Upon its release in September 2021, Kena: Bridge of Spirits was an instant crowd favorite. With a graphical style reminiscent of countless Pixar films, Kena was the first game ever created by the independent game development and animation studio Ember Lab headquartered in Los Angeles. After being an Epic Games Store exclusive for the past year, the title is available on Steam starting today.
For the next week, those interested in purchasing Kena: Bridge of Spirits on Steam can do with a 25 percent discount to celebrate the game’s release on the digital storefront. This is also a great way to celebrate the title’s free anniversary update, which is now live on console and PC versions.
The anniversary update is the largest DLC pack that has been added to the game thus far. To start, New Game+ is now available to those who have already completed the game. This will allow players to start from the beginning with all unlocked abilities, Rot, outfits, and more. It will also open up more difficult combat encounters.
Players can now find individually equipable Charmstones that will provide unique adjustments to Kena’s abilities and stats, as well as a new outfit for those who own the Deluxe Edition of the game.
The Spirit Guide trials being added with the update will challenge players’ skills across three different categories–Obstacle Courses, Wave Defenses, and Boss Reflects. These are replayable, and completing them will unlock new outfits for Kena, each one inspired by a character she meets on her epic journey. Color variations of these outfits can be unlocked by meeting certain bonus criteria in each trial, and players can also earn unique Charmstones.
Ember Lab co-founder Josh Grier, who wrote and produced Kena, had plenty to say about the anniversary update.
“Kena: Bridge of Spirits was our very first game and, as you might expect, means a great deal to everyone at the studio,” Grier said. “It’s one of the reasons why developing this DLC has been a labor of love. In particular, we can’t wait to see fans play the New Game+ mode, which will allow players who’ve completed the game to restart Kena’s journey with all of their previously unlocked abilities, upgrades, outfits, Rot, etc, as well as redesigned and more challenging combat encounters.”
During last year’s DICE Awards, Kena: Bridge of Spirits was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Animation, Art Direction, Character, and Music Composition. The title won Indie Game of the Year at the SXSW Gaming Awards, as well as Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game at The Game Awards in 2021.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits was initially released on September 21, 2021 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via the Epic Games Store.
