Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Best short games to finish under 10 hours | 2021

What's Kena?

From the first minutes after launching Kena, I always felt like the game was created around a single idea: "What if Kratos landed in the Nibel forests?" The gameplay mechanics based on combat, environmental puzzles and backtracking combined with the open world made me think back to the last God of War, while the beautiful, colorful, fairy-tale world full of extraordinary creatures and magic seemed a land straight from the games about the kind spirit Ori.

This time, however, we play the role of a young guide spirit, trying to find out what's behind the corruption consuming the land and the village located in its heart. Instead of Atreus, cute and funny creatures called Rotami come to aid us. Our inseparable companions support us both during the exploration of the location and during clashes with opponents.

What makes it worth it?

The Rots have won my heart over. The creatures are the icing on this fairy-tale cake. Working with them, finding and collecting them, watching their somewhat clumsy and cute behavior, or equipping them with some crazy hats is this game's mainstay. By casting these into a well-designed and genuinely beautiful world, the creators gave us a place where we can relax, smile, admire the view.

Often this idyll is interrupted by opponents who, led by demanding bosses, can spoil our fun. The fights are dynamic and varied, with a range of combat possibilities that the creators have given us, and which we discover and develop over time.