Kena: Bridge of Spirits Reviews
So, yeah. So far, so good. I do have some concerns. As pretty as Kena’s magical forest is, it’s beginning to feel a little monotonous. I could use a bit more scenic variety, especially some indoor areas. I’ve been in a few caves, and they’re great. They’re eerie, atmospheric, and mystical. I want more caves!
Kena: Bridge Of Spirits is a beautiful action-adventure game full of joy, wonder and character. It's a breath of fresh air.
What Kena: Bridge of Spirits lacks in new ideas, it makes up for with an abundance of charm and gorgeous visuals.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a short but sweet action-adventure game with a heartwarming story and great graphics that make it feel like a Disney movie.
I'm not sure how Ember Lab did it, but I walked away from Kena: Bridge of Spirits with my expectations surpassed to a much further extent than I could have imagined. The visuals are breathtaking, the gameplay evolves in meaningful ways, and the heart the story contains has no bounds. You'll find it hard to come across a more wholesome and beautiful game in 2021 than Kena: Bridge of Spirits, it's everything I wanted it to be and more.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a very good game that feels like it’s already been left behind by modern genre conventions. There’s nothing all that frustrating in that - we shouldn’t expect games, especially those made by studios the size of Ember Labs, to be constantly groundbreaking, but so much of Kena feels borrowed from elsewhere that it’s difficult to call it great. It’s a solid, enjoyable experience, and charming enough that you won’t care that you’ve played versions of it before. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s a pretty nice wheel nonetheless.
Despite borrowing from all manner of modern hits, Kena: Bridge of Spirits just about stands on its own. The wonderful visuals and music leave a strong impression, while the gameplay is simple but enjoyable. 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 lots of personality, and a strong debut from Ember Lab.
Despite featuring a very familiar experience inspired by The Legend of Zelda series, Kena: Bridge of Spirits manages to stand out from the competition with its amazing visuals, excellent combat system, and puzzle design. The underwhelming story and lack of real innovation prevent the game from being a must-have, sure, but what Kena: Bridge of Spirits does well, it really does well, so much that it's very easy to look past its issues.
Where Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart took an old formula and brought it into the modern era, Kena: Bridge of Spirits’ approach was more adherent to the old ways. The technical aspects are phenomenal and thoroughly current, but the game itself relies heavily on the old way of doing things. Limited paths. Contrived situational limitations. Collectables galore. You likely already know if that’s something you’re interested in playing, and I personally believe they’ve done an admirable job here. Especially for a first crack.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is gorgeous and extremely well made, but there's less heart here than I was expecting. It's still a worthy adventure with great controls and lots to see and do, though.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is stunning spectacle full of heart and unbelievable charm. If you aren't carefully selecting hats for your Rot companions by the end, then you're probably made of stone. In the event that your soul is inhospitably frosty, Kena can be deceivingly challenging, throwing boss fights at you that will make those on Demon Souls look like a cake walk. A few minor issues stop Kena from being a showstopper, but there is no doubt that this a great game, and an amazing debut for a 15-person strong team.
Although far from being revolutionary, Kena Bridge of Sprits is a compelling action-adventure game with an heart-warming hero and really cute creatures to play with. Ember Lab put in this game all their experience in character design and animation, giving us a splendid – but also somewhat repetitive – cartoon movie to play with.
Review in Italian | Read full review
In addition to its majestic artistic direction, its stunning staging and its striking musical themes, the title also manages to convince where it was not necessarily expected, thanks to a progression system and a demanding gameplay that borrow the best from references that have proven themselves in the field. Ember Lab is therefore achieving a real tour de force for its first try in the world of gaming and just for that, hats off.
Review in French | Read full review
Featuring new content that expands the game in some interesting ways and new trials that push the limit of the game's mechanics, the Kena: Bridge of Spirits Anniversary Update has a lot to offer to returning and new players alike. The new additions aren't particularly game-changing, so those who did not like the original release won't change their opinion with the new content. Those who loved Kena: Bridge of Spirits, however, will find a lot to like in the Anniversary Update.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is as gorgeous and elegantly crafted as a big budget game, making it a statement debut for Ember Lab.
Overall, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is absolutely brilliant. It's one of those rare games that feels like it belongs to the new generation thanks to its magnificent world, and its developers knew exactly how ambitious to be while still providing a top rate experience.
After completing Kena, we felt the desire not to leave these virtual lands, to continue in the heart of the forest to eliminate even the last bit of Corruption. Like the souls of the village, in short, we did not want to "go further". The magic of Bridge of Spirits is all here: in its sweet magnetism, in its balance between gameplay and narration, in the echo of those adventures of the past, where simplicity moved hand in hand with refinement. Splendid to look at and rewarding to play, Kena is a debut work as rarely seen in recent years: that the independent sector can be guided by its spirit.
Review in Italian | Read full review
I really can’t recommend Kena: Bridge of Spirits highly enough that will see players partake in a meaningful journey absorbed in a vibrant world filled with fluid animations that cries out to be explored. With the game’s added photo mode, expect to add on a few more gameplay hours as you fill up your gallery with lots of cute Rot pictures, too.