Kena: Bridge of Spirits releases digitally for PlayStation 5 and PS4 tomorrow, but if you'd rather run the game off a disc and have a bit of plastic to display on your shelf, a physical version has been confirmed to be releasing in November. It will be provided in conjunction with Maximum Games as a Deluxe Edition that packages the game with the soundtrack and exclusive physical and digital items for $49.99. Pre-orders are being taken on the Maximum Games online store but the physical version will also be available for purchase at the usual retailers when it launches.
California based studio Ember Lab had gone on record with the promise it would look into deploying physical versions after the digital launch, and now we know to expect them two months later. In a press release, chief operations officer Josh Grier said: "Our community was extremely vocal about their desire for a physical edition from the moment we first announced the game. It’s an honor to create a game people want to add to their collections, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Maximum Games to make that happen so quickly after the initial launch."
And for those playing on PS5 — both digitally tomorrow and physically in November — many features take advantage of the current-gen system. Activity cards will be fully supported alongside over 200 Game Help videos, and two modes allow you to prioritise either the visuals or frame rate. Quality mode is said to be locked at 30 frames-per-second with a native 4K resolution while the default performance mode runs at 60 frames-per-second with an upscaled 4K output.
We're playing Kena: Bridge of Spirits for review at the time of writing, and will deliver our written verdict as soon as we can. Are you buying the game digitally or waiting for this physical version? Share your decision in the comments below.
Comments 101
Almost bought it digitally but now I’ll wait 2 months.
Let’s hope lost in random also gets a physical soon.
@darkswabber same its well outside of my digital limit but I don't mind paying the extra for a boxed copy
Cool but unfortunately Maximum Games only ships to Americas. No physical for Europe then.
I already got it pre-loaded on my PS5 anyway
I pre-loaded it yesterday. I'm really excited to try this out despite my worry about it disappointing me.
@Mostik maybe this will be for you!
When is the review out? So exited!
Payday this weekend...if Scarlet Nexus doesn't distract me too hard (only bought two days ago), I will give the digital edition a look.
Looked decent, but I'll wait for a physical and all the reviews. been a little quiet on the game recently so I'm not sure what to expect.
I'll gladly wait and buy physically. Besides, after Lost Judgment releases, October looks to be pretty loaded with games.
I will definitely wait
@Voltan As the article states, the usual worldwide retailers will also stock the physical version at launch.
It is 39,99€ for digital vs. 59,99€ for physical version in my country. One store even have the audacity to ask 79,99€ for physical version. So definitely a digital version for me.
@LiamCroft Oops, missed that part!
If they do plan to stock it worldwide, that must mean they're quite confident in sales based on pre-orders. I think
Got it pre-downloaded. I was a bit sceptical but all the previews are positive so far and love what ember lab studios done with their Terrible Fate video and happy to support a new studio trying new things.
Physical edition? Awesome. Just like Doki Doki Literature Club, I am prepared to wait until I have a disc in my system.
Just saw the new photo mode trailer on the YouTube channel. Looks like so much fun.
Thought I heard review copies didn't get sent out for the game. Assuming they just came later than usual for Sony? (Possibly since it's a short game). Been excited for the game since the initial announcement but between Sony not showcasing the game at all the last few months and then hearing no review copies my warning flags have been going wild.
@Jayslow It’s not a Sony game. Ember Lab is self publishing the game. So they would be the ones sending out review codes.
@Shepherd_Tallon there a new launch trailer on ember labs YouTube channel too. Shows a lot more areas and enemy types.
@Voltan Base.com has it for pre-order on disc but it's £70.
Will wait for the price to drop.
I didn't know it wasn't coming out on disc anyway I want the disc version please (I don't mind waiting to as I still got Ghost of Tsushima DC to play and then Death Stranding DC and then maybe my last PS4 game(GOD that back-log took ages to get thru) TLoU2)
That is nice. But have a preorder on Epic since it came up.
One of those games I do not want to wait even a day to play it 😅
I prefer digital since it can't get scratched, doesn't take up space, and I can swap out games instantly.
I'll be happy to pay $10 less for the convenient option, thanks.
Two months is a heck of a wait. Wonder if the digital version will be included in a sale before the physical versions land?
@LiamCroft Any chance of a (even a mini would do) review of Kena on the PS4 (Pro)? All the videos are showing the PS5 edition as it looks prettiest but what we've seen of the PS4 version, it didn't look that different?
Im waiting on reviews. Not having review codes out on time stinks of CDPR. Lets hope this isnt Kena 2077
If it's as good as it looks I'll happily double dip for a physical copy 😁
Something tells me this will flop badly, as game has received way less public attention and promotion than other Sony exclusives..
@sanderson72 A review of the PS4 version basically depends entirely on timing and whether we have other games to review. Obviously, we're in a busy period in terms of releases at the moment. I wouldn't expect a PS4-specific review, just to set expectations.
@MightyDemon82 Awesome news, thanks for the tag 👍
Is it normal for a review embargo until the day of release? I'm all for toning down the hype cycle on games and I'd be thrilled to see a FINISHED game released tomorrow to positive reviews, but the embargo has me nervous...
