Having played through this twice, I will say that my PC playthrough wasn’t perfect. Your goal is to clear the corruption, and as you fight the lingering evil, the world bursts into color in a manner similar to how The Saboteur would when freeing Paris from German occupation, showcasing the vibrant and magical setting that Ember Lab managed to create using Unreal Engine 4 for Kena: Bridge of Spirits. One segment that highlights the game’s visual beauty is when you enter one of the many hubs filled with corruption, which boast areas that have been drained of life and painted in a noir style filter in a manner reminiscent of Pandemic Studios’ The Saboteur. Your journey takes you through rich forest spaces and to the highest mountains above the main village with incredible draw distances, plenty of wallpaper-worthy moments, and a well-done Photo Mode to capture it all. The world is stunning as Ember Lab drew inspiration from Eastern locations such as Japan and Bali to create something magnificent. However, once you step foot into the open-world the art design ratchets up immensely. Upon booting up the game, it becomes clear that the game is going to look good as the light from Kena’s staff shines bright blue in a dimly lit cave. Imagine learning more about the world Kena inhabits while solving puzzles in a manner akin to Naughty Dog’s approach with Uncharted’s puzzles. The answer here isn’t to add more powers or to make them more challenging, it’s to switch up the approach to puzzle’s in a video game that leans heavily into art and stunning visual design. Moving forward, aside from cutting down the repetition present in this title, a neat angle to take would be for Ember Lab to infuse storytelling into the puzzles. I will say the familiarity of it all works fine, but the repetitive nature knocks the gameplay down a few pegs. Use the bow to traverse a gap, use the Rot to move a heavy object, or use a bomb projectile to lift and freeze structures are common themes in the game’s approach to puzzle solving. It’s very familiar in a good and bad way as, towards the end of the game, Kena’s abilities have only expanded by a few new additions, so you’ll see that the puzzles require a repetitive approach to solving them. You’ll find yourself interacting with spirits looking to move on, restoring prayer sites by clearing the corruption, and completing various puzzles that will have you combine Kena’s abilities to complete an objective. Much in line with games like Dishonored, Bridge of Spirits is a bunch of smaller open-world hubs tied together by the main village. Kena: Bridge of Spirits isn’t a fully open-world experience, even though it feels like it is. I will mention the end of the game does get challenging, so be ready. You’ll need all the help you can get from them as combat is surprisingly challenging for a game that presents itself as sweet and innocent, and clearing up the world Kena inhabits is a daunting task for the young spirit guide. They also serve as little lifters as they can move heavy objects around for Kena. They help by clearing the corruption in conjunction with Kena’s spirit staff, they can aid you in combat by powering up your attacks for a “Rot-infused” boost or by stunning opposition for a short period. The Rot play a variety of roles in Kena: Bridge of Spirits.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |