History VideoGame / KenaBridgeOfSpirits

* MultiStageBattle: The final boss fight against [[spoiler:the Corrupted Rot God is this. First, you have to shoot at his weak points, then, you're teleported into another dimension and have to fight a long series of enemies, all still without your Rot Power, before you regain one point of Rot Courage. Then, you shoot at the God's weak points again, before you are teleported into a platforming section and regain your remaining Rot Power. Finally, you fight the Rot God directly one last time before the battle is truly won.

* AnAesop: Change is a necessary part of life, and holding on to what is lost can be self-destructive.

* SwordDrag: The cinematic before the boss fight with the Corrupt Woodsmith shows the boss grabbing and dragging [[DropTheHammer her big hammer]] as she gets ready to fight Kena.

* DegradedBoss: Most (mini)boss encounters in the game serve to introduce large, tough enemy types that you'll meet again repeatedly throughout the game.

* NintendoHard: For all of its whimsical setting and western animation-style characters, this game is a deceptively brutal game in terms of difficulty. As many reviewers and players have come to discover, combat requires quick timing and awareness at all times. Bosses and minibosses have numerous deadly moves that can easily kill Kena in a couple of hits, and dying to a boss (up to, and including, a ''five-stage'' final boss) requires starting from the very beginning. Moreover, since the game does not feature health potions or other healing items apart from specific locations within an arena, the player only has a limited number of heals. And even outside of combat, the game does not hold the player's hand in terms of finding collectibles or Rot located throughout the map, making HundredPercentCompletion difficult to obtain.

''Kena: Bridge of Spirits'' is an ActionAdventure exploration game developed by Ember Lab[[note]]Well known for the ''Film/MajorasMaskTerribleFate'' short film, based off of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask''[[/note]] for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/PlayStation5, and Windows released on September 21, 2021.

The product page on the UsefulNotes/EpicGamesStore can be viewed [[https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/product/kena-bridge-of-spirits/home here.]] The trailers can be seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxzWlIbnp3U here]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWh5388AEHw here.]]

* TheSacredDarkness: Kena is a Spirit Guide who sees out Rot spirits, friendly beings that are explicitly stated to be a force of good by maintaining the balance of the world by decomposing dead things. Also, they're adorable.

* SwordDrag: The cinematic before the boss fight with the Corrupt Woodsmith, shows the boss grabbing and dragging [[DropTheHammer her big hammer]] as she gets ready to fight Kena.
* ThrowDownTheBomblet: The final weapon unlocked is an energy bomb. In addition to its use as a weapon, it can be used to bomb certain rocks, creating platforms or unlocking certain puzzles. An upgrade allows it to split into several homing bomblets if shot, attaching to the nearest enemies for a weaker blast.

** Corrupted Toshi has a lantern hanging around his neck that can be shot to stun him briefly or interrupt certain attacks. It regenerates every so often. One of the trials requires shooting it in the middle of his grab attack.

* AttackItsWeakPoint: Most of the miniboss monsters have one or more yellow crystals on their body. Shooting them does extra damage and generates courage for Rot attacks.

* BossRush: The final trial is a battle against the three spirit world bosses (Warrior, Hunter, Mask Maker). The Warrior and Hunter spawn as a DualBoss, with the Mask Maker replacing whoever is killed first. Part of the challenge is managing to kill the first two at nearly the same time so the Mask Maker's teleportation doesn't pose as mich of a threat

* NewGamePlus: The anniversary update, released in September 2022, introduced this option, allowing you to retain your abilities, Rot upgrades and collectibles such as outfits and Charmstones from a previous playthrough. Notably, you do ''not'' retain your health upgrades, forcing you to start at base health and collect meditation points all over again to upgrade your health as you progress. The mode also increases the number of enemies in combat encounters, introduces new combat encounters (including late-game enemy types ambushing you in early-game areas), and gives each main story boss an additional phase where they regain some health and throw new moves at you.

-->--''' Narrator'''

* AndYourRewardIsClothes: Finding certain chests and completing trials will unlock hats for the Rot and outfits for Kena that you can buy at the store. These don't do anything outside of looks.

** The Hunter boss wields one against you.

* MagicStaff: Kena's weapon is a magical staff topped with a blue crystal. Aside from casting magic Kena can also use it as an EnergyBow.

* ThrowDownTheBomblet: The final weapon unlocked is an energy bomb. In addition to its use as a weapon, it can be used to bomb certain rocks, creating platforms or unlocking certain puzzles.

* EnergyBow: Early in the game, Kena learns to use her staff as one of these by channelling the energy of the mountain. The bow can hold four shots (six with upgrades) that recharge over time.

* ShoulderPet: A Rot with moss/grass growing from its back can ride around on Kena's shoulder. It's the first Rot she finds, being at a noticeably smaller size than its compatriots, and generally acts as a NoticeThis indicator for Kena.

* StraightGay: During the quest to free Aldira's spirit, Kena will learn that she was in a romantic relationship with Hana. While the two are lesbians, at no point does the game drum out any LGBT stereotypes nor is their relationship ever seen as a point of objection or controversy within the village.

* And your reward is clothes: Finding certain chests and completing trials will unlock hats for the Rot and outfits for Kena that you can buy at the store. These don't do anything outside of looks.

* NewGamePlus: The anniversary update, released in June 2022, introduced this option, allowing you to retain your abilities, Rot upgrades and collectibles such as outfits and Charmstones from a previous playthrough. Notably, you do ''not'' retain your health upgrades, forcing you to start at base health and collect meditation points all over again to upgrade your health as you progress. The mode also increases the number of enemies in combat encounters, introduces new combat encounters (including late-game enemy types ambushing you in early-game areas), and gives each main story boss an additional phase where they regain some health and throw new moves at you.