Upcoming PlayStation games Keena: The Bridge of Spirit According to one of the main voice actors of the game, it will surprise players with its “depth, intensity and emotion”.
A video game equivalent to a Pixar movie
For those who don’t know, Keena: The Bridge of Spirit It is a fantasy adventure game developed by a small team of Ember Lab. The independent developer has a background in visual effects and computer advertising animations for companies such as Coca-Cola, Hisense, and Major League Baseball.
Over the past 10 years, its output has been very strong, and VFX artists have shown real talent in creating lush environments, designing attractive characters, and capturing lifelike details. Therefore, its first game will try to attract everyone’s attention with its beautiful visual effects, and it makes sense to often compare it with the work. Pixar.
In fact, media such as GamesRadar, GameRant and IGN all mentioned this legendary film studio in their reports. Kina It is not difficult to see why. On the surface, this game has a lot in common with Pixar’s best products, such as expressive facial animations, charming supporting characters and vibrant landscapes.
Even those involved in production Kina The same analogy has been made, including Canadian voice actor Todd Fennell.say Weekly newspaper In an exclusive interview, the performer said: “Its style is very comforting. Yes, there is that kind of RPG atmosphere, but in terms of look and feel, it is almost like a Pixar movie.”
Embers Lab
Deep emotional experience
Fennell will voice the lovely soul Taro in an upcoming release, and this character was briefly glimpsed in a recent Tribeca Spotlight demo.
Fennell provided some background on how Taro fits into the broader narrative, explaining: “Kena is a spiritual guide, right? She is trying to release these tortured souls. [Taro] Is one of them. “
According to Fennell, achieving emotional venting is the motivation behind everything you do in the Ember Lab game.Whether you’re exploring a picturesque world or solving puzzles with cute “rotten” creatures (think of them like from Elf Inclusion Spirited Away Soot Sprites), or fighting the enemy, all of which are for the exact same goal. That is to help others.
Anise further elaborated on this point, saying: “Every spirit in the game has two forms. [hostile] Then the boss form, once you defeat that version, the original version will appear and be cured.So, when you beat Taro’s boss, you will see his true face and he will explain everything [his] Bring you pain and torture. “
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At this point, Fennell added that the comparison with Pixar is not just because the game looks beautiful in appearance.He thinks this is whimsical, and the child-friendly appearance conceals the hidden depths, just like you find in similar things Inverted Either Toy Story 3.
“Kaina is helping [the spirits] continue. Very beautiful, and these characters have real injuries. I am really surprised by the depth of the emotional story.
“You will see how people try to deal with their pain and where it will go if you don’t handle it properly. I think the players will be surprised by the depth, intensity and emotional level here.”
About Tod Fennel: The actor who played Taro in “Kina: Bridge of Souls”
Descendants of two veterans of theater (his father produced in Canada Cat), Fennell has been a performer since he was a child. His parents owned a dance school and registered him for acting courses from an early age.
After gnashing his teeth on stage, he quickly transitioned to TV work and took a guest role in shows like this Goose bumps and Are you afraid of the dark. He also eventually managed to get the regular part on reboot Lovers Series broadcast in Canada.
“Yes, I spent a lot of time explaining what that dog meant,” Fennell joked as he reviewed the breakthrough.
He first tried dubbing after shooting a few commercials on the radio before entering the field of video games.Although he is technically excellent in the franchise Prince of Persia and Batman Arkham In the early games, you won’t recognize him from any of these appearances, because he is basically used for temporary tracks.
Speaking of this, Fennell said: “I make these vertical slices for internal use only. You know, when they promote games or want to show off their work in progress, they use my voice. My first actual The effect is Rainbow Six Vegas, There I dubbed some people who had just been shot in the head. “
However, from this humble beginning, Fennell worked with companies such as Ubisoft and Eidos to successfully accumulate an impressive credit list.Among other things, he is Assassin’s Creed III, Monster Hunter Story 2, and Far Cry: New Dawn.
Looking towards the horizon, you will also hear his voice in the title Rainbow Six Extraction, House of Ashes And of course, Keena: The Bridge of Spirit.
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Introducing Taro in “Kina: Bridge of the Spirit”
Speaking of more details about Taro, Fennell said: “The boss version is combative and comes from an angry place, but someone else made that voice. The Taro version I played was injured, and his pain can be traced back to an era when he was young. More often. So, I make my voice more fragile.”
Although he can’t reveal much about the background story of the character, he did explain that most of Taro’s arc is learning to accept losses. “His pain came from a place of grief, so I entered a time when I felt this emotion myself.
“I lost my mother when I was 23 years old. It’s too young. When something like this happens, you feel angry, vulnerable, sad, and guilty. Guilt, because you think you should do more. I try to take all These are all wrapped in the role of Taro.”
What impressed Fennell the game was how it spent time exploring this complex material. “We really have a chance to express all these deeper content. You know, the cutscenes are not 10 seconds, and then they are over. You will be rewarded for the process of releasing the soul through the proper narrative. Become.”
According to Fennell, this emphasis on storytelling is also reflected behind the scenes. In particular, the voice actor was surprised at how much time he had to master his role.
“In some other games, you may need to write a thousand lines within 4 hours, but Ember Lab gave me more time. I have to shoot repeatedly to make sure I get it right. When it’s a smaller The studio is more accessible to everyone, even if the budget is lower, you can do that kind of thing.”
You will be able to find out for yourself whether Keena: The Bridge of Spirit When the game is released on PC, PS4 and PS5, all Pixar comparisons are guaranteed.
It was originally scheduled to launch in August, But it was recently postponed to Tuesday, September 21, so that more polish can be done.
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