Every so often, an indie game breaks the mold and gets as much attention as a AAA title. Kena: Bridge of Spirits, developed and published by Ember Lab, looks like one of those games. It's an upcoming PlayStation and PC title that's already been favorably compared to everything from God of War to Pikmin to Pixar movies. In spite of all these comparisons, Kena: Bridge of Spirits looks pretty wholly original, telling a very compelling story about making peace with the spirit world. Even so, that means there's another comparison worth making. Kena is pretty similar to The Legend of Korra.
Taken at face value, Kena and Korra are pretty different characters. Kena may have spectacular magic at her disposal, but she doesn't have the mastery of the four elements that Korra does. However, they do share a talent that reflects a shared responsibility: they're both attempting to preserve the balance between the human world and the spirit world. Much of The Legend of Korra's later seasons focus on Korra and the rest of humanity's complicated relationship with the spirit world. Kena: Bridge of Spirits seems intent on exploring similar themes as Kena attempt to guide lost spirits to rest and protects the spirit world from corruption.
The Legend of Korra's Spirit World
The Legend of Korra puts a heavy emphasis on Korra's relationship with the spirit world after season 1. In season 2, she meets Unalaq and tries to learn to commune with spirits in the way he does. In the process, she ends up pitted against an evil spirit of chaos named Vaatu and meets the spirit named Raava that holds a close relationship with the Avatar. From season 2 onwards, spirits begin to have a greater influence on the human world, meaning Korra needs to learn to help humans and spirits live in peace.
Korra's relationship with spirits is arguably more complicated than Kena's. In Kena: Bridge of Spirits, there are really hardly any spirits that are inherently malevolent toward Kena. They're mostly corrupted spirits, forcing Kena to fight them. Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra share a much more complicated world of spirits, filled with beings that might happily harm the Avatar, even though the Avatar is the bridge between their worlds. Korra has to navigate these complicated spiritual politics much more constantly than Kena, who's responding to a spirit world thrown out of balance by an ancient curse.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits' Lost Souls
One important difference between The Legend of Korra and Kena: Bridge of Spirits is the spirit world's relationship with death. Characters in the world of Avatar don't go to the spirit world when they die. In contrast, Kena's role as a spirit guide means she's responsible for guiding lost human souls to the afterlife. A significant part of the game involves communing with human spirits and helping them find peace. Kena is responsible for expressing empathy for lost souls and helping them recover from the trauma they endured in life before they move on.
Although the death aspect of the spirit world is very different, it results in another notable similarity between Korra and Kena. Over the course of The Legend of Korra, the titular Avatar starts out brash and short-tempered, but begins to find inner peace and learns to interact with others empathetically, partially through her experiences in the spirit world. Kena: Bridge of Spirits' protagonist is similarly rewarded for her empathy. Through kindness, Kena forges a relationship with a group of spirits called the Rot, which helps her on her journey. Korra and Kena both show the importance of listening to others and treating the natural world with respect.
Just like its comparisons to Pikmin and other games, Kena: Bridge of Spirits' take on the spirit world may be comparable to The Legend of Korra, but they're also very distinct. Both Kena: Bridge of Spirits and The Legend of Korra tell stories about humanity's relationship with the spiritual and what people learn from their responsibilities as the bridge between humans and spirits. It's always interesting to see how media like Kena continue to explore the concept of the spirit world. Kena: Bridge of Spirits may still be a few weeks away, but at least its fans can watch The Legend of Korra in the meantime.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits releases August 24 for PC, PS4, and PS5.