"Kena: Bridge of Spirits" was one of the first games we saw on the PS5. It allows you to control Kena through a fantasy world inspired by East Asian mythology. During the Tribeca Film Festival, I had the opportunity to touch Kena and get a full taste of this spirited action game, which debuts on both PS5 and PC on August 24.

My demo consisted of an hour of gameplay that appeared to be the early stages of the adventure. I controlled a teenage girl named Kena, who, as the game's title suggests, has the ability to communicate with the spirit world. Kena wields a magic wand and acts as an intermediary between the human world and the fantasy world, giving the game an "Avatar: The Last Airbender" feel. And like "Avatar," "Kena: Bridge of Spirits" draws inspiration from East Asian folklore in its visuals, setting, and story.

For example: the demo begins with Kena agreeing to seek out a lost spirit named Taro. Only she can see two mischievous spirits, Saiya and Beni, who know the way to Sage Ruth's house. To find Taro's trail, she stands on a spirit font and puts on a magical fox mask. Kena: Bridge of Spirits has a set of magical rules that govern its world, and internalizing the game's worldbuilding is a very important part of the adventure.

Gameplay-wise, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a traditional action/adventure title. The first thing we had to do was find our way through a dark forest to Ruth's house on a distant and daunting mountaintop. As we entered the forest, an ominous red flower blocked our way. To get rid of it, they would have to repel their enemies and take advantage of the corruption.

First of all, the battle in Caena is very simple. Periodically, the red flower blooms and various types of enemies appear. The basic enemies wield axes and shields and require either light or heavy attacks with a staff to defeat them. Larger enemies may throw ranged magic at you, requiring you to block, dodge, or use a LOT.

Corruption is Cena's most ingenious gameplay mechanism, and it is more than just similar to Nintendo's Pikmin. As Cena explores the world, he recruits small, cute, shadowy creatures collectively known as lots. Outside of combat, they help solve puzzles by smashing through barriers and manipulating distant objects. In combat, they are Caena's only means of destroying the red flower that creates enemies. However, they can also paralyze stronger enemies, so in battle they balance between using corruption to stay alive and using corruption to end the fight.

While corruption is an inventive touch, Kena's other gameplay should be quite familiar to anyone who has played action/adventure titles between the PS2 era and the present. After the first few battles, the map spread out into an isolated rock ledge that I had to platform across to Ruth's house. I could double jump, shimmy across the ledge, or use the lot to stabilize the platform for a short time. Again, nothing groundbreaking here, but it all works.

From there, the demonstration proceeded as before. Ruth's house was occupied by a malevolent red flower, and I had to go to a nearby cave (before which there is a very frustrating combat section.) There I encountered my first boss, a hideous kappa demon. I dodged his projectiles, fought off his minions, used corruption to paralyze him, and spent several minutes whittling away at his strength.

After rescuing Ruth, I gained one more ability to conclude the demonstration. Although resistant to melee attacks, the monster had fragile yellow crystals all over its body. By sniping them with a bow, we were able to incapacitate and bring them down with only a few blows.

This ended the demo, except for a few minutes exploring Ruth's house and playing with the upgrade system. Defeating enemies and exploring the environment will give you different types of currency for new wand and bow abilities. You can also hunt for hidden lots of upgrades that will allow you to use your abilities more often.

After playing for about an hour, what struck me most about Kena: Bridge of Spirits is how conventional the game is. The story and setting look promising, and it is encouraging that a small studio like Ember Lab is making such an ambitious title. However, it is questionable whether gamers will appreciate "Kena" in that light or treat it like an essential title for the next PS5 console exclusive.

Either way, "Kena" looks worth checking out for action/adventure fans, especially those looking for a family-friendly title. Since the Avatar: The Last Airbender game didn't really have anything great to offer, this may be the next best thing.