Kena: Bridge of Spirits Digital Deluxe Upgrade (DLC)

Let's be clear about what this is: a small cosmetic DLC for one of the more visually striking action-adventure games to come out of an indie studio. If you already own Kena: Bridge of Spirits and want a few visual flourishes to go with your playthrough, this pack delivers a reskinned version of Kena's magic staff, a new look for the adorable Rot companions, and the full digital soundtrack. That's the complete contents list, and you should go in knowing that before clicking buy. For context on why any of this matters, the base game is the kind of thing the Digital Deluxe trimmings are meant to celebrate. Kena herself is a spirit guide moving through a semi-open, lushly detailed world, using her magic staff for light and heavy melee, a bow for ranged combat, throwable bombs unlocked in the second act, and a conjured force field for blocking. The Rot, those tiny creature companions at the heart of the whole game, assist with environmental puzzles and fill a courage meter in combat that lets you unleash them on a single enemy to stun or damage it. The alternative Rot skin changes how those companions look throughout the entire run, which is not nothing given how much screen time they get across the 8-10 hour campaign. The digital soundtrack is arguably the strongest item in the pack. Ember Lab wove gamelan-influenced music through the whole game, and the score does a genuinely good job shifting tone between the melancholy of corrupted villages and the intensity of boss fights. Having it as a standalone file means you can actually listen to it away from the game, which is more than most soundtracks earn. What this pack cannot do is fix any of the base game's criticisms. The combat has been called button-bashy by more than a few reviewers, the difficulty curve between standard enemies and bosses is steep in a way that feels abrupt rather than designed, and the late-game leans hard on a specific bomb-plus-arrow puzzle loop. A new staff skin does not address any of that. If you're on the fence about whether Kena is the right game for you, this DLC should not be the thing that tips you over. Buy this if you already love the base game and want a bit of visual customisation and the soundtrack in your library. Skip it if you haven't bought Kena yet and are trying to work out whether the game is worth your time. That decision lives entirely elsewhere.

Alex · Scout Team

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