Kena: Bridge of Spirits plays it safe — and that's OK
Kena: Bridge of Spirits plays it safe — and that's OK
Kena: Bridge of Spirits was one of the get-go games we ever saw for the PS5. Equally such, fans take been waiting for more than a twelvemonth to take control of Kena and guide her through a fantasy world inspired past Eastward Asian mythology. During the Tribeca Film Festival, I got a chance to go hands-on with Kena, and got a substantial sense of taste of this spirited action game, which will debut on August 24 for both PS5 and PC.
My demo comprised an hour of gameplay from what appeared to exist an early on function of the hazard. I took command of Kena: a teenage girl who has the power to communicate with the spirit world – as the game's title suggests. There's a distinct Avatar: The Last Airbender vibe, since Kena wields a magic staff and acts as a medium between the mortal world and a more fantastical one. And, like Avatar, Kena: Bridge of Spirits draws inspiration from Eastward Asian folklore, in its visuals, setting and story.
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For case: The demo begins with Kena agreeing to track down a lost spirit named Taro. Simply she can see the two mischievous spirits, Saiya and Beni, who know the way to the sage Rusu's house. To find Taro'due south trail, she stands atop fonts of spiritual free energy, and dons an enchanted fox mask. Kena: Span of Spirits has a whole set of magical rules that govern its world, and internalizing the game's world-building is very much part of the adventure.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits gameplay
Gameplay-wise, Kena: Span of Spirits is a traditional action/risk title. The first thing I had to do was discover my way to Rusu's business firm, which was far abroad, through a dark forest and on elevation of a daunting peak. When I entered the woods, I found that foreboding ruby flowers blocked my manner. In society to go rid of them, I'd have to learn two important skills: fighting off enemies, and harnessing the Rot.
Starting time off, gainsay in Kena is pretty unproblematic. The red flowers you'll encounter periodically spawn various types of enemies. Basic varieties wield axes and shields, and require either lite or heavy attacks with the staff to defeat. Larger foes can lob ranged spells at you, and crave blocking, dodging – or using the Rot.
The Rot are Kena's virtually artistic gameplay mechanic, although they bear more than a passing resemblance to Nintendo'south Pikmin. As Kena explores the earth, she'll recruit small-scale, cute, shadowy creatures known collectively as the Rot. Out of combat, they can assist her solve puzzles past neat through barriers and manipulating distant objects. In combat, they're Kena'south only way to destroy the red flowers that spawn foes. They can also paralyze stronger foes, still, then combat can get a balancing deed between using the Rot to stay alive, and using the Rot to stop a fight.
While the Rot are a creative bear on, the rest of Kena'southward gameplay should be pretty familiar if yous've played an activity/adventure championship sometime betwixt the PS2 era and now. Subsequently my first few combat sessions, the map opened up onto a serial of isolated, rocky ledges, and I had to platform my mode beyond to Rusu'south business firm. Yous tin can double-jump, shimmy across ledges and even utilise the Rot to stabilize platforms for short periods of time. Again, there's nothing groundbreaking here, simply it all works pretty well.
From in that location, the demo proceeded conventionally. Rusu'due south house had been overtaken past the malicious reddish flowers, which necessitated a short trip into a nearby cave (preceded by an extremely frustrating combat department; Kena cannot take many hits, and her healing abilities are limited during boxing). There, I encountered my beginning dominate: a fearsome Kappa demon. I dodged his projectiles, fought off his minions, used the Rot to paralyze him and whittled down his health over a few minutes.
Kena: Span of Spirits outlook
Later on I'd rescued Rusu, I got one more than ability to close out the demo: transforming my staff into a bow and arrows. After a few increasingly difficult target practice sections, I got to put my skills to the test against the Wood Knight boss: a monster that was highly resistant to melee, simply had vulnerable yellow crystals all over its trunk. Past sniping them with the bow, I was able to incapacitate and down it with merely a few blows.
That was the stop of the demo, save for a few minutes to explore Rusu'south business firm and play with the upgrade arrangement. Every bit you lot defeat enemies and explore the environment, you lot'll get diverse kinds of currency for new staff and bow abilities. You tin also hunt downwards well-subconscious Rot upgrades, which let yous use their abilities more frequently.
Having played it for well-nigh an 60 minutes, what struck me nearly about Kena: Span of Spirits was just how conventional it feels. The story and setting seem promising, and it's heartening to run across such an ambitious product from a tiny studio similar Ember Lab. But I wonder whether gamers will approach Kena in that light, or treat it like the next indispensable PS5 console sectional.
Either fashion, Kena seems worth checking out for activeness/adventure fans, particularly those who want something family unit-friendly. Since nosotros never actually got a corking Avatar: The Last Airbender game, this may be the next-best thing.
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Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/kena-bridge-of-spirits-hands-on
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