I absolutely adore this game. The atmosphere throughout the entire game was its strongest aspect; it really does feel like you're in a Disney or Pixar movie, but in many ways even better. The beautiful landscapes, the enchanting music, and the overall design of the world had me enthralled.

I love my little Rots. Every time I found a new one I'd give him a cute hat and he would join my merry band. There's a feeling I get sometimes when I'm playing a game where I just want to take my time and enjoy it, because I know I'll never experience it for the first time ever again. Games where you can kind of chill out and relax inside of it are perfect for this feeling. I often found myself just sitting down and playing with my Rots beside a dazzling countryside, or letting the meditation animation go on for 20 minutes while I just sat there and meditated with Kena. That, I think, is where this game thrives. Not the combat (which is excellent) or the story (which is heartwarming) but in little things like that.

Speaking of combat, it took me a bit, but by the end I was fully bought in on the system. I have never enjoyed souls-like games (I guess because of the combat, but not 100% sure), but this games combat worked for me. The boss fights had a few duds but were mostly freaking sweet. Specifically, the final boss fight was so cinematically epic and I had chills the whole time. I actually appreciate how simple it was; you got a few new abilities throughout the game that kept it fresh and there wasn't armor or weapon upgrades, which nowadays I feel like things like that can be a chore to manage. There was a simple and easy to comprehend skill tree, too.

I also appreciate the inclusion in the game and how it felt so effortless. Kena was a strong but not-without-flaw female lead, there was a prominent lesbian couple that didn't pander (take notes, Disney), and the world felt heavily inspired by south-east Asian cultures.

The story got better and better as the game went on. It all built up to a third act crescendo which stuck the landing in a satisfying way. The story did feel a little awkwardly paced at time, and the worldbuilding lacked some depth, but it hit on emotional beats that had me tearing up by the end.

All that being said, it was still... missing something. Don't get me wrong, I thought this game was really good, but it was so close to being great. Maybe it was the lack of depth in the worldbuilding, or the awkward pacing of the story. But seeing as this is Ember Labs first video game, it is incredibly impressive. They have a new fan in me and I'll play whatever they make next whether it's a Kena sequel or something else... please please please make another game, we need more game devs out here like this.

Other minor criticisms:
- There were some minor technical inconsistencies. I noticed that the shadows didn't match the lighting oftentimes.
- The minimap was pretty to look at, but technically flawed. The zooming and scrolling was so slow, and as someone who references the map a lot in games, this was a little annoying.

Overall, I would recommend this game to anyone who grew up watching Pixar or Disney movies for its beautiful animation, excellent atmospheric design, and fun combat. I put the game down after finishing the story. Part of me wishes I had the desire to complete the trials and find all the remaining collectables (especially the Rots) but I have other games on my backlog that need my attention.