KENA: BRIDGE OF SPIRITS

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KENA: BRIDGE OF SPIRITS GAME REVIEW

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA IS CENTRAL TO KENA: THE BRIDGE OF SPIRIT'S DNA.

Ember Lab rose to fame in 2016 owing to Terrible Fate, a wonderful The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask fan film. Kena: Bridge of Spirits, a title featuring elaborate cutscenes that builds on the model set by early 3D Zelda games like Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Twilight Princess, is the result of the animation studio's transformation into a game producer

However, due to poor platforming and fighting, the PlayStation console exclusive never achieves the same heights as previous predecessors. Nonetheless, Kena: Bridge of Spirits offers extremely gorgeous visuals and a touching tale that outperforms any storey in Nintendo's franchise. The Legend of Zelda is now available on PlayStation, and there's lots of opportunity for this series to expand.

HIGH SPIRITUALITY

Kena: Bridge of Spirits delves into issues such as humanity's relationship with the environment, the value of family, and the fear of moving on. It puts players immediately into the storey, as if it were a fresh episode of a long-running TV programme, allowing them to get right into the action.

Kena is a Spirit Guide who assists restless souls in their transition to the afterlife. She comes across an abandoned village at the base of a mountain shrine and rapidly discovers that this formerly affluent community endured a horrible hunger as the climate turned against them. Kena must use her magical talents and their Spirit Masks to assist the townspeople's spirits move on (a reference to the studio's Majora's Mask heritage).

Kena is aided by the Rot, charming little black creatures with mysterious powers who will steal your heart the moment you meet them.

The narrative is sad and emotional, particularly early on, when Kena assists some little spirit twins in reuniting with their brother. The conclusion also has a very unexpected twist. The Legend of Zelda games' storylines sometimes disappoint, but here is one area where Kena: Bridge of Spirits outperforms its inspiration. Ember Lab has developed a rich environment with many opportunities for exploration, and we expect to see more of it in the future.

These storey passages work because of the really beautiful animation. Ember Lab demonstrated their ability to create stunning graphics with Terrible Fate. The pre-rendered cutscenes in Kena: Bridge of Spirits offer the same quality you'd expect from Dreamworks or Illumination, with stunning settings and realistic face expressions.

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The in-engine graphics are equally outstanding, as the open world of Kena: Bridge of Spirits is vivid, colourful, and full of detail. This is one of the few occasions where the PS5's high-resolution Fidelity Mode is preferable to the frame rate-focused Performance Mode since it enables the game's greatest aspects to shine. It's an incredible accomplishment for such a little club playing their first game.

While it is also available on PS4, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a must-play title for PS5 users who want to see genuinely next-gen graphics.

AWAY IN SPIRIT

Kena: Bridge of Spirits excels in terms of graphics and storey, but the gameplay falls short. Players explore, occasionally solve puzzles, and occasionally combat foes, as one might expect from a game inspired by The Legend of Zelda. It feels more refined than the mid-2000s period of Legend of Zelda clones like Star Fox Adventures and Legend of Kay.

The environmental challenges frequently find inventive ways to make use of Kena's talents and the Rot. Kena learns to utilise a bow, a bomb that can make boulders float, and a dash manoeuvre to get through portals during the journey. These abilities will be put to use in a variety of circumstances. One late-game task, for example, has you sprinting through portals to raise rocks with bombs and construct a route forward.

Kena may also command the Rot to carry and move things, however the Rot puzzles are never as complex as those found in Pikmin. The environment is thrilling to explore because of these riddles and because it is so gorgeous, yet platforming is tight due to an unsatisfactory double jump and limited Uncharted-style climbing.

While the platforming never becomes too difficult, the PS5's activity cards give extensive video and text instructions of each task if you get stuck.

a single location Kena: Bridge of Spirits' combat isn't afraid to be brutal. Kena uses her staff for light and heavy blows, as well as summoning a shield to block and parry, in addition to her other powers. To triumph in certain difficult boss bouts, perfect timing is necessary. She may also use the Rot to stun foes or to boost the effectiveness of her other assaults.

This approach pushes players to be aggressive, which leads to frustration when adversaries don't telegraph strikes adequately or adversary motions make determining dodge timing difficult. There is no such thing as an insurmountable conflict in Kena: Bridge of Spirits, although some do overstay their welcome.

Though the combat might become boring, the beautiful sights and excellent soundtrack assist to compensate. The soundtrack in Kena: Bridge of Spirits is influenced by Balinese and Indonesian music, and it incorporates unusual percussion instruments to create an energy and ambiance that will stay with you long after you finish the game.

Looking at the world of Kena: Bridge of Spirits can be more pleasant than playing it, yet the tight tempo keeps the experience interesting. A normal playing shouldn't take more than 10 hours, and the whole experience leaves you wanting more, despite a few gameplay flaws.

Ember Labs has laid the groundwork for a series that might one day surpass The Legend of Zelda. If subsequent entries improve the fighting and platforming, this may be one of the console generation's defining new series.