Kena: Bridge of Spirits review: Peak of its genre
Well, it's been a while, but Ember Labs has finally brought its hit Kena: Bridge of Spirits to Xbox. Initially released on PlayStation back in 2021, the game re-delivers its beauty and fun to Xbox users. It's a rare feat for a game to possess high end quality in the four major areas of story, combat, exploration and visuals. Kena: Bridge of Spirits, however, manages to pull it off amazingly.
It's even more incredible when you realize this is the first game ever released by Ember Labs. We play as Kena, a young girl spirit guide who helps deceased spirits find their way to the after life. We meet many people along the way who need Kena's help, with many being much more difficult than others.
The graphics stand out straight away. With a background in animation (they made a Zelda fan film), Ember Labs brought out the true detail in the environment and background. Water physics flows beautifully as it bangs off a Cliffside, trees blow and wave in the wind, and the characters' level of detail is impeccable. Visually, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is exactly how I remember. It begs you to explore the world, and it fits perfectly with the story. Seeing as your journey is a more linear one set in an exploration world, it's a needed task to truly see everything the world has to offer as you won't get lost. And of course, there are plenty of side activities to find on your way.
True to the exploration setup, Kena will have the help of the Rot to help her. As that sounds quite gross, it's the complete opposite. The Rot are tiny, cute little black fur ball creatures that follow us around. We can use them to help solve puzzles, assist in combat and more. The Rot's best part is when clearing away corruption. These are areas taken over by evil. Once you beat the enemies, the Rot can run over certain areas and regenerate it into lovely flowers and lush, green areas. The animation sequence of the flowers blooming is something to watch.
Combat I have to say I really loved. It's the perfect blend of difficulty and isn't downplayed or minimized because of the graphics. There are multiple difficulty setups from story to an insane level once you complete the game. Using the Rot creatures is incredibly fun as well with skills unlocked as you progress.
The exploration is where the power of the Xbox Series X is truly shown off. The framerate is impeccable in performance and is right at 60 fps damn near the whole time. There are definite improvements from the PS version as well. One thing I noticed is Kena's body animations while jumping. Kena automatically grabs onto ledges while jumping. On the Series X version, you see Kena's muscle groups working individually as she pulls herself up. This wasn't on the PS version, and instead just saw Kena function as 1 entity, which resulted in “choppier” looking movements. It's a great, little addition added in that really adds to the immersiveness and blends with the graphics. Your skills you receive later on allow for more creative ways to traverse the environment as well.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits isn't simply one of those games that look good but offer very little else. The combat is challenging. The story is a feel-good one that is well hashed out. The music is both soothing and exciting when it needs to be. Everything in Kena: Bridge of Spirits works together brilliantly. With a runtime of about 10-12 hours, it's the perfect setup for all gamers who want more stuff to do after the main story. Hopefully, it's release on Xbox gets us a sequel. Either way, I'm excited to see what Ember Labs does next.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Xbox Series X|S) Score: 9 / 10
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is the peak of its genre as it brilliantly combines story, exploration, music and combat in a beautifully organized world.