I'll check out reviews and still pick it up digitally. Really cautiously optimistic about this one.
Anyone have any idea when the reviews are coming out?
@Mostik anytime mate.
@Postie85 Nice one! Thanks for the shout.
@sketchturner True except SSD space is more expensive than shelf space in my house 😀
That launch trailer was awesome and I really hope it ends up being a great game.
I think I might be patient though and wait for the physical edition.
Got Eastward and a lot of other backlog titles to play right now, so that might help pass the time till November.
@Hurblyburbly Someone on twitter said 6 pm EST (that's 11 pm UK time, I believe). Weirdly late - but also I have no idea if that's accurate
Why the launch trailer wasn't slotted into the PlayStation Showcase is baffling!
It would have brought so much hype!
Where's the review? The devs should make the reviews available at least 3 days before the game release for the hype. I'm actually quite surprised that the game will come out tomorrow without fanfare.
Had this been announced months ago I would have got physical for sure, would be a great first boxed PS5 game on my shelf.
Too late now though, i’m all pre-installed for tomorrow 🙌🏻
I'm all-digital on my games these days on all systems, so I'll take the cheaper price 😊
@Perryg92 yeah, they beat us over the head with Deathloop and Kena gets barely a mention. This is one game I wouldn’t mind seeing more of too.
Definitely waiting for Physical though.
I'll wait for this. I don't always buy physical but a game like this that'll come with extras is just what I like. I'd just buy it digitally had it just been an empty case.
Something is definitely up with this one. Perhaps overhyped initially, and underwhelming in actuality. Info on this game went completely dark for months, and now it seems the review embargo must be day of release? Not a peep of gameplay previews or marketing near release, and not a single outlet even mentioning the game until today and the mentions are of a photo mode and disc version.......That's rarely ever a set of coincidences that bodes well.
Starting to feel like a bio mutant esque flop incoming.
Hoping not, but definitely assuming so at this point.
@Voltan
Will keep my eyes peeled.
Cheers mate
@KundaliniRising333 I'm with you on this. I won't deny it looks utterly enchanting, but gameplay wise? Not so sure yet. I guess cribbing from other games such as Zelda/Dark Souls etc means that is at least mechanically familiar, but I've been burnt on overhyped, Sony backed indie games before (hello No Man's Sky).
I'll wait for reviews.
@Voltan @LiamCroft no offence but when the article only has "$" and "avaliable from usual retailers"......being physical release worldwide wanst really that clear.
Especially with companies like Aksys existing where outside US its a bit hit and miss whether they get a physical print.
Had I not scrolled down the comments I probably still would have assumed the same.
Got it preloaded and looking forward to tomorrow.
@Burntbreadman @LiamCroft Turns out the Maximum Games site isn't very clear about it but they also have a European store
@KundaliniRising333 it’s a half price at launch game that goes for ten hours. That’s why there’s been no hype, cos it’s not a full length game. It’s rare there’s ever hype for such small games. Unless it’s a huge AAA series for people with more money than sense lol
@LiamCroft Does game have difficulty levels to choose from?
@hulkie There's a gameplay video on youtube (based on an earlier demo version, I believe) and it shows 3 difficulty levels (easy/medium/hard) to choose from + another one ("master") locked.
@nofriendo It’s fairly common for digital only Indy games. They want the game to be available for purchase when you see review to minimise the number of people who forget about it.
Good to know. I wouldn't pay 50€ for a digital game. So I'll wait for that version
@Voltan the fact you cant even pre-order from their own EU site makes you wonder if is getting a EU physical release at all (you would think it would be the first place to allow/mention the release)
Generally I only can be certain when you can order of amazon and theres boxart with the PEGI rating on. (even then it can go pear shaped....eg Binding of Isaac got preorders went live and the US release came and passed.......it was like a year later than the US physical release eventually)
As someone who doesn’t mind renting / trading back games, I’m really happy to hear this, saved me money.
@Burntbreadman it wasn’t on the US site either last I checked but their EU Twitter mentions the release
Less than 24 hours before release and still no reviews? What the heck is going on!
@Ryall Hadn't thought of that and it makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the input!
Kind of a bad time to announce this, within hours of the digital version releasing. Surely just about everyone interested in the game enough to buy it has it preordered and preloaded now? I mean, it's playable in 12 hours.
Damn, just bought this yesterday and got it preloaded now looking forward to playing though
@kingbreww not true at all. Mortal Shell got more hype and marketing than this and was made by a few ppl and was relatively short.
Tons of indies, especially this absurd metrodvania indie copy and paste show thats been going on have been covered and reviewed exceptionally well for what little they have that differs from a 20 year old game or the many others flooding the market yearly.
I suspect its more than just the big bad evil game industry practices that have led to this gam going completely quiet.
I was extremely interested in the game originally, but then I read how incredibly short it is, and that mostly evaporated. As it is, I might pick up a physical copy down the road when it goes on sale below $20.
Good to hear I won't have to wait too long.
I've got a bad feeling about this...
