Check out these other reviews
| Don’t miss anything and follow us on Google News! |
It’s fascinating how video games have facets that constantly impress us. I say this because, in an industry plagued by so many weekly releases, it’s difficult for us to give the opportunity to the proposals that really deserve it. Don’t get me wrong, time is precious and unfortunately we can’t play everything that comes our way.
Subscribe to the GX channel on YouTube
In this context, there is a game that has landed in 2021 and, although it has done so on other platforms, it is never too late to enjoy an adventure that has everything it takes to surprise us. And not only that, but also to capture our attention, in addition to the pleasure of having played it now on Xbox. I mean Kena: The Bridge of Spiritswhich gives up its exclusivity and reaches more players.
Technical section
Kena: Bridge of Spirits absolutely shines in its technical part, which is a great compliment considering that we are not facing a triple A production, but rather a more modest production, in which its developers have left their soul. We are not exaggerating, the title is quite exceptional.
We find an almost perfect work in its artistic section, with characters and a world that seem to come out of an animated film, and not just any film, but a very good one. This shows the great talent that the Ember Lab team overflows with Kenabecause they completely amazed us.
Impressive from an audiovisual point of view
As you already know, the game enters through the eyes; However, it offers you two modes to enjoy it: on the one hand, the performance mode, in which a little graphic quality is usually sacrificed to maintain a solid 60 fps; However, if you do not care about fps and prefer a better visual experience, you can have fun with the graphics mode.
From whatever angle you look at it, we have nothing negative to mention in this regard. The lighting effects stand out, the sets so lively and rich, in addition to the beautiful Rots What we accomplish along the way. All this is combined with exquisite cinematics, which leave us even more impressed.
In the sound part, its soundtrack dazzles and captivates, accompanying every moment of the adventure or action, as the case may be. This will not disappoint any player. What many may not like is that we do not have voices in Spanish, but in English. Nothing serious, since we also have subtitles in Spanish that help us understand. In addition, this does not hinder the experience or take away from everything it offers us.
beautiful landscapes
A wonderful play of lights
A cozy atmosphere
Finally, we are faced with a resounding and very charming audiovisual show, which gives us the impression of being in an animated film. It is a marvel of acting, considering, as we have mentioned, that it is a modest production, but very well done. With this beauty at the technical level, it has already gained a great deal of acceptance in the game.
Gameplay
If before we were delighted with the technical section of Kena: Bridge of Spirits, at this point we find another of the great advantages that this title offers us: its playability.
We will be Kena, who acts as a spiritual guide whose purpose is to guide spirits that wander and need to find their way to another existential plane. Until that moment, we identify with the character and his mission.
Then we will meet other characters who will help us understand what we have to do. Although in this process we have managed to connect with them, we have disconnected a little from our protagonist, being relegated to the background.
As the adventure progresses, we find ourselves at a crossroads, because the apparently charming presentation of the game hides two interesting aspects that we will discover.
On the one hand, we are faced with a style of play that can quickly be identified with one of the most emblematic sagas of the industry: Zelda. Kena has this exploration component that invites us to discover and visit every corner of the place, with beautiful landscapes and an extensive, but not overwhelming, map that gives us freedom, but without going too far into secondary missions.
The above is reinforced by the appearance of the Rotssmall creatures that will be our support, helping us to purify the areas full of evil. Although these little ones, we must find them hidden in every corner of the place (through exploration) and, as their number increases, we will also learn new skills.
So far, the adventure is rewarding and suitable for everyone. However, a twist takes us to the combat mechanics, where the game becomes demanding and acquires a soul-likewhich suits him perfectly, because our fight won’t focus on pointless button mashing.
This is where we will measure the strength with the enemies. Although the smaller ones do not present much of a challenge, the challenge comes from the sub-bosses and bosses, varied and present in good numbers. We will have to learn their patterns to dodge and attack correctly; otherwise, death will become a constantno matter what difficulty level you choose, because mercy will not be on the side of the hostiles.
Don’t worry, because we will have a skill tree that will help us increase our attack and, therefore, improve our defense. It may seem a bit small, but it is so complete that it is enough to help us.
We will have a magic staff with which we can attack, and it will also serve as a bow to shoot energy arrows, being able to improve it considerably. In addition, our character will have the classic jump and double jump. We will also have a shield that will help us to make a kind of to adorn if we activate it at the right time.
Additionally, you can dodge with a button, and you have a kind of energy ball that can explode. Last but not least, the Rots Not only do they serve to purify areas, but in combat they also serve to distract enemies, allowing us to attack with force.
Everything the title offers is robust and varied, ranging from the calm of exploration with moments of absolute peace, to intense and tense combats against enemies. These elements come together to offer us a great playable experience, which becomes the second pillar of the game.
The third and great pillar is accompanied by puzzles and platforms, which beautifully close a gameplay that, although not new, is very remarkable in its execution. This title invites us to enjoy, feel and demand ourselves, spending pleasant moments and discovering its charming story.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an artistically extraordinary title, but it doesn’t stop there. Its gameplay knows how to exploit its technical virtues to offer us something fun, demanding, with moments of calm and tension. It is a rich playable experience that is definitely worth playing.
Duration
There are games that depend on duration to offer us something entertaining. In this case, Kena: Bridge of Spirits goes straight to the point, since we will have a common goal to achieve. This translates into Our visit will be brief. By that I mean the game is short, and that doesn’t mean it’s highly recommended.
What will prolong your path comes from the clashes with bosses and enemies, since the difficulty, depending on the one you have selected, will make the challenge difficult to overcome. It is not an easy game, at least as far as combat is concerned, so you will surely repeat a battle more than once.
There are collectibles, which come in the form of hats for your Rotsin addition to other objects that we can discover during our exploration. Although it is a world that seems vast, it is not overwhelming and our short journey will be enough to enjoy it.
Conclusion
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is undoubtedly one of the biggest surprises we have on Xbox for 2024. Regardless of whether it came first to other platforms, it can only be described as a great adventure that deserves to be recommended, especially if you are one of those who are with Microsoft and have not played it.
Don’t be fooled by its perfect art style, which hooks us at first glance, because it is much more than a pretty game. It has a combat system that reminds us of the soul-like and, in addition, its (adjustable) difficulty offers us a level of challenge worthy of any player.
This way I can guarantee that you will enjoy a story and characters This will keep us going until the end, because games like this will always be enjoyed if we can play them on Xbox.
*Thanks to Ember Lab for the code to perform this game analysis.
Franklin Eduardo
-
Playability and fun
95/100 -
Technical section
100/100
The good
- Rots are charming and useful
- Artistically and technically spectacular
- The fight between souls is wonderful
- Bosses and sub-bosses give us a good challenge
- It has a good balance of platforming, puzzles and exploration.
Bad
- Kena’s story remains in the background
- It can be a bit difficult (even with a difficulty selector)
👋 Follow us on:
Stay up to date with all the latest Xbox and Microsoft news on our social channels.
Table of Contents
