You collect Rot as you go, finding them underneath logs and rocks and whatnot. The Rot, an ever-expanding tagalong group of woodland sprites, help to set Kena’s adventure apart from more traditional entries in the genre. In that sense, Kena's outing reminds me a lot of the Knack series and its odd audience/skill level juxtaposition: An inviting cartoon world seemingly aimed at families, infused with a difficulty better suited for experienced gamers. Despite the pleasant doe-eyed aesthetics, Bridge of Spirits is not tuned for younger gamers. It’s not uncommon to spend an hour or so trying to take down one of the more formidable foes, learning their attack patterns through Souls-like trial and error. Trust me when I say that as the game progresses, encounters become quite challenging. Enemies are varied, especially the larger-than-life bosses, and every battle so far has managed to keep me on my toes. Speaking of combat, it’s an absolute blast. This leads to some awkward camera angles. Its movement is relegated to the right analog stick, which leaves you without a means to control the camera while directing the Rot. The other control gripe I have is when steering the amalgamated dragon Rot creature (more on the Rot in a second). There’s also a pulse button, default mapped to the left bumper button, which sends out an energy wave and allows you to activate set pieces and collect items. Attack and blocking commands are relegated to the shoulder buttons, not unlike God of War or Godfall, so holding down the left trigger serves to aim, which extinguishes the barebones lock-on entirely.
To be fair, the lack of a solid targeting mechanic might have to do with how the buttons are mapped. While Bridge of Spirits does have a lock-on function for fighting, the game could have benefited from some kind of Zelda-esque Z-targeting. Balancing close quarter combat while trying to take down aerial enemies can result in some thrilling multi-tasking. Once Kena gains access to the bow mechanic, which is a transformation of her default staff, battles can get really intense. Movements are all extremely responsive, though parrying can be difficult to master and can feel a bit unfair at times. Kena: Bridge of Spirits Credit: Ember LabĬontrolling Kena is an absolute dream, and that extends to the fast-paced combat.
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