The BEST Indie Game of 2021? - Kena Bridge of Spirits Review (PS5/PS4)

Sometimes a smaller game comes along that manages to get everyone talking. Today we are digging deep on the goods ands bads for KENA to see why it is so HYPED!

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Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an action-adventure game developed and published by Ember Lab. The story follows Kena, a young spirit guide who uses her magical abilities to help deceased people move from the physical to the spirit world. The game is presented through a third-person perspective. The player uses Kena's staff for attacking enemies, and her pulse ability for defending against attacks. They are tasked with collecting small spirit companions known as the Rot, who help to complete tasks and battle against enemies. In this video DreamcastGuy reviews Kena on a PlayStation 5 while talking about the features of the PS5 version versus the graphics on the PS4 Pro. Also talked about is the gameplay, general story elements, and why the combat is so fun even with the constant need for upgrades. THis is a review style format video with Dreamcastguy talking over gameplay. The game's development was led by brothers Mike and Josh Grier, founders of Ember Lab. Having spent several years creating commercials and branded applications, the development team shifted to creating an original video game. They partnered with Sony Interactive Entertainment for a console-exclusive deal, and grew the team to 15 core employees. The game's art was created in collaboration with Vietnamese animation studio Sparx, and its fictional world is inspired by Eastern locations such as Japan and Bali. The original score was composed by Jason Gallaty, who collaborated with Balinese ensemble group Gamelan Çudamani to create respectful gamelan music.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits was showcased at the Tribeca Film Festival; reception to the demo was positive. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 on September 21, 2021.

[DreamcastGuy]

Thanks for watching and LIKING the video even though I uploaded so late lol. MUCH LOVE!! <3

[jenscee]

I’m 53 and have been gaming pretty much as long as consumer level video games have existed. This is a well made, gorgeous looking, fun little game. It’s certainly not easy, but not impossible. If you have a PS5, buy it and support smaller devs.

[Ozzyozzysheesh]

Considering how the dev team is only like 17 people, it’s amazing what they’ve made

[Zanoladab]

Its really good to a comment section where people actually enjoy a game which isn't AAA for the sake of enjoying it and not for turning it into some console war bs

[The-Vitruvian-Man]

I’d give it a solid 8.5-9/10. It’s dripping with charm and it’s unique, which is refreshing.

[fattiger]

I only played an hour or so, but I am impressed. While the game doesn't do anything new, it's really good, especially when you consider how small the studio is and the fact that this is their first game. It is by far the most AAA-looking indie game I've ever played.

I really hope the game sells well because I really want to see what Ember Lab can do next.

[pigsmacker]

Kena Bridgr of Spirits to me is a call back game to oldschool 3d action adventure platformers along the lines of Spyro, Tomb Raider, Jlak and Daxter, Ty The Tasmanian Tiger, Banjo, and Tak and the Power of Juju. Which are a genre of games we haven't seen anynew IP in for many many years now. So Kena feels like a breath of fresh air in comparison to the more currently overly satturated genre of games we have currently. If this game came out in the 1990s to early 2000s it wouldn't have been out if place. Not saying that as a bad thing mind you quite the contrary actually. I've heavily missed this genre of game.

I'm glad to see Kena is doing so well for an indie game. Hopefully it'll spark a newfound appreciation for these kinds of games. Kena is a great game for its asking price. I definitely recommend people pick it up at 40 dollars the game is a steal. Even PS4 the game looks and sounds stunning as well. So anyone on the fence of picking it up cause you want to play it on PS5 don't worry your experience won't differ much at all regardless of if you're on PS4 or PS5.

[Samtheging]

I loved playing this game! Taro’s story was SO SHOCKINGLY SAD AND POWERFUL
I couldn’t recommend Kena more highly!

[tomsimmons]

From a studio that started doing cgi commercials, this game is very promising. I can only imagine what Kena 2 will be like.

[tomcabler]

I totally disagree with a 8 score however most people and critics say the same thing 🤔 my opinion is 9 for the first time these developers did a fun enjoyable game like this we need more of them hopefully they come back and give us more 😀 still good review and opinion 👍 thanks 😊

[PLC_]

From my experience so far they Focussed on explanation and story telling over action. & I agree with a lot of what you had said, you nailed this review.

[Eternal-CMO]

FYI, if ya have a PS5 you should definitely play this in Performance Mode to get the best gameplay experience. It's dynamic 4K/60 FPS, but ya barely notice any difference; it still utilizes ray-tracing in reflections and whatnot. Whereas in Fidelity Mode at 30 FPS the game can stutter as you see in cutscenes because those are locked to 30 nomatter what.

Hopefully they continue to patch & optimize the game further. Wish they'd uncap the frames on cutscenes; one of my few gripes with Kena. That, and the tedious movement while swimming & controlling Rots in their true form.

[jermainemorgan]

This is a really good indie game. AAA quailty

[realfastkx]

Great review buddy, keep up the good work. Prayers for you and your friend.

[reylopez]

As someone who plays on harder difficulties, playing Kena on harder modes really exposes this games issues. This game has inconsistent dodging & parrying mechanics (ive platinumed many FromSoft games & Nioh). Also, the lack of NG+ really kills Master Difficulty for me. Lastly, it would've been nice if this game had a perks/equipment system (health regen/rot/defense buffs at bare minimum). This game is awesome, but these gripes hold it back from greatness.

[dg]

You are not late! You are the master and always on time! Hope your friend is doing well!

[chrisvillan]

I've just finished this tonight. It's a beautiful game, it doesn't do anything new in terms of gameplay but it's one of those games that is a wonder to explore and considering this is an indie studio and the first game they've made, I can only commend them.

[jphuwae]

Indie ? It’s one of the best game in 2021. Better than so many AAA titles

[MassiveRican]

I’d say don’t stress on the time, you got it out when you got it out and we’ll be here to watch. Insightful, well rounded and well explained, although I find the world building and personality of the game to be really good so I didn’t agree with ya there but def nice and thx 4 the upload.

[cgamer]

For some strange reason. It reminds me of Beyond Good and Evil. I love the charm it has.