Physical copie it is then.word up son
I feel Sony are sending this one out to die, pretty much zero marketing and build up and not even reviews a day before release. I'm waiting on reviews before i buy but i hope its good.
@Unlucky13
I hear you and likewise.
10 hours (what I’ve read) is very short for an adventure game with no reply value so even thought £33 seems good value it doesn’t seem like it if 10 hours is indeed correct.
Digital Deluxe.
@KundaliniRising333 it’s not true at all that it’s rare? Obviously it is true that it’s rare
I don’t know of a large list of shorter indies with actual hype personally
@Matej Yeah, the pricing is ridiculous. I am going to go with a third option and wait a bit longer to buy a used physical copy.
Yes, I would love to sell this on after playing it, thank you.
Then I'm waiting for that. Physical all the way.
Waiting for gameplay opinions, the rest is top notch. Although I have a feeling it could be a very short experience. This will determine if I will wait for a discount (bought a lot of games this year already) or not.
I like the longer RPG games that last longer. Will wait until it goes down in a sale.
I’m glad they’re releasing a physical copy. Too bad I’ll be busy with Battlefield 2042 in November. I’ll buy it sometime in 2022.
Definitely interested in this game, although I don't own a PS5 yet. But have we learned nothing from Baldo? Wait for the reviews.
@Pusher2021 the devs have stated the game is 8-10 hours long
I'm going digital, but that's great news for cementing this a "real" game, and a great price point.
Edit: Well, I'm reading the comments and hearing it's super short, so maybe the price point isn't so hot...
@Unlucky13 how long is resident evil village?
@Bagwag82 I suppose it depends if you factor in whether you're going for 100% completion/Platinum. Apparently Kena is 8-10hrs to finish and 12-15hrs for 100%.
Village for me was 8hrs 30 to finish and around 25hrs in total to Plat it, but then that was £50. Rift Apart was £65 and I got the Plat in around 15hrs so that could be considered not great value for money.
This whole length/value thing is honestly hard to really pinpoint.
@Logonogo That seems solid enough. So strange for the late review codes even for an independent dev. I mean they are an animation studio and that level of finish looks awesome so it would look confident to have reviews out before release.
@JB_Whiting It's personal ofcourse but at the end of completing a game there's an overall feeling you get. I kinda missed it with GoT PS5 upgrade + DLC (and I loved the PS4 game on release)
@Pusher2021 i agree with you, very concerning in my opinion but I am trying to be optimistic!
Too late. I have a good idea of why they didn't announce it until now, and that's so they could get as many people as possible to pre-order the digital version. There's no way this is a coincidence that they announce this the day before it releases and the physical version is just two months away.
How they waited to announce it like this would have turned me off of buying the physical version anyways even though I prefer them. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth regardless, but the game is what matters the most and I'm still hoping that it turns out to be pretty good.
This is what I get for jumping the gun on the Digital Deluxe pre-order. But, whatever, been looking forward to the game since the first announcement and want to play it as soon as possible.
@Bagwag82 No idea. I don't do horror stuff.
Generally speaking, I'm not going to bother with any game if the play time is below about 30 hours. That's really light tome, and if a game looks otherwise awesome, then I'll check it out on sale. The Outer Worlds was an example a few years ago. Very short, but enjoyable experience I paid $30 for.
Otherwise, I'm mostly into games I can put at least 70-100 hours into per playthrough.
I already pre-ordered the digital version, but will happily double dip if I end up LOVING the game.
@GoodGame @Voltan Maximum haven't got to retailers yet to tell them the wholesale price hence the placeholder of £70. Expect the real prices to show up in the next day or two.
@Grimwood Sounds like Pushsquare prefer digital with the way they said that. Where would they be with out that bit of plastic or cardboard, have a bit of respect for the roots of gaming please.
@Unlucky13 fair enough. I get where you're coming from 😃 RE8 is a short game too about the same as Kena, so I'm with you will wait for the sale on both these games 👍
@somethingwild I still don't trust digital copies. I finally bought a few games that way given the situation last year, but its not my preference. I strongly worry about the long-term consequences.
If I have a disc, then I should be able to still play the game five, ten, fifteen years down the line. With digital, should I erase it off of my system due to lack of space, there's no real guarantee that I'll be able to get it back.
@Bagwag82 I paid $10 for Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, which was an excellent game that lasted about 15 hours. I felt that was fair, given how good it was. But otherwise, I'm just not going to be into something that I'll finish in less than a week.
That's great news, waiting for the physical release is a no-brainer of course.
@Unlucky13 yep exactly. It boggles my mind that people will pay the same price to not actually own a copy of a game.
@RoboZilina Yeah, I might do the same. Sending my DualSense controller for repair/replace because of stick drifting so I won't be able to play it at this moment anyways.
@Voltan Yeah which uses Gpay and Shoppay but no PayPal which they have on the American site how stupid can a company be?
@Flaming_Kaiser I don't even know what those are
@Voltan PayPal on the US where creditcard is the main way of paying..... ☹️
I'm definitely waiting for the Physical edition for PS5. I like to have things in my physical possession.. Means more.
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