Kena: Bridge of Spirits Reviews
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.
I cannot recommend Kena: Bridge of Spirits enough, and the fact that my second playthrough was just as magical as the first, serves as a testament to the abundance of love and passion Ember Lab put into this title. We need more titles like this, and if you haven’t played this yet, do yourself a favor and pick it up. Again, I’ve played it twice, and it still creates an immeasurable amount of satisfaction and joy in experiencing the story of Kena, the Rot, and an art design as magical as the inspiration it comes from.
Bridge of Spirits is an old-fashioned adventure game, one that sets you on a very curated, puzzle-marked path. Which is to say that it lacks for the trailblazing go-anywhere spirit of Breath of the Wild. But Kena is, after all, a spirit guide, so you can trust that you’re not missing out on much by sticking to the missions that she calls out on the map. What you’ll get by following that path that she puts you on are the tightest, most compelling pieces of gameplay, those rooted in plot. In fact, seeing as what happens to those spirits who lose themselves along the way, the purest form of Bridge of Spirits is the one that doesn’t wander off.
And when each of those parts are this good, this lovingly crafted, this polished, it’s incredibly difficult to ignore. Ember Lab have created something truly special. This is a gem. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is the best game I’ve played all year. And you should play it.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a fantastic adventure, one which does an incredible job of mixing platforming elements, fun and energetic combat, a rewarding exploration system and beautiful graphics. It's not only of the best games of 2021, it's one of the best games of recent years.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
For a try, it's a masterstroke. The formula applies perfectly to Kena Bridge of Spirits, which marks a more than promising debut on the part of Ember Lab.
Review in French | Read full review
Kena: Bridge of Spirits not only looks beautiful, but also captivates with challenging fights and exploration that is simply fun.
Review in German | Read full review
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
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.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a captivating and well-made affair with a big heart, and will surely scratch an itch for many gamers keen on taking part in a touching journey through one of the prettiest worlds ever created.
What pleasures Kena provides are intrinsic to most videogames: clicking buttons and finding trinkets. Eventually I did fall into that groove, but it was distracting, not compelling. When all the game's darkness dissipates into bright green, when all wounds can be healed with determination and kindness, when death itself is a collectible friend, it is difficult to feel that distraction was worth it.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits' stunning visuals and fantastical abilities are weighed down by repetitive combat - and a world with more to see than to do.
It’s a pity that Kena: Bridge of Spirits did not get a big marketing campaign because it definitely deserves recognition. It’s a lovely, well-constructed game for everyone. I really hope we’ll see more of Kena in the future, and I wish more debuts like this for every studio!
Review in Polish | Read full review
As an indie effort and a debut game, Kena: Bridge of Spirits makes a good impression. It balances simplicity and challenge while weaving a neatly-paced story into something that can be played over a chill couple of days. Despite fantastic production values it's still far from a AAA title – so it's important to keep expectations in check, but anyone looking to lose themselves in a charming, gorgeous world ripe for exploration should look no further. It's exactly what I needed right now – perfect cozy weekend entertainment.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits should take most gamers around 10 to 12 hours to complete, depending on the amount of exploring and the level of difficulty. While the blockbusters games of 2021 continue to deliver the same ho-hum experience of 2021, Kena is a much needed ray of sunshine to the current choices of titles available and more importantly, looks fantastic on the PlayStation 5. Additionally, the story and characters creates an enjoyable fairy-tale experience from start to finish on this next-gen console that is definitely a must play game of 2021. Kudos to the development team of Ember Labs for delivering a truly immersive experience, not to mention those surprising twists along the way.
From the very first moment till the very end of your journey, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a heart-warming experience and a real pleasure between the visuals, puzzles and combat. Atmospheric music, beautiful lively graphics, believable heroes and cute little Rots - each little element is woven into the amazing whole that is the gaming experience provided by Kena.
Telling a number of touching tales of loss and love, Kena is a visually stunning action-platformer that feels like a classic PS2 game in mostly the right ways.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a solid game that hearkens back to titles of the sixth generation of games, with a coat of paint indicative of modern gaming that should appease younger players while offering enough gameplay variety for anyone to enjoy.
It first pulls out the folk culture and religious culture in the east Asian cultural circle from other art forms, and then injects it into Disney-like painting style, which combines to produce a wonderful chemical reaction that makes "Kena: Bridge of Spirits" impressive enough.
Review in Chinese | Read full review