| Kena: Bridge of Spirits | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Ember Lab |
| Publisher(s) | Ember Lab |
| Director(s) | Mike Grier |
| Producer(s) | Josh Grier |
| Designer(s) | Jacqueline Yee |
| Writer(s) | Josh Grier |
| Composer(s) | Jason Gallaty |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 4 |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a 2021 action-adventure video game developed and published by Ember Lab. The story follows Kena, a young spirit guide who uses her magical abilities to help deceased people move from the physical to the spirit world. The game is presented through a third-person perspective. The player uses Kena's staff for attacking enemies, and her pulse ability for defending against attacks. They are tasked with collecting small spirit companions known as the Rot, who help to complete tasks and battle against enemies.
The game's development was led by brothers Mike and Josh Grier, founders of Ember Lab. Having spent five years creating commercials and branded applications, the development team shifted to creating an original video game after 2016. They partnered with Sony Interactive Entertainment for a console-exclusive deal, and grew the team to 15 core employees. The game's art was created in collaboration with Vietnamese animation studio Sparx, and its fictional world is inspired by Eastern locations such as Japan and Bali. The original score was composed by Jason Gallaty, who collaborated with Balinese ensemble group Gamelan Çudamani to create gamelan music respectful to the culture.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits was showcased at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2021. Following some delays, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the game was released for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows on September 21, 2021; it is scheduled to release for the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on August 15, 2024. It received generally positive reviews, with particular praise directed at its artistic design, original music, and the use of the Rot, though critics were divided on the gameplay, narrative, and characters. It received several awards and nominations from video game publications and awards ceremonies.