I’m not obstinate, but a friend of mine has recommended Kena: Bridge of Spirits to me since it first released in September 2021. And, I never got around to it. No excuses, it’s just something I never got around to.
Now though, it arrives on Xbox, with many new gamers eager to see what the fuss is all about. Myself included. So, shall we?
Kena is a young girl who travels to places to help spirits pass on from the physical world. For whatever reason, certain spirits of people who have passed away have held onto the physical world and need the help of a spirit guide to move on. It’s very much The Sixth Sense, only with less Bruce Willis and more third-person action-adventure.
Being a spirit guide can be a lonely and introspective journey, so thankfully Kena isn’t alone on her adventure. She quickly comes across these adorable creatures known as the Rot. It may not be the most affectionate name for them, but I cannot stress how cute and cuddly they are. Even my heart of stone warmed to them instantly.
You start off with just the one, but quickly find more and more. They are rewards for defeating bosses – more on those later – hidden away in chests and literally by turning over stones. So much so that the achievement for finding every single Rot is called No Stone Unturned. You’ll know you are near one when your controller vibrates.
But the most adorable thing about the Rot is that they can be seen on screen at all times. It is one thing when they follow you around – not unlike say, Pikmin – but arrive at almost any building, structure or outcrop and they will teleport to a more comfortable place and just watch Kena do her thing. They will sit on tabletops, stand on a stone for a better view of the vista or just help you highlight areas you should be exploring.
Plus, did I mention that you can unlock hats for them to wear? Currently, one of mine has a pirate captain hat and, in my narrative, he is undoubtedly the leader of the Rot.
Cute is one thing, but being versatile is another. Thankfully, the Rot can do both in equal measures. They will assist in battle when directed, able to distract opponents for a short time and beef up certain attacks. Their primary use outside of battle however, is to remove the corruption found all throughout the world.
An unknown spirit at the beginning of the game tells you that he is the cause of the corruption found throughout the world. But rather than letting Kena free his spirit, his reasons for remaining aren’t clear.
This corruption is all over the world, and removing it is one of two primary objectives for Kena. It is mainly used to gate progress to certain areas or in environmental puzzles. Getting rid of it brings colour back to the world, and gives the already beautiful visuals an extra punch of colour.
Kena’s other objective is to travel the world and free the spirits still here. The first two you encounter are two little twins who have lost their older brother. To free them you must find three items tying them to this world. Do this and you get some emotional storytelling to fill in the gaps, before the trio then depart this world.
After this, another spirit is trapped and the same actions must be performed. And then once again. These self-contained stories are done well, but don’t progress the larger narrative at all. I’d go as far as to say the main narrative only bookends the game itself, and these moments – as good as they are – are purely filler to give the gameplay some context. And perhaps, aren’t really that necessary.
That’s because the gameplay and exploration in Kena: Bridge of Spirits does such a good job of directing you to your next objective. From the moment you arrive in the village, you can see where you can and can’t go, and where you will need to come back to when you have new tools in your arsenal. And the game continues in the same vein throughout. There is much to be found when exploring away from the main path, with plenty of goodies to be found. New Rot, new hats, chests, meditation spots and more can be found for those who venture off the beaten track.
But be careful where you go, as the corruption brings with it plenty of enemies to try and put down Kena. There is a fairly high difficulty to Kena: Bridge of Spirits on the standard setting, and it ventures into extremely difficult on the hardest difficulty. There are frequent bosses to encounter with each one typically taking a few attempts to best them. But even the standard enemies can pack a punch, with some of them proving to be very frustrating if more than one appears at once.
Your arsenal starts off pretty basic as all you have is a staff and light and heavy attacks. This bit feels very Beyond Good & Evil, and not just because I’ve been playing the 20th anniversary of that game. But as you progress you get access to a bow and some bombs, as well as other upgrades you can choose from in the skills menu. These new weapons are also used in the environment for yet more puzzle solving.
Once you have your instruments of destruction, Kena: Bridge of Spirits feels a lot like God of War, only without the wanton violence and dismemberment. It offers you just the right number of skills and moves to defeat the enemies without bombarding you with needless and confusing moves.
But despite these tense encounters, there is a real sense of melancholy to the world that Kena explores. That could be down to the deserted villages, dilapidated farmlands or just the superb soundtrack accompanying you. Weaving traditional gamelan music into it works wonders; the soundtrack effortlessly fits whatever is happening on screen at all times.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a game that has something for everyone. Some may love the story, others perhaps the combat. A few people may just want to explore the world and put the difficulty on easy. Each element of the game is done well enough to create an all round very good game. But on the other hand, none of it stands out as spectacular, something that the game itself strives to be. It is solid, but not groundbreaking, taking little bits from everything such as Studio Ghibli to God of War, all without pushing any boundaries whatsoever.
But we all know that the real star of the show are the Rot themselves. Cute, cuddly and versatile, you can’t help but feel that these little guys are the main selling point of Kena: Bridge of Spirits.
