There has been a lot of talk this year about Xbox console exclusives like Hi-Fi Rush, As Dusk Falls, and Sea of Thieves going multiplatform and being readily available on the PlayStation 5 as a result. For once, we’re seeing that process work the other way around.
Next week, Ember Labs will release Kena: Bridge of Spirits on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. This game has a reputation as being one of the best-looking PS5 exclusives. Having gone hands-on with its Xbox Series X port, I can say that Kena: Bridge of Spirits is just as good as it’s ever been on the new platform. If you never had a chance to try Kena: Bridge of Spirits because you don’t own a PS5, this Xbox port gives you the perfect excuse to check out this memorable adventure.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits follows the titular spirit guide as she explores the area around a remote mountain village and shrine. The land is filled with corruption, and in order to rid the area of it, Kena needs the help of cute and small but powerful creatures called the Rot. Along the way, she helps people who are stuck between the real world and the spirit world pass on, such as a concerned older brother who was separated from his twin siblings. It’s a surprisingly personal adventure, where players are slowly informed of Kena’s personal character traits as she interacts with all the different spirits she encounters on her quest.
On the gameplay front, Kena: Bridge of Spirits mixes action, platforming, and Pikmin-like unit commanding in how players can control the Rot. Nothing about Kena’s exploration or combat is that original, except for the fact that Kena builds up energy with every attack and can eventually use that to command the Rot with various abilities. Some stun enemies, while in certain situations Kena can command the Rot to combine into a more powerful form. Outside of battle, Kena will occasionally need to command the Rot to move certain objects for her in order to solve environmental puzzles. It’s not extraordinary, but is solid enough to serve as a backbone for the game’s narrative and audiovisual experience.
Neither story nor gameplay made Kena: Bridge of Spirits as a PS5 classic. That honor goes to its overall presentation. Instead of going for an ultra-realistic look, developer Ember Lab went a highly detailed, stylized one. It looks as good if not better than contemporary animated fantasy films like Pixar’s Onward or DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Ember Lab came from a background in 3D animation; the studio made a viral animated short film about Skull Kid from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask in 2016. The studio utilized that experience to make Kena an immaculately animated action-adventure game.
It’s the kind of game that doesn’t feel next-gen because of particle effects or ray tracing, but because of outstanding art direction. The Xbox port of Kena: Bridge of Spirits still runs well across both of its graphics modes. Performance mode “targets 60 frames per second with upscaled 4K resolution,” while Fidelity mode has a “locked frame rate of 30fps at native 4K resolution.” I wasn’t able to test it on Xbox Series S, but it’s worth noting that it’s the cheapest hardware that you can play this great-looking game on. (Both screenshots in this article were taken in Fidelity mode if you want an idea of how good this port looks.)
Kena: Bridge of Spirits’ industry-leading visuals made it a defining game for the PS5 early on in its lifespan. As is the case with many of the Xbox exclusives that went multiplatform, it’s an experience that has no mechanical or technological reason to be stuck on just one console platform. I’m glad Xbox players now have the chance to try out this PS5 classic. I hope any other third-party exclusives on either console also eventually make the jump to other platforms, whether they’re big like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on PS5, indie like Dungeons of Hinterberg on Xbox, or somewhere in between like this game.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits launches for Xbox Series X/S on August 15. It’s currently available on PC and PS5.
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