Kena: Bridge of Spirits, a PlayStation 5 launch title, can load from the PlayStation menu in just two seconds on the next-gen console. The PS5's processing power and solid state drive have allowed for numerous technological advances, and Sony has boasted quite fervently before that the new system is capable of eliminating load times completely.
There's always a lot of big talk surrounding the arrival of a new console generation. With Sony and Microsoft in direct competition, both companies have been working hard to prove that their console is the best by stacking up technical capabilities, advertising new features and functions, and showing off upcoming games. One of these games, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, was announced earlier this year at PlayStation's Future of Gaming event. The game is an action-adventure title that casts players as a spirit guide named Kena who must explore an abandoned village and gather a small army of tiny spirit creatures called the Rot who will enhance her abilities and accompany her throughout her quest. The game is set to release later this year for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, as well as PC through the Epic Games Store.
Since the game is set to appear on both current and next-gen PlayStation consoles, it should provide a good look at what the upcoming PS5 can do that its predecessor can't. That's just what reporters at Game Informer saw when they sat down with a demo of the game running on PS5. Kena: Bridge of Spirits was recorded launching fresh from the PS5's system menu - without being suspended beforehand - in just two seconds. According to Josh and Mike Grier of developer Ember Labs, this wasn't the only advantage that working with the PS5 gave them. The most substantial difference between the current and next generation of Kena is the Rot. There are 100 of these tiny spirits to be discovered throughout the world, but players won't be able to see all of them at once unless they're playing on the PS5. The gameplay functionality of finding all of them is unchanged, but there is a substantial visual difference.
The game's lightning-quick startup time is impressive to say the least. Waiting for a game to launch after it's been fired up might be a relatively minor annoyance, but it's a very consistent one, and most gamers will surely be happy to be rid of it. Furthermore, the incredible speed displayed here lends credence to Sony's claims that it will render loading times obsolete. Kena's launch time is a powerful indicator of just how advanced the next generation will be.
Video game fans clearly have a lot to look forward to when the new console generation finally arrives. The PlayStation 5 is capable of amazing things, and it's got a pretty strong lineup to boot. And now that Microsoft fans are finally starting to get a good look at pricing details for the next generation of Xbox, it shouldn't be too much longer before Sony finally drops the news on how much its new console will cost, too. In only a few short months, players will be able to enjoy exciting new games like Kena: Bridge of Spirits with all of the advantages that next-gen gaming can bring.
Source: Game Informer