Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Light Souls?

Why

Why Not

Impressions

Kena looks like a children's game with bright visuals, beautiful vistas and cute sidekicks. Writing it off as such would be a mistake though, as the cheery aesthetics come hand in hand with a challenging combat system, satisfying puzzle platforming/exploration and a surprisingly adult story about loss.

First, the combat. I saw it initially described as 'souls-like' (which is what piqued my interest) and while that's true in the sense you have light/heavy attacks, a roll and a parry you're gonna have a rough time if you play it like one. The opening felt a little flat to me since all I had were these basic tools, but things really started opening up when I got the bow. Enemies frequently have weak points which drop 'courage' in addition to dealing more damage when hit, allowing you to build your special gauge for powerful rot moves enabled by your lil' mascot buddies. These moves do a lot more damage than simply whacking away at enemies, and to generate the energy for them you'll need to mix regular attacks with weak point hits.

They don't trivialize combat though; non trash mob enemies do quite a bit of damage and spam dodging will get you hit more often than not. Just like a souls game you'll need to learn enemy patterns, in addition to watching for attacks which reveal weak points or require jumping/shielding to avoid. Unlike non-Elden Ring souls games there are no runbacks; you spawn right outside the boss arena and can skip the intro cutscene. I think this quick loop is a good fit for the tactical nature of Kena's combat; if you had to run through a long platforming section or a bunch of enemies to get back to bosses their gimmicks would feel a lot more frustrating than interesting. Especially a certain flying nuisance in the late game.

Enemy design and variety is similarly solid, the game paces out new enemy reveals well and usually introduces them right after you get an ability you need to beat them, encouraging players to actually use their new toys. You'll often fight a mix of ranged and melee foes, requiring you to pick your targets or tdodge like a maniac as projectiles fly past your melee duels. Bigger enemies are usually introduced as a mini boss before they're mixed in with trash mobs, and bosses requiring frequent rot power use helpfully spawn trash mobs you can easily recharge your courage on. There aren't a huge number of enemies overall, but for a ~11 hour game quality over quantity is definitely the best approach.

Whacking monsters with a stick isn't all Kena's good for though; I actually think the balance it strikes between all its gameplay systems is its strongest point. Despite a fairly straightforward story and repetitive quest structure, the varied environments and alternating challenges do a great job preventing anything feeling stale. There're usually 3 sub-tasks requiring completion before challenging each boss, and each of them typically focuses more strongly on one of the 3 core pillars; combat, puzzles or platforming. They do mix quite often; especially puzzles and platforming, but you're definitely never just running from room to room beating mobs of the same enemy. The environment design is similarly varied; despite having a unified vibe each of the three main areas has their own distinct style. This allows you to feel like you're progressing despite the game mostly taking place in the immediate area of a small village & featuring plenty of looping paths/interconnectivity.

As I neared the end I found myself wondering why there wasn't a sequel yet and in a hilarious bit of serendipity one was announced in a State of Play the morning of the day I finished this. Bridge of Spirits was a fun journey, and I'll definitely pick up Scars of Kosmora to see where Kena and her rot buddies' adventures take them next.