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Kena Bridge of Spirits Review Thread

BlackTron

Member
Nah. I don't think it's worth my time playing games with less emphasis on gameplay, it's kinda insulting playing fakes.

I 100% agree, but given what is being said about this game, I'm unsure how you came to the conclusion that Kena falls into the "fakes" category unless you've played it.

I mean, reading all these impressions and then calling the game a fake....based on what exactly?
 

HotPocket69

Banned
Kind of agree, most of the time smaller team can make much more focus game.

And with less restrictions and full control especially when they self publish like Ember did with this. In a way, you DONT want them to be scooped up by the big boys. You should WANT them to remain independent and to be able to make exactly what they want, how they want, without any sort of bullshit corporate pressure.
 

BlackTron

Member
To troll and console war. Pretty clear agenda. Some Zelda fans feel threatened, for whatever reason.

As a Zelda fan, this might be the best Zelda to come out in several generations. I will probably like it a lot better than BotW, but 2 totally different types of games. Kena is Zelda and Zelda is now Assassin's Creed.

Maybe Zelda fans should feel threatened by the next Assassin's Creed game, IDFK.
 
As a Zelda fan, this might be the best Zelda to come out in several generations. I will probably like it a lot better than BotW, but 2 totally different types of games. Kena is Zelda and Zelda is now Assassin's Creed.

Maybe Zelda fans should feel threatened by the next Assassin's Creed game, IDFK.
Kena is nothing like Zelda. Oddly, the game it reminds me a lot of is Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice.
 

MaKTaiL

Member
if I clear the backlog.
Amanda Seales Bring The Funny GIF by NBC
 

NahaNago

Member
Kena is nothing like Zelda. Oddly, the game it reminds me a lot of is Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice.
That threw me off for a second there but I guess it has backstories for each area and probably has to some tramautic emotional thing going on. I was kinda focused on folks saying that the gameplay was very basic similar to like a guess a zelda game.
 
That threw me off for a second there but I guess it has backstories for each area and probably has to some tramautic emotional thing going on. I was kinda focused on folks saying that the gameplay was very basic similar to like a guess a zelda game.
Yeah, I'm talking gameplay, definitely not story or atmosphere. It's got that "AAA indie" feel. You walk around, solve puzzles, then have scripted areas for fights. Kena is a lot harder than Hellblade though.
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a lot harder than the cute art style lets on--to help out, we've got 13 tips and tricks to help you be a better spirit guide.

Developer Ember Lab's debut title, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, is out. The PlayStation console exclusive is available for PS5, PS4, and PC (via the Epic Games Store). If you're jumping in, you may have noticed that Bridge of Spirits is more challenging than the game's cute art style originally lets on--we've got 13 tips to help you be a better spirit guide.

In Bridge of Spirits, you play as Kena, a spirit guide on a personal quest that sees her stumbling upon a deserted village. The village and its surrounding areas are full of the spirits of the people who once lived there, many of whom can't move on as a result of their individual traumas. Kena's goal lies beyond the village, but she'll only be able to reach it if she helps the spirits she encounters.

For those still on the fence, check out GameSpot's Kena: Bridge of Spirits review, in which Phil Hornshaw writes, "Kena: Bridge of Spirits is ultimately a game about making those connections, just like it's about making a connection with the game world around you through the Rot. It centers on characters who tried valiantly but failed to help one another, and what dealing with that pain did to them. It's about exploring a world and seeing what it once was, and helping to restore it again. And while Kena: Bridge of Spirits is full of familiar-feeling combat and exploration, its ability to find different ways to look at those ideas makes for a beautiful, emotional, and exciting journey."
 
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Hawk269

Member
Been really enjoying the game. Visuals are just stunning (on PS5). Some parts of the game are a bit too linear, where you follow a path for a quite a while, but then there are other areas where it opens up a bit to allow for some exploration. It almost reminds me of the first Fable game. Outside of that...just been loving the game. Put in about 6 hours so far..taking my time and exploring everywhere I can for secrets and collectables.

