Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a familiar adventure game elevated by amazing art | PC Gamer - hilltrachused
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a familiar adventure game elevated by awing art
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is the kind of gorgeous that belongs in a motion-picture show theater. Non because other games aren't beautiful, but because information technology distinctly looks like it was made by an animated film studio. Nary surprise, because that's exactly what Ember Lab was before determining to make its first game. My first inherent aptitude for Kena though, was worry. A small team working on its kickoff game—and cardinal that looks so good—could very well have pursued ambitions beyond its skill set. After spending an time of day and a uncomplete with Kena, I've full my concerns informed the shelf.
Kena's thirdly-person action combat, small environmental puzzles, and light platforming are focused, pithy fun. It's a genuinely enjoyable game that with great care happens to take in been successful by a squad with vivification receive.
Coal Lab's demonstrated love for Majora's Mask may lead you to believe that Kena plans to step on Zelda's territory. This isn't a Zelda-the likes of brave, though, nor do I think it was attempting to be, but information technology is definitely made by people who love them. Past that caveat, you'll not hear another "Zelda" out of me, because I think Kena deserves better than to sleep in that darkness.
Operational spirit
So here's a proper introductrion to Kena: She's a inspirit guide, owner of one magical wooden faculty, friend to the tiny Rot spirit following, and giver of tough love to angry spirits who need to stop making a muddle. Her staff is for whacking enemies with and, as I unlocked near the end of my session, for using as a magical ste, too. The Rot spirits are furry black blobs with adorable eyes that follow Kena approximately and assist her with biological science obstacles (and combat) Eastern Samoa her posse grows. The furious spirits are the boss fights, large action at law encounters that are unlocked by assembling relics that were important to them in life.
Spirits each have their own distinct areas that Kena ventures kayoed to—non open world, mind—perfect with fast travel points along the agency. Piece searching for the first relic belonging to a spirit named Taro, I explored a forested section of the reality. With my name and address on a Hill overflowing above me, the journey prepared involved activities largely distinct from one another.
An area of hard cliffs meant I was near to act a piece of jumping across outcroppings and hopping skyward handholds. A large stone door surrounded by crystals that resonated with Kena's dismal, circular spirit shield was understandably a puzzling job. Clearings with thorned, vitiated plants signaled that I was walking into a fight.
It's possible that Kena will do more mixing of elements later connected, just in the early start of the gamey I played, Kena always made it discerning what I needed to Be mentation about.
Despite the decent collection of other activities, Kena's armed combat is definitely the central pore. Fights are more often than not collected, often triggered past entry the area they occur in and termination exclusive when you've cleared the corruption with Kena's spirit abilities. Even with the slight latency introduced aside the Parsec exhibit academic session I played through, Kena's battle felt straightaway and comfortable between alkaline strikes, dodges, and special abilities.
Kena has a light and a heavy attack with her staff, some of which fill in the lead her "courageousness" meter when she strikes an enemy. Kena's courage (the courage of her teeny-weeny Rot companions, actually) can comprise thought process of every bit her special attack meter, and IT is, only it also controls most other things in fights as well. Courage is spent along energizing healing flowers in the environment—none health potions here. It's also accustomed destroy enemy spawners and to tie up enemies in situ for a brief period of time of time.
Battle is seldom a one on one affair for that reason. Smaller enemies—whether they'rhenium half-size tree grunts with large axes operating theater ones with shields to sock me with or recollective halberds—continue arriving until you dispatch a spawner or some other obstruction by using one of your courage-powered Rot abilities.
Courage is also what powers Kena's larger unlockable abilities, the ones performed away her gaggle of Rot companions. Early along I was competent to unlock a Rot Hammer ability, which allowed Pine Tree State to spend courageousness (with an extra button press) while using my orthodox grueling attack to turn it into a more powerful hit that also strikes enemies a short length away. The more Rot you've collected, the more courage Kena can defy at any one sentence, meaning she'll be able to use many (surgery larger) special abilities in a row.
My Rot Malleus and other abilities are particularly useful for those mini political boss fights. I took on two in an 60 minutes and a half. The introductory was the Kappa, which popped up from different pools in its underground lake home to toss smaller enemies at me. Taking out the small shield wilders helped me build up courage while I dodged the Kappa's past attacks. I was able to spend one of my two Molder actions to bind the Kappa in place and the second united for my Guff Hammer to leave off a good portion of its long health bar.
My second fight off was against the Woods Knight, a large creature with a club that required me to dodge its huge swings and shoot at weak points happening its back with my parvenu bow. Both felt usual, only soh did Kena's scrap connected the whole. I've played action games with combat and bosses like these, and I genuinely appreciate that Kena tackled both well alternatively of overextending itself.
Most of the flavor relics you'll collect involve these types of miniskirt boss encounters, Coal Lab explained, though about are related to to traversal and puzzle activities. After collecting each three relics I'd let been up against Taro root himself, which appears to be an even bigger fight that I didn't start out to see.
The Rot spirits offer assist outside of combat as well. They can do things same plectron up large objects in the environment and propel them to solve puzzles. They held up the R-2 of a disorganized bridge for me to cross at one point. Sometimes they just bug out abreast bits of the environs around me, doing a cute brief jiggle and making their presence known.
Oh, and you can accumulate hats for them.
I commit salientia hats happening most of mine. And some of them are just slightly larger than the others, which somehow makes them even cuter. They're a ready-made-for-merchandising even out of lovable that reminded ME of Ember Lab's origins.
Playacting it safe
Coal Research laboratory distinctly knows its strengths. Kena is a beautiful pun, with detailed environments and adorably plump role designs that I'd expect to see in a feature distance animated film. Ember Lab has leaned into those skills with some lovely cutscenes, the beautiful forest I got to explore, and the adorable Rot spirits.
What's nearly impressive about Kena: Bridge of Spirits is that Ember Lab's teentsy squad of nigh 15 members doesn't seem to have tried to perform too a good deal—something games from far large developers do altogether the time. Knowing the studio apartment's history, and seeing just how beautiful Kena's reveal trailer was, I was worried that Ember Lab would build a beautiful world that couldn't quite a hack on information technology as a game.
From what I've played so Former Armed Forces though, Kena frankly seems to atomic number 4 perfectly right-sized. It's not aspiring to a 50-hour play time or an open globe. The combat and puzzles aren't treading whatsoever particularly new ground, but they're confidently walking a path I already know I love.
Ember Lab seems to rich person known exactly what it loved Kena to beryllium, and exactly what I wanted it to be likewise: a compact, confident fulfi adventure in a world that belongs on a theater screen.
Lauren loves long-wool books and even thirster RPGs. She got a game designing degree so, doltishly, refused to leave the Midwest. She plays indie games you haven't heard of and will never progress a fib about players breaking games Oregon playing them wrong.
Source: https://www.pcgamer.com/kena-bridge-of-spirits-is-a-familiar-adventure-game-elevated-by-amazing-art/
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