![]() Troubled souls sometimes have difficulty letting go, and they cause havoc, but Kena receives help from the Rot, which are cute, black balls of fluff that boost her moves and assist her with environmental puzzles. Kena is a spirit guide who helps troubled souls make their transition to the spirit world. ![]() ![]() Kena managed to be one of the most celebrated releases of 2021, establishing Ember Lab as a competent, award-winning studio. It was also able to snag the Best Independent Game Award and the Best Debut Indie Game Award at 2021’s The Game Awards ceremony, marking a stellar start to Ember Lab’s time in the gaming world. However, the studio was unknown, and there was, understandably, some skepticism surrounding whether it could deliver on its promises.įortunately, the tiny studio was able to execute its idea well, and upon release, Kena: Bridge of Spirits won the hearts of gamers and critics alike. When the game was first showcased to the world, its cutesy art style and whimsical environments immediately caught everybody's attention. Ember Lab also branched out and made animated short films, which is where its interest in video games also became apparent, as its short film Terrible Fate is inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.Īccording to Mike Grier, the idea to make a video game came during a lunch conversation, and though they did not have experience in the realm of video game development, they were able to sell their idea to Sony through their experience with pitching projects in the commercial world. The studio started out making animated shorts and commercials for companies such as Coca-Cola, Hi-Sense, and MLB, and this helped it to gain experience and build a good portfolio. RELATED: A Look Back at 2020's PlayStation Showcase The Origins of Ember Lab and Kena: Bridge of SpiritsĮmber Lab is a small studio created in 2009 by two brothers named Mike and Josh Grier. Though Ember Lab is good at making animated films, it should stick to video games, as it has the skills necessary to make masterpieces. However, gamers have not heard much from Ember Lab regarding what its plans are or whether it intends to continue pursuing gaming. Kena has been on the market for a while, and in that time it has swept up its fair share of awards. While gamers were unfamiliar with Ember Lab at the time of Kena's release, afterward it was one of the studios to look out for. Though the game packs in many of the features that have come to characterize modern action-adventure games, Kena: Bridge of Spirits stands out thanks to its South-East Asian inspirations, which are apparent in its soundtrack and colorful visuals. Read more on that through here.In 2021, Ember Lab surprised the world with Kena: Bridge of Spirits, an ambitious indie game with cutscenes that look like they belong in a Pixar movie and a protagonist primed to be an action heroine. Meanwhile, the developer has also said that it plans on continuing to support Kena for some time and already has ideas for new content and features to add to the game. Ember Lab recently said that it would “look into other platform releases” for the action-adventure title. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is available on PS5, PS4, and PC. The studio is undecided on what its next project should be, but does know that it’ll be another narrative-driven game. Meanwhile, Grier also says that thanks to Kena’s success, Ember Lab is “not going back to commercials” and will be a full-time game developer going forward. “It’s hard to tell what’s a huge success,” said Ember Lab co-founder Josh Grier. Speaking to Bloomberg about Kena: Bridge of Spirit’s sales since launch, though Ember Lab didn’t provide any specific figures, they did confirm that the game has already recouped its initial development costs and that the developer has been pleasantly surprised with how it’s been selling. ![]() ![]() And though it doesn’t always happen, it looks like here the game’s critical success is being mirrored in commercial success as well. Kena: Bridge of Spirits generated quite a bit of hype and anticipation in the months leading up to its launch, and upon release, the solid critical reception it enjoyed certainly reaffirmed a lot of people’s belief that Ember Lab’s debut title was going to be a good game. ![]()
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