Mothergamer Plays Kena Bridge Of Spirits

 I had never played Kena Bridge of Spirits before, but I thought it looked great and I was interested in the story. When I started the game I was drawn in immediately by how beautiful the game looks. The game does a good job of introducing Kena and showing that she is a spirit guide that helps spirits to move on. The game gives a good tutorial on how Kena moves and how to use her spirit staff for combat. Kena moves well with roll dodges and slash attacks that in many ways reminded me of Legend of Zelda. Kena soon meets little spirit companions called the Rot and they are adorable while helping Kena through her journey. 

Kena explores a forest with the Rot. 

On the way to the village, Kena meets the spirit of the former elder who tells her that she must help the trapped spirits before she is granted passage to the shrine there. The first spirits Kena helps are the spirits of two children who are twins. They're very cute and their part of the story is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. As Kena goes on, there are puzzles to solve based on the mechanics of Kena's abilities and some are simple while others are a little more complicated, but each one gives a sense of accomplishment when the puzzle is solved. 

Kena helping the children spirits. 

Combat in Kena are a great time with the fighting mechanics being well thought out. The enemies Kena fights look like they belong in that world looking like a pollution of nature with monsters that look like trees or fire bats. Each creature has a weakness and it's up to Kena and the Rot to figure it out. Kena can use the Rot to help her fight, heal, and figure out puzzles. It's a nice melding of their powers adding another great layer to the game. 

Kena takes on a monster.

As Kena levels up, she can upgrade her skills and abilities as well as unlock new ones. She can also unlock abilities and power upgrades for the Rot. This is easily done in the user interface and it's laid out very well so navigating through the menu isn't a chore. As long as Kena has enough spirit shards she can unlock those things and get stronger along with the Rot. 

Upgrading skills. 

I loved the Rot and something that included them that I thought was terribly cute was the hat stalls where Kena could buy hats for the Rot. It's as adorable as you think and there is a variety of hats for them ranging from mushroom hats to fox hats. I bought so many hats for my little spirit friend.

Buying cute hats!

There were definitely some mechanic issues with the jumping. Some of the puzzles and gameplay require some platform jumping. The big thing was the double jump. Sometimes the double jump input wouldn't always work and it would make the jumping a little sticky so I would fail jumps and have to retry a lot. This wasn't a big deal and you can adjust the settings to make the game easier. I usually set it to the easy/casual setting anyway on games to make things easier on my arthritic hands. I didn't mind trying again, but during big boss fights it can be a bit frustrating to have to try again so many times when the jump controls are sticking. 

Kena and the Rot taking a break. 

I loved Kena. The story is emotional and well told and overall the gameplay is a lot of fun. Each chapter for the different spirits sharing their stories was beautiful and deeply moving. The message of forgiveness and hope through each individual's story stuck with me and it was shown in such a gentle and thoughtful way. The entire game is beautiful and I found myself stopping and just admiring the view and appreciating all the details that went into every vista. I'm so glad I got to play Kena Bridge Of Spirits because it is a wonderful game that tells a great story. 

A beautiful view.

*Kena Bridge Of Spirits is available to play on the following platforms: Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4, and Playstation 5

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