Spoiler Warning: Beware of minor spoilers for Kena: Bridge of Spirits.
Well, this *is* a pleasant surprise!
I didn’t plan to cover anything to do with PlayStation’s “State of Play” presentation today; I usually check out a few of the trailers after the fact to see if any of their games might be coming to PC, but that’s really as far as my interest usually goes. But when I saw the announcement trailer for Kena: Scars of Kosmora, I knew I had to say something and get the hype train going!
Ember Lab’s debut title, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, was my pick for “game of the year” back in 2021, and it remains one of the best games that I’ve played so far this decade. A mix of old-school adventuring and platforming with a jaw-droppingly beautiful visual presentation made the game an absolute treat. And ever since, I’ve been curiously wondering what the developers would get up to next. Whether it was a full sequel to Kena: Bridge of Spirits or a new game entirely, I fully expected to be there on day one.
Ember Lab had been radio silent for several years, since Kena: Bridge of Spirits was ported to Xbox Series S and X consoles, but I was content to give the studio time to cook. This is a relatively small team, after all, and Kena had been their first-ever video game (after getting started working in CGI for film and television). I genuinely did not have Ember Lab’s return on my radar for 2026 – let alone at PlayStation’s “State of Play” event – but I’m so very glad to learn that we’re going to be able to return to Kena’s world for another adventure.
The trailer showed us just enough to get excited without overdoing it, in my opinion, and it looks like there are going to be several new gameplay elements to complement the adventuring and 3D platforming from the original game. In particular, the trailer showed us a rideable mount and mentioned “alchemy,” which the game’s press release suggests may be a significant part of gameplay.
The blog post which accompanied the reveal trailer talks about Kena as being “older and renowned as a Spirit Guide,” suggesting that we’ll be catching up with the title character some time after the events of Bridge of Spirits. The game will be set in a new environment – the titular Kosmora – which sounds, from what I’m inferring from the blog post and what we glimpsed in the trailer, to be larger than Bridge of Spirits’ world was. The inclusion of living characters, not just the spirits of the decesased, also makes for an interesting addition, and perhaps a way to add a bit more depth not only to the game’s world, but to Kena’s characterisation.
Kena’s age is reflected in her updated character design, which retains her original style but clearly ages her up, making her not only taller, but somehow more mature and wiser, too. Kena’s outfit in the first game became emblematic of the character, and even appeared as a collectable outfit in Fall Guys, of all places, so it makes sense to retain the same basic visual style for the character. But the design definitely reflects Kena’s growth and evolution, and she looks better than ever!
The Rot – cute little critters that Kena encountered and collected on her journey – were a big part of the first game, but I didn’t see them in the trailer this time, nor were they mentioned in the blog post. Ember Lab talks instead about “Elemental Spirit Companions,” which could be this game’s replacement for the Rot, I suppose. But the studio is clearly keeping a lot about the game under wraps for now – which is totally fair enough.
What I liked about the Rot in Bridge of Spirits was how they weren’t just cosmetics or collectables that existed to pad out the game or introduce a slightly different gameplay mechanic. The Rot were directly connected to Kena’s power and growth; finding more Rot didn’t just unlock cute hats for them to wear, it made a noticeable, material impact on Kena’s abilities and thus how you could approach the game. Going out of your way to search the environment felt more than just a bog-standard 3D platformer or adventure game’s collect-a-thon, but like something genuinely worthwhile.
All of which is to say that I hope the Rot – or a similar mechanic, perhaps using these new Elemental Spirit Companions – will be part of Scars of Kosmora. It was a pretty big part of the first game, and not something I’d want the sequel to sacrifice.
One thing from the blog post that I felt sounded really positive was Ember Lab’s acknowledgement that the Kena of Scars of Kosmora is more experienced than she was when we met her in the first game, as well as talk of “building on” what the studio learned from creating Bridge of Spirits. It can feel pretty jarring, sometimes, when you pick up the sequel to a game where you’d levelled up your character and unlocked new skills and powers only for all of those to have seemingly disappeared or been forgotten about by the start of the second instalment! So I’m glad to hear that Kena seems to have retained the skills and powers she developed across the course of Bridge of Spirits.
Talk of Kena’s staff being broken, though, could be a way for the new game to push players to either re-learn some of those same skills or to make sure Kena doesn’t feel overpowered at the start of the sequel. In order to go on a satisfying journey, Kena will have to experience setbacks, grow, and perhaps pick up some new skills, so damaging the source of her power – her staff – could be a great way to tie gameplay mechanics to the story in a way that makes sense.
Kena’s staff was also described as “keeping her alive,” which could add an element of drama or a time crunch to the new game. It would certainly give Kena a huge incentive to fix it! It seems pretty clear that this damage will happen in the game’s first act, otherwise Ember Lab wouldn’t have wanted to spoil such a major plot point; this could be the incident that kicks off the main storyline of the game.
Visually, Kena: Scars of Kosmora looks absolutely stunning. Character designs retain that almost Pixar-esque quality that I so adored the first time around, and the world… the world just looks astonishingly beautiful. In my review of Kena: Bridge of Spirits, I talked about how I encountered a moment early in the game where I just… stopped. I paused Kena’s quest to just stare out at an absolutely incredible view of a mountain that the developers had crafted. Still, almost five years later, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is one of the most visually gorgeous games I’ve ever played – and it looks like the sequel will retain that same art style and dedication to beautiful scenery.
And as a final surprise, Kena: Scars of Kosmora is launching this year, in 2026! We don’t have a specific date yet, nor even a window, but if Ember Lab can stick to that 2026 ambition, I can easily see Scars of Kosmora competing for my “game of the year” award come December. This game has jumped the queue to become one of my most-anticipated of the year… but if it needs more time to deliver on the promises that have been made, a delay into 2027 is totally fine by me.
So that’s all for now, I think.
I just wanted to share my thoughts (and my excitement) for Kena: Scars of Kosmora after the game’s shock announcement. A sequel to one of my favourite games of the last few years is truly fantastic news, but truth be told, I’d have been almost as excited for *anything* Ember Lab could have announced, at this stage! The first game genuinely was just… that good. Does that mean it’s lightning in a bottle and can’t be replicated? I mean… let’s not end such a positive piece on such a negative note, eh? Suffice to say I’m excited to return to Kena’s world and go on another adventure with her, laying spirits to rest, battling bosses, and maybe picking up a few cute critters along the way!
When Kena: Scars of Kosmora launches, whether it’s later this year or if it slips back into 2027, I hope you’ll join me for a review. I’ll be sure to share my thoughts and impressions of this highly-anticipated title with you! Until then… stay tuned here on the website, because I talk about gaming and the games industry quite a lot. Have fun out there… and happy gaming!
Kena: Scars of Kosmora is scheduled to launch on PC and PlayStation 5 later in 2026. Kena: Scars of Kosmora is the copyright of Ember Lab. This article contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.
Trekking with Dennis 