When I first saw the trailer for Kena: Bridge of Spirits I was stunned by its graphics and charm. I knew this was going to need to play. As I was able to get into the game the charm remained, but the beginning of the game felt very limiting. As the game picks up, the gameplay and story feel much better.
Story: 7.5/10
As Kena goes to explore what happened to a now abandoned village we are able to see through the characters we meet what happened and how dying has affected them. Through this, it makes the boss fights of each area feel emotionally powerfully, where as it is not someone you are looking to just defeat but hoping that you can save.
Score: 9/10
The music throughout this game provides a great tone to the world in which Kena explores.
Characters/Character Development: 6/10
While there are a few characters we get a good backstory on, it is only a few quick cutscenes before their problems are resolved and they are basically done away with and while these characters do help the story feel like it is progressive, I would have liked to have seen more of these moments. Defeating the corrupted characters and reuniting them with their loved ones is very satisfying though.
Graphics: 10/10
The graphics in this game, especially during cutscenes, are truly something that make you want to explore more of this world. Depictions of wooden objects look specifically look breathtaking.
Gameplay: 6 /10
While gameplay is fun, there are many frustrations I had. Mainly that certain vital abilities that make the game exciting come far too late in the game. It is almost 2 hours in before you unlock an ability for fighting other than just mashing the melee buttons and while this might seem like a long time, the game only has about 8 hours of story, meaning that ¼ of the game feels very blank in terms of battling.
Difficulty: 7/10 (0 being the easiest, 10 being the hardest)
Kena is a game that is surprisingly difficult. The game really demands that you master the controls and timing against enemies to proceed. While at first this feels satisfying and like something you will want to try again to overcome, the bosses by the end of the game will require an immense amount of patience and mastery.
Some puzzles in the game have very easily overlooked solutions which can have you looking up the answers online and leaving you feeling clueless.
Fun: 6/10
This game is hard to judge in terms of fun. While I enjoyed playing the whole game, it wasn’t until the second half of the game that I felt like I had enough abilities and powers to actually go into a fight without just spamming the same button until the enemy died. However, once I did, the puzzles became more enjoyable to solve and the combat felt like I had a lot of options on how to win.
Recommended for-
- · Fans of Indie Games