Video Game Review - Kena Bridge of Spirits
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an action-adventure game I’ve previously enjoyed on the PlayStation 5. As part of the console's PlayStation Plus Essentials service, the title from Ember Labs is available for download free of charge - provided you have an active subscription. While PS5 and PC gamers have been able to guide Kena across her corrupted world for quite some time, the title has finally made its way into Microsoft’s Xbox ecosystem.
Taking place within a vast world, Kena: Bridge of Spirits places us into the role of Kena, a young spirit guide, tasked with guiding troubled spirits into the afterlife. On a pilgrimage to find a sacred mountain shrine, Kena comes across a powerful spirit slowly corrupting the local forest, causing it to decay and unleash vicious monsters into the world. Needing to cleanse the forest of its corruption to access the mountain shrine, Kena teams up with the elder spirit guide, Zajuro to help the wayward spirits move on to the peaceful afterlife.
Kena isn’t alone on her journey and quite early into the game, you’ll discover a cute range of creatures called the Rot. A cute blend of Pikmin and Ribena Blackcurrant, The Rot are your way to manipulate the environment to solve simple puzzles and banish corruption. Much like that seen within Pikmin, you’ll manipulate the Rot to move boxes, open levers, and repair certain objects. During certain battles, you’ll also be able to unleash the cute creatures' primal form as an aid to vanquish your foes.
Kena is far from a non-combatant and comes with an array of skills that she can use to bring pain to the corrupted enemies that stand in her way. These come in the form of light and heavy attacks, a magical barrier to block attacks, and a ranged attack that’s formed of a magical bow and arrow combo. Combat is very reminiscent of other action-adventure games. Each enemy has their unique style which will see you needing to utilise each of Kena’s abilities to defeat them. The Rot are also usable in combat and some enemies can be pinned in place by the small creatures so Kena can exploit weak points etc.
Even with its cute façade, the combat within Kena: Bridge of Spirits does offer a challenge. The forest is littered with corrupted areas that need cleansing to restore peace. To do so Kena needs to use her powers on the corruption’s source which is normally a large growth. But it’s not that easy as each will spawn a host of creatures for you to defeat first. Across the story, new enemy types are introduced to keep things fresh, and there’s a whole heap of gargantuan bosses to deal with too.
Once you’ve cleansed an area life starts to return vibrantly. The murky grey and reds of corruption are replaced with vibrant greens as the world reflects Kena’s work. The central village also starts to change as broken dwellings get rebuilt and life starts to come back to the desolate streets. It’s quite striking to see as it plays to the game's pretty impressive visuals. From grand vistas to the more intimate petals and plant life, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a gorgeous game. Each character takes on a more anime style which reminded me of Princess Mononoke with a dash of The Legend of Zelda. The Rot are also extremely cute and it’s surprised me that we’ve not seen the pint-sized creature find their way into our world via plush toys and other merchandise.
For those like myself who are experiencing this stellar game for the second time, the Xbox Series X does have a few improvements over the initial PS5 release. These come in the form of quality and performance modes which impact the overall experience in certain ways. Quality mode runs at 30fps with native 4k resolution, while performance mode offers 60fps with an upscaled 4k display. Regardless of what option you prefer, the game is a pure wonder to look at.
Overall, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is simply a fantastic game. Its simple gameplay is vastly outweighed by a lush and vibrant world that’s packed full of emotion. Progression is seamless you’ll guide Kena across her adventure with the aid of a colourful cast of characters, whilst battling against a very unique blend of enemies. With the game finally available for those who game exclusively on the Xbox ecosystem, it’s now the perfect time to fall in love with this simple game of good versus evil.
Rating 9/10
A code was kindly provided by the publisher for this review.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is available now and can be purchased via the Xbox store.
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