2.5/5 ★ – carpenkinda428's review of Kena: Bridge of Spirits.

I found myself pretty excited for this game, as the art direction looked beautiful and the gameplay boasted a classic Zelda-like quality that I’ve always loved. And while that comparison to Zelda is still apt thanks to a pretty fun gameplay progression, I can’t say that extends to its storytelling. Maybe it’s because of other Playstation exclusives that this is releasing in close proximity to, but I found it really annoying how the translation between gameplay and cutscene is so drastic that they feel disconnected in a way that a small game like this doesn’t have to be. In fact, much like God of War or (maybe a more similar comparison) Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, this game could’ve welcomed either a more fluid transfer or a focus on everything happening in game. Another part of why this annoyed me so much is that the voice acting here kills any true investment in the game’s characters and world. The script is already incredibly underwritten but the voice acting feels lazy and unbelievable when trying to take in what defines each character. The Taro section of the game takes way longer than it should too, as compared to the other sections of the game, I was almost convinced that the Taro storyline had to be a huge part of the overall narrative and arc for Kena due to how much time you spend on that side of the map. In actuality though, Kena’s journey simply ends up being a series of vignettes focusing on four characters, with Taro’s being unnecessarily long. On the gameplay side of things though, this vignettes make perfect sense. Each section introduces new mechanics that makes for some quick but smart puzzles and each boss fight allows for a fluid use of all the mechanics together. It helps too that all of this is done through excellent art direction and a great use of the Dualsense’s capabilities, particularly the bow and arrow which is the best feeling bow and arrow on the Dualsense so far. Overall, there’s a good amount of enjoyment to be had with Kena: Bridge of Spirits. With a more interesting story and cast of characters, it could’ve been a great game but for now, the game insinuates a lot of promise rather than delivering on it.