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Play Overview
Kena: Bridge of Spirits (2021) is an adventure about a young girl who travels to an abandoned village in the hope of finding a sacred mountain shrine. To get there she must find and grow a team of charming spirit companions called the Rot, enhancing their abilities and creating new ways to manipulate the environment.
Like Knack it combines fast-paced action with Pixar-style animated storytelling. You use your staff to hit the nightmarish enemies or as a bow to shoot at them. As well as developing your skills you also collect an army of small companions. The Rot are timid and elusive spirits scattered throughout the forest. They maintain balance by decomposing dead and rotting elements. Like Pikmin these small characters offer a puzzle aspect to the game as they unlock doors and move blockages.
"Driven by the belief that you can help these troubled spirits," says the narrator, "but you have no power here." What results is a story about restoration and resilience in the face of elders telling the young girl she can’t do it. Older players may find the linear exploration and hand-holding too much, but for new or younger players helping Kena find both the courage and ability to survive is an endearing experience with little friction. It's an adventure that wants you to progress and makes it clear that to do that will take considerable help from the characters you meet along the way.
Our examiner, Rich Adams, first checked Kena: Bridge of Spirits 3 years ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 2 weeks ago.
Like Knack it combines fast-paced action with Pixar-style animated storytelling. You use your staff to hit the nightmarish enemies or as a bow to shoot at them. As well as developing your skills you also collect an army of small companions. The Rot are timid and elusive spirits scattered throughout the forest. They maintain balance by decomposing dead and rotting elements. Like Pikmin these small characters offer a puzzle aspect to the game as they unlock doors and move blockages.
"Driven by the belief that you can help these troubled spirits," says the narrator, "but you have no power here." What results is a story about restoration and resilience in the face of elders telling the young girl she can’t do it. Older players may find the linear exploration and hand-holding too much, but for new or younger players helping Kena find both the courage and ability to survive is an endearing experience with little friction. It's an adventure that wants you to progress and makes it clear that to do that will take considerable help from the characters you meet along the way.
Our examiner, Rich Adams, first checked Kena: Bridge of Spirits 3 years ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 2 weeks ago.
Kids not old enough for this yet? There are lots of games similar to Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Here are some similar younger-rated games:
Play Style
Benefits
This game is good if you want to:
- Pause the action with meditation
- Be supported to remember and visualise
- Play with DualSense on PlayStation 5
- Play your first fighting game
- Learn photography in video games
- Get extra guidance on PS5
This game has helped players develop their Identity as part of the following pathways:
Age Ratings
Content Rating
In the US, ESRB state: Players traverse platforms, solve puzzles, interact with spirits and creatures, and battle corrupted spirits and boss creatures. Players use a magic staff, arrows, and small creatures (called Rot) to strike enemies and drain their health meters in melee-style combat. Enemies (e.g., human-like spirits, tree-like ghouls, giant wood creatures) attack players by using bladed weapons and explosive bursts of fire/energy. Combat can be frenetic, with frequent impact sounds, screen-shaking effects, and cries of pain.
Skill Level
10+ year-olds usually have the required skill to enjoy this game. Still, it's important for parents and guardians to consider the maturity required to process the game content. You need navigation and puzzle-solving skills to progress in general, but the bosses also require a lot of perseverance, strategic planning and quick reactions not dissimilar to Dark Souls games. Younger players can still enjoy the game on the lower difficulty setting.
Our Game Pathways reveal how 47-year-olds play this game:
- 47-year-old: Creating A Calming Play Context
Costs
Game Details
Release Date: 21/08/2021
Out Now: PC, PS4 and PS5
Skill Rating: 10+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Fighting, Traversal (Action, Adventure, Collecting, Narrative and Puzzle)
Accessibility: 23 features
Components: 3D Third-Person and Cartoon
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