Kena: Scars Of Kosmora Guides Players To A New Adventure This Year

The reveal of a sequel to 2021’s Kena: Bridge of Spirits was a pleasant surprise, but it really shouldn’t have been. That game was generally well-liked, sitting at an 81 Metacritic score for its PS5 version (not to mention a 9 out of 10 score from Game Informer). Developer Ember Lab also stated in October 2021 that Bridge of Spirits recouped its development costs in only one month after launch. Given that the game has been on sale for over four years, including its 2024 Xbox port, it’s safe to assume it was a sales success. Even with all of that, Kena: Bridge of Spirits simply had the vibe of being a one-off; we’re very happy to be wrong.

Kena: Scars of Kosmora takes place sometime after the first game. Kena is now older, looks a tad wearier, and has also become famous in her world for her spirit-guiding feats. She travels to the island of Kosmora in search of a cure for a mysterious affliction that has burdened her throughout her life. Upon arrival, Kena is confronted by a powerful spirit that shatters her staff, the key tool of a spirit guide that was also keeping her alive. This leaves Kena no choice but to embrace Kosmora’s forgotten form of Spirit Guiding to forge a new staff. However, this new power relies on alchemy to manipulate the power of the elements.

Instead of commanding armies of the Pikmin-like Rot as you did in the first game, Kena now gets assistance from elemental companions. The reveal trailer showed Kena befriending a small horned fox; we later see her riding atop a larger fox like a mount, potentially the same one. Ember Lab states the fox is only one of the many spirits players will encounter. Each spirit will be tied to a different element and will grow over time as they travel with Kena. And although the Rot are seemingly absent, the trailer does show off small, adorable green creatures that certainly evoke them.

Cleansing souls of corruption remains a core task of Scars of Kosmora. While the staff-based melee combat looks identical to the first game at a glance, Ember Lab promises the action has been deepened and expanded. For example, Kena now utilizes new elemental abilities. The trailer shows Kena throwing blue energy blasts that form a tornado and firing green energy to destroy similarly colored crystals, including those embedded in enemies. Kena: Bridge of Spirits was notable for being tougher than expected in the combat department, and I’m curious to see if Scars of Kosmora has a similar level of challenge.

Boasting a bigger, artistically stunning world, deeper combat, and, hopefully, an even stronger narrative, I can’t wait to jump into Kena: Scars of Kosmora. The first game was a wonderful treat during the early era of the current console generation, and I’m ready to help Kena save the living as well as the dead in her sophomore outing.