Animation studio Ember Lab is set to debut its first video game in late 2020 with the release of Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Unveiled at the PlayStation 5 presentation in June, Kena: Bridge of Spirits will follow Kena, a young spirit guide helping to free trapped spirits near an abandoned village. The game will release for both PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, and will (eventually) come to PC via the Epic Game Store. Ember Lab has already assured fans that those who purchase the PS4 version of the game will be able to upgrade to the PS5 version at no cost.
That's good news as Ember Lab seems especially excited about how Kena: Bridge of Spirits performs on the PS5. It was recently revealed the PS5's better system allowed for denser foliage, the ability to display all 100 of Kena's collectible Rot companions on screen at the same time and a game launch time of about two seconds. On the PS4, Ember Lab scaled back certain graphical elements to ensure that the combat ran smoothly.
In an interview with Game Informer, the team at Ember Lab discussed how they are also excited for those playing Kena: Bridge of Spirits on the PS5 to experience the enhanced haptic feedback features on the PS5's DualSense controllers. Players can feel resistance as they draw a bow string, for instance, or feel which hand they are holding a Rot creature in. The DualSense allows for more nuanced information to be given to the player through the controller than the current PS4 DualShock is capable of.
As Kena: Bridge of Spirits draws closer to release, more information is being unveiled about the games mechanics and story, including how the Rot will help Kena on her journey, and what kind of combat inspired the dev team. Here's everything we know so far about the game:
Kena: Bridge of Spirits' Story
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is about Kena, a young spirit guide. She has the gift to help troubled spirits who are caught between the physical and spirit world because of trauma or unresolved business. Kena has traveled a great distance in search of a sacred mountain shrine, and must uncover why the spirits in the forest nearby seem particularly troubled. Along the way, she'll find and collect creatures called Rot, which not only help Kena explore, but are directly tied to the reason this region's spirits are unsettled.
Not much has been revealed about the specific threat Kena is facing, but the game trailer features a menacing figure and voice over that warns Kena she has "no power here." It appears this figure might deal Kena a particularly harsh blow early in the game, shattering the seemingly magical pendant she wears. The game description does mention a "strange curse" has affected the village that Kena discovers, likely tied to this menacing figure.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits' Gameplay
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an action-adventure game. According to a behind-the-scenes look at the game by Game Informer, Kena will rely mostly on her staff for combat, as well as a pulse ability that creates a shield and can stagger enemies. Kena's staff will also eventually get a bow upgrade. Developers have promised challenging combat, especially on the highest difficulty level, but have balanced that by making it impossible for enemies to get an instant kill on Kena. Instead, she'll drop to incredibly low health and have a chance at salvaging the situation before the enemy hits her again. The developers have mentioned there were a lot of "Sekiro and Soulsborne fans on the dev team," but that they also wanted Kena: Bridge of Spirits to be accessible to families, so it wouldn't be surprising to see a gentler version of the pattern recognition combat those kinds of games are famous for.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits will not be an open-world game, but will instead feature a hub village connected to several different regions. The trailer for Kena: Bridge of Spirits shows Kena using her powers to cleanse a darkened, cursed-looking area and restore it to a healthy looking forest. It wouldn't be surprising if Kena must travel to each region and cleanse it as part of her journey.
Also factoring into the combat and traversal mechanics are the Rot. There are 100 of these adorable black creatures scattered throughout the game, and they'll help Kena in her travels in a variety of ways. Sometimes they'll assist her getting into hard-to-reach areas by forming a bridge or maneuvering a block into place. They will also help Kena in combat by distracting enemies or giving Kena special abilities, though players will need to do a certain amount of damage before the Rot will join in the fight. And while it doesn't appear that there will be cosmetics for Kena, players will be able to outfit individual Rot with hats.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits' Release Date
No release date has been officially announced yet for Kena: Bridge of Spirits, but as of September 2020, Ember Lab hoped to have it in players' hands within a few months, which would coincide with a holiday 2020 release date. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a timed PlayStation exclusive, so it won't be on PC right at launch. Whether or not the game will come to other consoles down the road has not been confirmed. A price has also not yet been announced, but Ember Lab said it would be lower than a traditional $60 game. That seems to coincide with the game's length, as Ember Lab COO Josh Grier said Kena: Bridge of Spirits was "something players could comfortably finish over a weekend."
Update 9/11/20: Ember Lab announced via Twitter that the challenges of working from home have slowed development of Kena: Bridge of Spirits, and the decision has been made to push the release date until Q1, 2021.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is looking to be a bright action adventure that will also bridge quite nicely between the two versions of PlayStation. It's vibrant environment is inviting, but the real test will be in how well the game delivers on combat. The Rot look to add some interesting mechanics to battles, and the ability to stagger enemies with a shield ability will allow for some more finesse than simply mashing the attack button. It looks like there will be a beautiful and dangerous new world for players to explore when Kena: Bridge of Spirits releases in late 2020.
Source: Game Informer (1, 2), Ember Lab
Kena: Bridge of Spirits will release in 2020 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and on PC via Epic.