Kena: Bridge of Spirits is looking like one of many games in the running to be a highlight for the best PS5 experiences of 2021. The reviews for it couldn’t be better, especially since the game comes from a newly formed indie studio like Ember Lab. It’s a great success story so hopefully, the good reviews will translate into plentiful sales for the company. Even though many of the game’s elements were praised, like the photo mode, it’s not like Kena: Bridge of Spirits is perfect.
There are a few things that could be tweaked to make Kena a more pleasant experience no matter what platform someone checks it out in. To Ember Lab’s credit, it has been steadily releasing patches since the game's launch. Hopefully, that means these seven suggestions can make it in sooner rather than later.
7 Up The Swimming Speed
There are a couple of things that could be faster in Kena: Bridge of Spirits but the swimming animation is by far the most problematic. There is no equivalent to a running speed while swimming. It feels like Kena is sliding through mud or something thick like that.
For as tight as the gameplay and controls are overall, this element is very strange. A quickened pace would be good for a patch alongside the ability to jump out of the water anywhere and not just near shallow land.
6 Better Fast Travel
To the game’s credit, there are a plethora of fast travel points scattered throughout the world. The downside to this is that players can only warp from checkpoint to checkpoint. They can’t open up the map and choose to fast travel wherever they want.
This hinders the experience and may cause some people to be averse to exploring. It makes the process more tedious than it needs to be. Adding in the option to fast travel anywhere and at any point would be stellar. Along the same lines, the map itself could stand to use a little more color.
5 Unlock The Fourth Difficulty
Players can choose three difficulty modes at the beginning of the game. They can also choose to change this setting anytime they want to. There is a hidden fourth option but it’s blacked out at first. Players have to get through Kena: Bridge of Spirits in order to unlock the last difficult setting, which seems like a pointless requirement to include.
Why force players to finish a game on one difficulty to then unlock another? Kena: Bridge of Spirits can be a somewhat long game too and the idea of replaying the entire thing again after the hardest difficulty is unlocked is strange. Just like there are some people out there that wish for easier options in their games, others wish to play something on the hardest difficulty as soon as possible. It’s time to patch in that extreme mode.
4 Allow Kena To Run And Burst
One of the key gameplay elements of Kena: Bridge of Spirits has the titular character burst a blue light from her body. This is like a ping system that can guide players toward certain locations. It can even be used to light up crystals to solve puzzles.
It’s a fun mechanic to spam but there is a downside. Whenever players use this light, Kena will stop dead in her tracks which halts the momentum. It would be great if the developers could patch in a way to run and ping at the same time.
3 Add A Hint System
The ping system can be used to solve puzzles and to guide Kena, but it isn’t perfect. Kena can also equip masks which sometimes help, however, more often than not these clues can be vague. Because of this, a player may not know if they can solve a puzzle yet or not.
Why are they stuck? Are they missing something obvious in front of their eyes, or do they lack the ability to solve the situation? Adding in a hint system would do wonders to help struggling gamers out. Speeding up the mask equip speed would also be nice.
2 Tweak The Rot Animal Forms
Eventually, players will unlock an ability to combine the Rot together, forming clear coated animals. The first is like a slithering snake dragon or maybe a closer comparison would be a tadpole. This reformed creature can be used in battle but is mainly a way to break through certain cursed plant life and to solve puzzles.
While this is a cool mechanic, using this form can be awkward. Players have to simultaneously control the Rot and Kena at the same time. Adding in a patch to detach Kena from the experience, allowing players to use the Rot directly, would help make the controls feel less cumbersome.
1 Use Crystals For Upgrade Points
There are two types of currencies in Kena: Bridge of Spirits. One is used for upgrading Kena and the other is used to buy Rot accessories. There are plenty of crystals hiding in the world meaning players will have an abundance of money to spend on accessories.
These accessories, unfortunately, are only cosmetic. They won’t boost Rot stats. This can make the currency feel worthless. It would be neat if players could exchange these crystals for upgrade points. This may break the game’s balance but at least it would make these crystals feel more valuable.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits was released on September 21, 2021 and is available on PS4, PS5, and PC.