Kena: Bridge of Spirits was positioned by Sony as a landmark animation game coming in 2021. While it’s great that the experience of a Pixar film was beautiful, but the gameplay and writing don’t live up to the expectations. Developer Ember Lab’s debut game wins hands-down for fantastic video game animation, but does its gameplay match the beautiful, whimsical art style?
The good news is that, on the whole, it does feel surreal. With the studio’s background score in animation, it was almost expected that this would look great, and it does have lovely, colorful visuals with the sensibilities of a legendary studio. As promised, the actual game underneath the lush environments and expressive characters are captivating and fun.
Within the first few minutes of the opening sequence, I was fully immersed in its universe. As you go along the journey, you deeply understand the storyline. It takes you to another era altogether, in a good way. This is a mostly linear action-adventure absolutely stuffed with collectibles, light platforming, and combat arenas, all stitched together in a large map.
Kena, a young spirit guide goes on a quest to visit a mountain shrine. You are hit by bittersweet moments when Kena and Rot, a species of magical creatures who help Kena save lost spirits.
You progress through the game by visiting different areas on the map and defeating the evil spirits that inhabit them, with the occasional platform challenge or puzzle thrown in to keep you engaged. The addition of new weapons and abilities prevents the gameplay from getting stale.
Shortcomings
While the gameplay is enjoyable one-time, the simple story doesn’t have a lasting effect. Kena doesn’t do anything different apart from the usual “Spirit guide restores balance to nature”.
None of the character names are worth remembering, except the lead character Kena. The only reason I recall the game is all thanks to the top-class animation and the inventive designs of the protagonist, her allies, and her antagonists.
The scriptwriting does a great disservice to the awesome animation work. If the visuals could match the narrative backed by strong character development, this gameplay would’ve been a landmark for decades to come.
As you play along, finding more of the Rot to level up and using Karma to upgrade overall abilities, Kena will gradually learn more techniques, used both in fights and in exploration. For example, the bow can attack from a distance, but it can also sling across the environment via blue flowers, grapple hook style. There’s a good sense of progression, and it all moves at a fair clip, keeping you engaged throughout the 10 or so hours it took to finish. However, warp stones at key points let you fast travel around, which helps to keep things moving.
Here’s the entire gameplay (start-to-finish) edited to perfection: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFB6Dt0lH80D_YeId5q49NBb0lZ-6lkAN
I particularly loved the ending, because it felt so good. If its story went beyond the expected, and one or two small issues were scrubbed away, this would be a real winner. As it is, this is a solid action platformer with fleshy character , and a strong debut from Ember Lab. I am eagerly waiting to see what’s in store for us from the makers. Kena just blew my mind!