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. Piclets
    Oct 9, 2021
    3
    3 just for the graphics. The game was designed to be desliked. Controlls are slow and unresponsive while the clumsy camera just annoys the hell out of anyone. The reality of this game is that many players will frustrate themselves for enough time to simply switch difficulty to easy mode so that you can just finish this crappy game already. Story is weak and exploration seems pointless3 just for the graphics. The game was designed to be desliked. Controlls are slow and unresponsive while the clumsy camera just annoys the hell out of anyone. The reality of this game is that many players will frustrate themselves for enough time to simply switch difficulty to easy mode so that you can just finish this crappy game already. Story is weak and exploration seems pointless (unless you like collecting hats for potato-like minions). Definitely not worth the money. Decs should rework easy mode (making it less ridiculously easy) and normal mode (making it less ridiculously hard). If you enjoy playing this game on hard mode, congratulations, you are a masochist.… Expand
  2. LordBarco
    Oct 9, 2021
    9
    KENA BRIDGE OF SPIRITS REVIEW
    Reviewed on PlayStation 5
    What happens when you mix The Legend of Zelda with Dark Souls and the cuteness of CGI as in a PIXAR movie? You get Kena Bridge of spirits. Yes, you heard me… Dark Souls. Do not be confused by the cuteness of the characters and the world because this game is hard as hell, and if you play in a higher difficulty, Kena will kick you    KENA BRIDGE OF SPIRITS REVIEW
    Reviewed on PlayStation 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

    FINAL VERDICT:
    My final Verdict is 9.0 for the game.
    Ember Labs created an amazing adventure packed with a good combat system, amazing exploration, and they fooled everyone as the cuteness of its characters is shadowed by the difficult battles.    … Expand
  3. behnam207
    Oct 9, 2021
    9
    after 5 days playing this game is so beautiful with good game play and good story
  4. Doom646
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    I love this game is interesting, beautiful graphics and amazing gameplay, is togher than you might expect at the beggining but a little by little you start to get used to it
  5. Amir-_-gamer
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    For the first game of ember lab this is so good . The graphics is so special
  6. camushyoga
    Oct 7, 2021
    9
    Excellent and beautiful game. Great graphics and story. Amazing. Totally worth it.
  7. Davlin
    Oct 5, 2021
    5
    Kena is an acceptable game visually strong and simple with a lot of colour, cute characters and silly collectables its seemingly targeted towards a younger crowd but with challenging combat that feels meant for older gamers, it falls short of being a good game for anyone and is mostly forgettable.
  8. 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
  9. IIAlisonll
    Oct 5, 2021
    10
    Grandioso! Es un aire fresco para esta generación. Tiene mecánicas muy buenas y una historia narrativa excelente. Sin dudas, su soundtrack es una joya que refuerza magníficamente la inmersión del jugador. Espero impaciente una secuela o el siguiente proyecto de Ember Lab!
  10. 5thavenuecrazy
    Oct 4, 2021
    6
    While I was fairly excited for this game, ultimately I didn't really like it and I quit after an hour or two and I have no plans to go back.

    The game is unimaginative and boring. Everything the game does has been done by a thousand other games. Kena adds nothing new to the mix and it is hard to keep on going. Add to this the same repetitive gameplay, the boring obtuse puzzles, and    While I was fairly excited for this game, ultimately I didn't really like it and I quit after an hour or two and I have no plans to go back.

