Kena: Bridge of Spirits: Release date, trailer, gameplay & the Rot

Kena: Bridge of Spirits features a new female protagonist stepping into the spotlight in her own gorgeous story that looks right out of a Pixar movie. Here’s everything we know about the anticipated PlayStation and PC-exclusive title.

Revealed all the way back in June 2020, this story-driven action-adventure sees the titular Kena teaming up with a slew of cute little spirits known as the Rot to explore a breathtaking world.

With an emphasis on combat, puzzles, and exploration, fans of games like Tomb Raider and Uncharted will undoubtedly be drawn to this highly stylized adventure.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits release date

Currently, players can expect a September 2021 release. The game was initially slated to release back at the end of 2020, but was eventually delayed. At the February 25 PlayStation State of Play, Sony revealed its new release date for August 24, 2021, but then on July 28, revealed it’d been delayed again until September 21.

Though the game is a timed PlayStation console exclusive, the title will also be available to play on PC on the day of release.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits trailers

The only look into gameplay that we’ve seen so far was through the announcement trailer that was released in June 2020. While predominantly CGI-based, we were treated to a few small glimpses of how the world will look for players.

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In these glimpses, we saw Kena battling a variety of enemies in gorgeous locales, with dazzling effects that showcase the fantastic power of next-gen and PC capabilities.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits Announcement Trailer

What is Bridge of Spirits about?

The Eastern-inspired theme is highlighted in Kena: Bridge of Spirits throughout the trailer, with the narrator telling Kena that she is yet to understand the power that flows through the land.

The overarching theme of gameplay seems to take players on a journey to cleanse the darkness from spirits as they attempt to cross over – embarking on a journey of self-discovery throughout.

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The narrator concludes that Kena is “driven by the belief that [she] can help these troubled spirits, but [she] cannot hide [her] weakness from me.”

Gameplay

Featuring a Far-Cry-esque hub world that is improved and restored throughout gameplay, the story will also explore Kena’s personal struggles while attempting to help those stranded between realms.

The Rot will accompany you throughout gameplay, and will aid players in battle once enemies have initially been damaged enough. They’re also customizable — with cute hats!

Predominantly combat-based, players will be able to utilize Kena’s staff to perform charged, heavy, and light skill attacks. With upgradeable skills such as a magical bow and defense abilities, players will be able to improve throughout the game’s story.

Kena’s Pulse ability also provides players with ways to highlight clues, distract enemies and move objects in the world.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits pre-order bonus

On May 10, Ember Lab revealed that the game will have a pre-order bonus for PS5, PlayStation 4, and PC players.

If you pre-purchase through the PS Store or Epic Games Store, you’ll be given an exclusive and unique Rot hat, shaped like a classic party hat.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits final trailer and photo mode

As a final tease before the game’s release, Ember Labs have revealed a final trailer for Kena: Bridge of Spirits that also shows off the game’s photo mode. 

The new trailer doesn’t show off a lot of new content, but it does show the game’s protagonist doing some pulling some fun poses. The photo mode also looks to be more ambitious than the average photo mode.

Characters react to having the camera put in their face, some seem to enjoy it, while others do not so much. While photo mode may not be a game-changer or particularly essential, it’s still a nice inclusion to the overall Kena package.

 

 

Finally, we have confirmation that the game will offer two district modes when it comes to optimization. The game will offer Fidelity Mode which sees it run at a native 4K and at 30 FPS. There’s also a Performance Mode which upscales the game to 60 FPS for PS5 users with TVs capable of such. 

Finally, the game will take full advantage of the PS5’s activity cards feature, offering ‘Game Help’ activity cards for new players. Some Sony users will remember this function was widely touted prior to the console’s launch, before being largely ignored after release. It will be interesting to see if Kena: Bridge of Spirits brings this back to the forefront of  PS5 features.

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Kena: Bridge of Spirits release date is September 21, 2021 on PS5, PS4 and PC through Epic Game Store.