    Cons:
    - First hours of the game felt boring for me personally due to lack of gameplay mechanics
    - World feels empty
    - No save points in difficult boss battles
    - Use of map-menu/missing ability to place waypoints    … Expand
  93. ghosttoyou
    Jan 17, 2022
    7
    Сначала игра была на 8-9 ,под середину игры пиздец как надоело однобразные бои и враги , и любые другие мувы в этой игре, конец так вообще душный очень
  94. Iron-Mike
    Sep 30, 2021
    7
    Only good aspect I could find is the presentation (graphics, characters, environments, music and sound). Some clever exploration but most time spent outside of combat is dull.

    Game mimics Dark Souls combat without the tight controls of a Souls game. Please developers, stop making Souls combat clones if your parry and dodge controls and timing are subpar. Poor parry controls Overall poor    Only good aspect I could find is the presentation (graphics, characters, environments, music and sound). Some clever exploration but most time spent outside of combat is dull.

    Game mimics Dark Souls combat without the tight controls of a Souls game. Please developers, stop making Souls combat clones if your parry and dodge controls and timing are subpar. Poor parry controls
    Overall poor and laggy combat controls

    Not really sure if enemy difficulty has spikes or if it's just enemies that require parry are tough. All other enemies seemed easy to defeat.

    Wait for patch, sale or if it comes to PS plus.    … Expand
  95. Nando2k2
    Jun 6, 2023
    7
    The game gets old fast; same platforming, collectible hunting, etc. The bosses are difficult. The parry system is horrible. Despite this, it is a fun game, sometimes, with a linear storyline and awesome animation. I wouldn’t spend full price, rather get it in a sale.
  96. SergeantDan
    Sep 24, 2021
    7
    Overlord with a mix of Zelda.

    The pros: The small guys called the Rot are cute you can't argue that. The game details look amazing an runs fine in performance mode. The story is good up to a point. All 3 sections of the story has their ups and downs but the first 2 main boss areas are the best. The story is very detailed and amazing. Even with the list of good there is always a list of    Overlord with a mix of Zelda.

    The pros: The small guys called the Rot are cute you can't argue that. The game details look amazing an runs fine in performance mode. The story is good up to a point. All 3 sections of the story has their ups and downs but the first 2 main boss areas are the best. The story is very detailed and amazing. Even with the list of good there is always a list of cons.

    Cons: Fidelity mode is a joke. When attempting to turn the camera it takes the game 1 to 1.5 seconds to recognize that you moved the right joystick. That also goes for most other actions. Fidelity mode has major frame pacing issues in cutscenes. The game can feel unresponsive in this mode. The final 2 boss fights can be overly difficult the worst being the final one which seems to have used for padding time in the game. If you go straight through and not much extra you can beat this in about 8 hours. I wanted to love this game. But in the last 2 to 3 hours of the game. It just went from being a great fun experience to the feeling of a grind. On top of random getting hit in the back of enemies, stagger not working, grabs hitting you when your out of range, Dodge not working, and the list can go on. Its really hard to not recommend the game still. But you'll have to understand that some things are still funky with it.

    Would I say play it? yes
    Is it indie game of the year.... No    … Expand
  97. Ughhh
    Oct 18, 2021
    7
    Mostly fun and cute. But also quite repetitive, even for its short duration. And the last boss was terribly cheap.
  98. Uncl3s4mbr
    May 7, 2023
    7
    Nice game and history. Beautiful graphics. The bosses are not well design and combat commands are not very responsive and have an irritating delay.
  99. Nintenderek
    Feb 3, 2023
    7
    Kena is a beautiful game with a wonderful story but unfortunately full of poor game design choices. It's a combination of The Legend of Zelda with Pikmin and Tomb Raider and uses elements of game mechanics from all of those games, leaving the player a bit unsure at times what this game is actually trying to be, made even worse by the elements of old school game design which just feelKena is a beautiful game with a wonderful story but unfortunately full of poor game design choices. It's a combination of The Legend of Zelda with Pikmin and Tomb Raider and uses elements of game mechanics from all of those games, leaving the player a bit unsure at times what this game is actually trying to be, made even worse by the elements of old school game design which just feel outdated by modern standards.

    First off, the graphics are beautiful. The game runs perfectly smoothly and everything looks crystal clear. The lush environments make the world more appealing and make you want to explore it. The sound design is also really good with wonderful music and atmospheric sounds. The voice acting is also top notch.

    I really liked the story of the game. Kena is a wonderful character and helps make the game more interesting when they are exploring her story. Unfortunately, you don't actually explore her story often and it is almost confusing that they named the game after her when she realistically has every little to do with the story of the game outside of being the character you experience that story though . The rest of the stories are also very good, but it would have been nice to have a slightly more story related to the main character herself. They left her story a bit open and they could have easily explored it more towards the end of the game and for some reason chose not to. The stories of the other characters are also quite good and quite emotional. This is a game that clearly wants you to be attached to each and every character and does so quite successfully.

    The game's big weak point is the gameplay itself. Combat isn't entirely satisfying and doesn't really have a whole lot of complexity to it. There's an upgrade system within the game but it is almost useful as the rewards don't actually feel like they offer much. The world itself can be fun to explore, but trying to complete the game objectives isn't always fun as you struggle to figure out what you are supposed to do from moment to moment. It feels a bit like an older Gamecube or PS2 type game, in all of the good ways but also all of the bad ways, making the game design feel a bit out dated. There's a map in the game that's supposed to help, but without any method of setting up waypoints, feels quite useless at times.

    There is a lot to like within Kena, but at the end of the day it feels quite obvious that this game was made by an animation studio, not a game studio. I feel like the developers could take the experience they learned from this and hopefully make something a bit better, but the wonderful story and graphics here do not make up for the poor game design choices nearly enough, leaving me upset as the character of Kena herself feels like she deserves better.    … Expand
  100. Maikerati
    Sep 22, 2021
    7
    The visuals and cinematics are very nice but once you get past the superficial aspects of the game the actual gameplay gets repetitive fast and suffers from poor pacing. The world is beautiful but the lack of NPCs and wildlife really makes this game feel dead and adds to the pacing issue during moments you have to travel to different parts of the map. A solid first outing for Ember LabsThe visuals and cinematics are very nice but once you get past the superficial aspects of the game the actual gameplay gets repetitive fast and suffers from poor pacing. The world is beautiful but the lack of NPCs and wildlife really makes this game feel dead and adds to the pacing issue during moments you have to travel to different parts of the map. A solid first outing for Ember Labs but may not be for everyone.… 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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