    The game is unimaginative and boring. Everything the game does has been done by a thousand other games. Kena adds nothing new to the mix and it is hard to keep on going. Add to this the same repetitive gameplay, the boring obtuse puzzles, and the enemy difficulty that is all over the place and it doesn't make for a very fun game. This game might have had a review score of 7 or 8 from me had it came out a decade or two ago but right now I don't see how anyone could play this and think anything other than this is a "blah" game. Generic as can be. Nothing inherently bad, just nothing to keep you wanting to go on other than maybe "to get your money's worth" since you can't sell this digital-only game.    … Expand
  11. RadekZumpa
    Oct 3, 2021
    10
    Awesome game with beautiful story. Cool mechanics that will make you feel good about yourself, but still it challenges you with nicely designed enemies. Open world encourages you to explore.
  12. Satiofan
    Oct 3, 2021
    0
    Kena is simply a Game wich doesnt know what it wants to be on one Side its a Child Game on the other Side it wants to be a Soulslike with bugged rolling and timings this is Not good Gamedesign
  13. GunnarHaven
    Oct 3, 2021
    10
    One of the most original and unique game ever created. A great spiritual gaming experience from concept to finished product. Parents should introduce their children to this kind of game. To start them right. No killing. No hurting people and animals. Just appreciation of life and helping your enemies become your friends.
  14. VickieMinaj
    Oct 2, 2021
    10
    Simply perfect. I enjoyed every second of this game. 10 out of 10! I love my little rots and every quest was fun to play.
  15. infraphys
    Oct 2, 2021
    10
    una belleza este juego muy hermoso, graficamente muy unico y la historia me parecio buena al terminar la historia de los 3 hermanos pense que era el final pero no, no era ni la mitad las batallas buenas aunque me hubiera gustado que los enemigos fueran mas buenos algo como las peleas con sekiro en las que el enemigo bloquea
  16. GrubletsOnIce
    Oct 2, 2021
    6
    Great puzzles, platforming and challenging combat, but don't be fooled by it's Pixar/Rated E for Everyone. There is gay couple representation here. This isn't for children mind you. Parents and/or the rating board should be aware.
  17. 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
  18. Keyblake
    Oct 1, 2021
    10
    It is sad to see this game go down to an 81. This game has so much heart built into it and outshines most of what we see from the AAA developers. This game has fantastic gameplay, visuals, music, voice acting, and was sold for only $40. Easily one of my favorite games for the whole year.
  19. 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
  20. SprigganXIII
    Sep 30, 2021
    5
    So Kena is a great adventure game marred by terrible combat and even worse lock-on camera.
    When you’re locked on to a monster that is taller then you and it get close your camera will go into the ground and have a watery effect, this causes a lot of bad outcomes.
    Boss areas are usually very small/tight arenas and all they have large sweeping attacks. Its so bad that the developers    So Kena is a great adventure game marred by terrible combat and even worse lock-on camera.
    When you’re locked on to a monster that is taller then you and it get close your camera will go into the ground and have a watery effect, this causes a lot of bad outcomes.
    Boss areas are usually very small/tight arenas and all they have large sweeping attacks. Its so bad that the developers actually put two healing flowers in every boss fight, but these are surrounded by small areas of corruption that slow you down if you walk thru them and seeing the arena is small and your trying to keep the camera on the boss you will hit them and usually end up getting hit due to it.    … Expand
  21. Ellie878elizabe
    Sep 30, 2021
    10
    This is definitely going to be my game of the year. I loved everything about it. Each spirit story was so well told and the game is beautiful
  22. Godsat
    Sep 30, 2021
    9
    Por mais jogos como esse! O cinema já está cheio de filmes com esse estilo "infatil". Bem vinda Ember Lab! Um jogo maravilhoso, comovente, além de ter presenciado poucos bugs no PS5. Parabéns
  23. JhonyDelRey
    Sep 30, 2021
    10
    This game is awesome, the soundtrack is amazing. And how the game works is wonderfull. Thanks god they fix some bugs during the game.
  24. 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
  25. 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
  26. Dbeastlygamer95
    Sep 30, 2021
    10
    Amazing story, amazing gameplay/combat/puzzles, and amazing visuals. Really the only thing I would put against it is the length, but you know it's not a super long game by the price tag. Everyone says 8 hours long but I got 23 hours out of it. I wouldn't say I took my sweet time but I was in no rush to run through this game, I wanted to stop and enjoy the work that was put into theAmazing story, amazing gameplay/combat/puzzles, and amazing visuals. Really the only thing I would put against it is the length, but you know it's not a super long game by the price tag. Everyone says 8 hours long but I got 23 hours out of it. I wouldn't say I took my sweet time but I was in no rush to run through this game, I wanted to stop and enjoy the work that was put into the world. No DLC outside of the deluxe edition and no micro transactions. Just a straight up good game that you can appreciate and feel the passion from Ember Lab every minute you're playing.… Expand
  27. Preparetogame
    Sep 29, 2021
    10
    Wonderful gaming experience. As an older gaming who played through every stage of video games, Kena really captures the throwback to yesterdays games without giving any graphics up. The story, music, graphics and gameplay are all top notch ESPECIALLY for a developers first game.

    Love it!
  28. 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
  29. Jerberry561
    Sep 29, 2021
    9
    An overall amazing game. Both in how it looks and game play. This game looks absolutely fantastic, with small puzzles, mini bosses and platforming throughout. Definitely a must buy, even despite the short length. Finished it around 10 hours.
  30. 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.
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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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