It is unclear what developer Ember Lab is up to at the moment, but considering that the studio isn’t owned by Sony, it could decide to work on anything next. Additionally, because of how similar Kena: Bridge of Spirits is to Nintendo’s franchise, as well as developer Ember Lab’s obvious love for the series as seen in its Majora’s Mask fan film, the studio would be a perfect fit to tackle a future Legend of Zelda installment.
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Similarities Between Kena: Bridge of Spirits and The Legend of Zelda
Even the most casual fan of The Legend of Zelda would easily be able to spot the commonalities between Nintendo’s beloved action-adventure franchise and Kena: Bridge of Spirits. In terms of gameplay, it is strikingly similar, but that’s by no means a bad thing. Players spend a good amount of time exploring areas, uncovering secrets and advancing to dungeon-like areas with a thematic or elemental twist. These levels contain fearsome enemies to fight with melee and magic attacks, intricate puzzles to solve, and climactic boss sequences.
Gamers experienced with other 3D entries in Nintendo’s franchise like Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess will feel right at home with Kena: Bridge of Spirits, showing just how well Ember Labs emulated the style. In fact, simply swap out Kena for Link and tweak a few other details here and there, and Kena: Bridge of Spirits could have passed for a brand-new entry in The Legend of Zelda franchise thanks to its high fantasy narrative and captivating world.
Ember Lab’s Experience With The Legend of Zelda
Going beyond similarities between two games, Ember Lab actually has direct experience working on a Zelda themed project in the past. A few years before Kena: Bridge of Spirits ever entered production, Ember Lab produced an impressive short film inspired by the 2000 N64 adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. The short film expertly captured the horror, dread and sadness that Skull Kid felt as he spiraled into madness after stumbling upon the game’s namesake.
The animated short was critically acclaimed by fans of the franchise, with a unanimous amount of love being poured the studio’s way. It was clear that Ember Lab had a deep-rooted appreciation for The Legend of Zelda, as every frame of the short film was crafted with care and an intense attention to detail. In fact, the love for Majora’s Mask specifically could have had a major impact on the studio, as many of its themes and use of masks can be seen within Kena: Bridge of Spirits as well.
Nintendo has allowed external developers to handle its many franchises in the past, and often to great success. The Metroid franchise has found some of its greatest achievements when in the hands of another team, as is evident with Retro Studios’ Metroid Prime and Mercury Steam’s Metroid Dread. In terms of The Legend of Zelda, Grezzo has been in charge of recent remake efforts including Ocarina of Time and Link’s Awakening, so it wouldn’t be a stretch for Ember Lab to be given the reigns and offer its talents to one of the most prestigious franchises in gaming.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is available now on PC, PS4 and PS5.
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