I hope they sell a shit ton and hire more people to make a sequel with a bit more RPG elements and some other refinements. Not sure who mentioned it, but they are really onto something with this IP.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
I’m well and truly smitten by this game and I can’t recommend it enough for the price. But, don’t be fooled by the charming visuals; this game can be pretty tough at times.
I'm honestly surprised how much I'm enjoying the fights, I was expecting serviceable combat with charming story but I'm legitimately enjoying the boss fights in this game.
 

RavionUHD

Member
Could anybody confirm that GeForce Overlay/Gamefilter does not work for this game?
Anybody with a Nvidia GPU that could test it?
 

Markio128

Member
I'm honestly surprised how much I'm enjoying the fights, I was expecting serviceable combat with charming story but I'm legitimately enjoying the boss fights in this game.
I must admit that I’ve felt the full spectrum of emotions with at least one of the bosses so far; from a cursing, gibbering wreck, to a fist pumping hero. The last boss I beat felt like an endgame boss, but it was nothing of the sort, which was both fantastic and incredibly troubling haha.
 

MaKTaiL

Member
The game is longer than I thought. I'm taking my time with each area trying to find everything. I'm clocking 15h so far and I'm not even done with the second tale yet. Platinum will sure take me 40h total at this rate which is amazing for the price. Kena is incredible, can't wait to see more of the story.
 
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Shakka43

Member
Is there an easy way to find missing rot? Still early in the game but having to retread some of these areas is going to be a bit of a chore
Their hidden spots are surrounded by purple lights and and the Dualsense controller pulses(vibration) when you are really close to them.
 

EekTheKat

Member
Am I hallucinating or did today's patch on PS5 improve 30fps mode? Old 30fps fidelity mode felt more like 25ish with sluggish response. While it sort of felt better after the most recent patch?

Or maybe I'm just projecting my wish for 30fps mode to be better locked down than the current implementation.
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
Am I hallucinating or did today's patch on PS5 improve 30fps mode? Old 30fps fidelity mode felt more like 25ish with sluggish response. While it sort of felt better after the most recent patch?

Or maybe I'm just projecting my wish for 30fps mode to be better locked down than the current implementation.
It is locked 30 (and locked 60) in all modes and on all consoles, as was analyzed by graphics and performance analysts on YouTube.
 

Kerotan

Member
Don't be so cheap, buy it today to support the devs.

Only peasants can't afford a game, or else it will be perfect for game pass.
I'm not buying a game today when my aim is to clear my backlog. I already bought ghost expansion and ratchet day 1 despite this fact.
 

BadBurger

Is 'That Pure Potato'
I've been playing on the default middle difficulty level and found it challenging at times but not too difficult. So I decided to try out hard mode. Uh, no thanks. The boss beat my ass like a sissy. I am just not that good at games.
 

BaneIsPain

Member
Finally platinum it after non stop rage rolling and rot bomb in master spirit difficulty. Only to know there’s exploitation to bypass this mode. I’m too old for souls game.

I wish they would add marker in map for next game. Still one of the best game this year.
 
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chris121580

Member
Finished this last night and it's easily my game of the year. I don't see anything bumping it either. It's absolutely gorgeous, a joy to play, fun characters, good story, amazing music, and it's the perfect length. Took me about 12 hours. I already miss being in the world. What an incredible accomplishment by such a small studio and an absolute steal at 40 dollars. This game brought me back to my childhood. Pretty sure the smile never left my face the entire time I was playing it. It's been a long time since a game has had such a positive impact on me. I got those first time playing Mario 64 vibes
 

Phase

Member
So I'm about 1/3 of the way through if I had to guess. The movement might be a little jank, but I love the bow and they've implemented creative combat systems. They also got it right where many devs haven't lately - great story and world building with their characters.
 

Orta

Banned
I'm going to double dip on this for either Xbox or PS5 when I eventually get one or the other. As good as it looks maxed out on my PC I'd imagine it looks glorious on a 50"+ tv.

Saying that by the time I have one of those consoles it'll probably look as good as a Gameboy Color game :messenger_hushed:
 
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