Kena: Bridge of Spirits is our newest cover-story game, and we’ve devoted 14 pages in our issue to Ember Lab’s journey title. We’re certain you could have loads of questions in regards to the game, which made its debut throughout Sony’s PlayStation 5 reveal occasion. We actually did, so we spent a number of days speaking with the staff and seeing the game in motion (on PlayStation 5 {hardware}!), and now we have solutions to among the largest questions we noticed floating round on-line.
Who is Kena?
Kena is the hero of the game. More particularly, she’s a spirit information – an individual with a particular reward who might help information stressed spirits to a peaceable finish. In Kena: Bridge of Spirits’ lore, individuals who have suffered nice trauma or who’ve unresolved enterprise can linger between the bodily and spirit world, inflicting bother for strange (dwelling) individuals. Kena’s job is to know what’s maintaining them from transferring on and serving to them reconcile previous occasions.
Does that imply if she dies within the game she’s going to dwell on in limbo as a stressed spirit as a result of she wasn’t capable of assist different spirits whereas she was alive? Unfinished enterprise, and all?
Oh. That’s an excellent query. I don’t know how you can reply that. Maybe ask one thing simpler?
How do you pronounce her title?
It’s pronounced KAY-nuh. Whew!
Does Kena speak?
Yep! Her voice appearing wasn’t finalized within the demo, however Ember Lab’s chief artistic officer, Mike Grier, informed us that she has loads to say. Kena is being performed by an actress who additionally sings on
a number of of the soundtrack’s songs.
Where are we, anyway?
Bridge of Spirits is about in a fictional place that’s an homage to a wide range of totally different Eastern places. You’ll discover nods to Japan, Bali, and different locations within the geographic options and structure. Kena’s not from the place she explores within the game, both. She needed to journey fairly a distance to get there. Mike jokes that she didn’t trip her bike over, to offer you a way of how far she’s come.
What’s up with these little guys we noticed within the trailer?
Those are the Rot, they usually’re an necessary a part of the game – each by way of gameplay and the story. As Kena travels round, she will discover them hidden on the planet (assume hidden Toads in a Paper Mario game), they usually’ll be part of her. That title isn’t simply coincidental. They’re liable for decomposing issues, and the truth that they’ve been scattered is among the the reason why this area has develop into tainted with corruption.
What can they do?
Lots of issues! Outside of fight, Kena can direct them to maneuver issues round to assist her. Can’t cross a giant hole? Maybe they’ll pull a damaged bridge again into form briefly. Can’t climb as much as that ledge? They can maneuver a block into place and provides her a lift. In fight, Kena can faucet into the Rot to distract enemies or infuse her assaults with particular energy. The Rot are timid by nature, nevertheless, and gamers should construct their braveness by damaging enemies earlier than they’ll enter the battle.
They can enter the battle? Uh oh. Can they die?
Nope! Mike doesn’t need gamers to see the Rot as a consumable useful resource; when you discover a Rot, they’re a part of the staff perpetually. You don’t want to fret about digging tiny little graves or something morbid like that.
What can Kena do?
She can do plenty of issues. Besides utilizing her employees’s primary gentle, heavy, and charged assaults, she will get an improve that bends the employees and turns it right into a bow. On protection, she will use a pulse capability to create a bubble-like protect round her. It has its personal well being meter, which will get depleted by enemy assaults. If she occasions its activation accurately, it should stagger enemies and make them extra prone to assault.
Some of that sounds type of acquainted. Is this like a 3D Zelda?
If you bought these sorts of vibes from the trailer, you’re not far off. There’s undoubtedly a 3D Zelda affect within the game, which shouldn’t come as a shock contemplating an earlier Ember Lab challenge… [LINK TO MAJORA’S MASK FILM]
Is there any type of character customization?
We didn’t see Kena placed on totally different clothes or get any beauty upgrades throughout our demo. Players can outfit the Rot with a wide range of totally different hats, nevertheless. Those could be discovered on the planet, and gamers should purchase hats for particular person members of the Rot crew by spending gems which are additionally discovered on the planet.
Are there microtransactions?
No.
That sounds actually cute. Is there going to be a method for me to seize how cute my staff appears to be like?
If you’re asking a few photograph mode, the staff shares your enthusiasm. Josh says the studio needs to incorporate such a mode, however they’ll’t say whether or not that function will make it in time for launch or if it could come by way of a later replace.
What engine did they construct this with?
Weird query, however Ember Lab constructed Kena: Bridge of Spirits with Unreal 4. An earlier prototype was inbuilt Unity, however improvement shifted over to Unreal.
Is this an open-world game?
Nope! You’ll encounter a village pretty early on within the game, and that serves as a hub. From there, you’ll be able to journey to a number of linked areas. Think of it as being huge linear. There are secrets and techniques to search out and issues to find off the principle path, but it surely’s not an open-world game.
What is the benefit of PS5 vs PS4?
We solely noticed the game working on PlayStation 5, so we are able to’t supply any side-by-side comparisons, however there are variations between the PS4 and PS5 variations. One of probably the most notable is the variety of Rot that you simply’ll see onscreen. On PS5, all of them could be seen concurrently. On PS4, you’ll nonetheless be capable of acquire all 100 of them on the planet, however you’ll see fewer of them at a time. They gained’t be any much less efficient in fight or throughout puzzle fixing, however there gained’t be as a lot of them seen without delay. Also, the forests and general foliage is denser on PlayStation 5.
How lengthy is it?
It’s robust to place a precise quantity on this, due to the variety of aspect actions, however Josh says they got down to make one thing gamers might comfortably end over a weekend.
How a lot does it value?
Kena: Bridge of Spirits isn’t going to be priced at $60. We don’t know the precise worth but, but it surely gained’t value as a lot as a standard full-priced retail game. If you purchase it on PS4, you’ll be able to improve the game to PS5 at no further value, too.
It appears to be like cute, however is it difficult?
Mike says the staff has numerous Sekiro and Soulsborne followers on the dev staff, and whereas the game isn’t fairly as much as FromSoftware program’s issue, gamers will likely be challenged on the very best setting. On the opposite finish of the spectrum, enemies gained’t be capable of one-shot you in most issue settings; you’ll be capable of maintain one last sliver of well being to offer you a preventing probability towards more durable enemies. Ember Lab needed to make a game that households might get pleasure from collectively, whether or not your loved ones simply needs to benefit from the story or is searching for more durable battles.
This all sounds good, however I don’t have a PlayStation. Am I out of luck?
You’re not! It’s additionally coming to PC by way of the Epic Games Store. As for when, Ember Lab hasn’t nailed down a selected launch date, however you’ll be able to anticipate to be enjoying it inside just a few months from now.
