Originally released in September 2021 as a PlayStation console exclusive and an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC, Kena: Bridge of Spirits was the debut title from Ember Labs. Since then the game has expanded onto Steam and, most recently, Xbox Series X|S, which is where I finally decided to play it. After nearly 17 hours with the game, I am happy to say that it is incredible and mad that it somehow took me 3 years to get to it.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits follows the titular Spirit Guide in her search for the sacred Mountain Shrine. With the help of the adorable little Rot she finds along the way, Kena must free spirits trapped in a forgotten village. The game’s narrative centers a lot around themes of loss and letting go and though it took me until the end of Act 2 to get emotionally invested myself, beautiful animations from the team that had previously worked on the popular Majora’s Mask fan film helped keep me engaged throughout.
I suppose it’s not a surprise looking at that resume that Ember Labs has a sweet spot for The Legend of Zelda and strands of that DNA can be found scattered across Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Exploration is at the heart of the experience in Kena and while you can b-line it through the story, it’s much more rewarding to go off the beaten path. The game isn’t an open world per se, but it does open up as you play, ending with a sizeable map that you can explore without much restriction.
When it comes to gameplay, Kena blends the third-person action of Breath of the Wild, with slow-mo bow-and-arrow to boot, with the boss and level design of a Souls-like. The difference here is that Kena also has difficult options. Playing on the default Spirit Guide difficulty, I found the game to be nearly perfectly balanced with most bosses offering enough of a challenge to be rewarding once I finally beat them without making me want to break a controller. (Though I did slap my desk quite hard at one point.) If you find the frustrations not worth it, you can always kick the difficulty down to Story Mode or up to Expert Spirit Guide if you’re feeling ready for even more of a challenge.
Kena’s primary weapon is the staff in her hand. Along with using it as a melee weapon when pressing RB or RT, the staff can also be used as a bow when you press LT. Of course, that’s just at the beginning of the game. As you progress, new weapons and abilities will be unlocked that change up not just what Kena is capable of in combat but also how she traverses the map. This helps the game not feel stale well past the ten-hour mark.
The game’s gorgeous visuals are accompanied by a soothing (and at times intense) soundtrack from Theophany. There is a particular recurring flute segment that never failed to awe me. Now, if you know me, then you know I also have to mention the game’s Photo Mode. Not only does it have one, allowing you to capture your own stills of Kena’s adventure, but it also has the option to unfreeze the game world, allowing it to breathe even as you set the frame. Most intriguingly, the Photo Mode also has a tracking mode, which lets players set starting and ending keyframes that the game can cinematically connect.
Now my time with the game was not flawless. While the game ran well on the latest generation hardware, I did have occasional performance issues that included getting stuck in the environment twice after a bad jump. There was also one instance where my Rot couldn’t pick up a water tear, which required me to close and reopen the game. In some boss fights, the combination of a tight camera and rough lock-on functionality meant that I couldn’t always have eyes on the enemy. But these are all easy for me to overlook when looking at the bigger picture because that’s how good the game is.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an excellent action-adventure game and one I cannot recommend highly enough. It provides a beautiful world to explore and get lost in and for players looking for a challenge, the game has that too. Any real gripes I have about the game, such as the patchy beard effects or repetitive enemy designs, don’t hold a candle to the game’s overall impact. Watch the full review video above to hear more about my thoughts on the game from our weekly podcast and be sure to subscribe for more. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Epic Game Store. A code was provided by the developer for review.
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