The Rot are the heart of the game, and power the essence of the game’s longevity. Indeed, there’s an entire button dedicated to sitting on the floor to play with them, and even a ‘sneeze’ command to have the littlest one achoo in delightful kawaii levels of cuteness. They are always there, running behind you, sitting on your shoulder, or jumping up and down in excitement. Even a simple thing like standing and looking around an area is enhanced by their presence, as the little creatures will climb and clamber on the scenery to give it a deeper and more personal sense of realism. If you don’t like the little creatures, then many of the title’s more enticing moments will be lost on you. They gather in number around you, ready to hop and run to help in any way they can.Įnjoying the Rot is intrinsic to enjoying the game itself. It is with the Rot that you can bring bloom to areas of desolation, stun and confuse enemies, and even move enormous boulders. At first, they seem pretty pointless, but it soon becomes clear that they act as a mechanical hook for the game itself. The Rot are small, black, and energetic, and serve as Kena’s friends and allies as she explores the world. It seems almost unfair, given their cute (and unmouldy) nature, but it’s a simple name (which like ‘sheep’ feels both singular and plural) and it sticks in the mind straight away. I do not know why the cute little creatures that act as the protagonist’s companions have been named ‘Rot’. Still, there is no doubt that Kena’s graphics are a tour-de-force and something about which the developers should be rightly proud. There’s a desire to want to label this visual masterpiece as perfect and that’s stolen with these minor issues. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before in thousands of games, but here it feels a little jarring. Collision detection with objects can get a little fluffy, and Kena occasionally steps through a log or floats above something in an ethereal way when really her feet should be tight to the ground. It’s so realistic and compelling that I happily spent a few minutes just swimming around, joyfully relaxing in the calm lake. There are tangible leaves that float here, a shimmering view of clear water onto rocks, and light that streams from the early-autumn sky illuminating and casting shadows in equal measure. Early on, you come across a waterfall with its enticing pool at the base, and Kena swims a delicate breaststroke through the water. In-game graphics are beautifully lit and filled with details. Yes, there’s a difference between the two, but it’s not so much that you notice. The graphical quality doesn’t drop too much once you leave the realm of pre-rendered cutscenes and travel into the game itself. It’s a fully realised world, complete with people, spirits and little cute creatures that are utterly endearing. It has landscapes that you could freeze and make into posters you’d be pleased to have on the wall. The hand of experienced animators is all over Kena, with characters that move and speak with accuracy, and have facial expressions and little movements that make them seem real. It’s not just in terms of graphical quality. This is a console game that can stand tall against the biggest offerings Disney has-and that’s some achievement. Fast-Paced Combat: Spirits have become corrupt, trapped, and unable to move on, challenging Kena at every turn.Coming home from Frozen II at the cinema a couple of years ago, I chatted animatedly with my children about how incredible the whole thing looked and I sit and look at Kena with the same open-jawed response. Draw on the power of the Spirit Realm to restore this once-majestic world.
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