Beneath the cute exterior of Kena: Bridge of Spirits lies a game with some surprisingly tough combat and foes that will get your palms sweaty. While blindly swinging your staff around might work for low-level enemies, dealing with bosses is going to take a bit more skill. The first major main boss you come across is Taro, a troubled soul who, even in death, still blames himself for tragic events beyond his control. Taro may not be the toughest boss in Kena: Bridge of Spirits, but to defeat him will take some planning and careful playing.
Preparing for Battle
You may have collected all three relics necessary to unlock Taro’s boss battle, but that does not mean you should go charging into it. Taro will almost certainly be your most difficult challenge thus far in Kena: Bridge of Spirits, so ample preparation is necessary if you want to defeat him.
Firstly, make sure you have unlocked as many abilities as possible. Kena’s skill tree is relatively simple, but it offers some useful upgrades that provide monumental advantages in combat. Plus, it is always fun to find new ways to integrate your Rot into your encounters.
With regards to Taro’s battle, the most vital ability to have unlocked is Focus, which is the first upgrade in the Bow branch. Focus lets you briefly slow down time while your bow is drawn, allowing you to aim better. When dealing with Taro, this will grant you the level of accuracy required to take him down.
Identify Taro’s Weaknesses
Taro might be a frightening creature, but he is not invincible. Half the battle is identifying his weak spots which you can use to your advantage.
Firstly, you should notice that Taro has a lantern hanging around his neck. Sometimes it glows amber, and sometimes it does not. Keep an eye on the lantern, and when it glows, be sure to shoot an arrow at it. This will cause it to release soundwaves that temporarily cripple Taro, allowing you to squeeze a couple of heavy staff swings in. Be careful, however, because this will make Taro angry. He will swing his sword three times after he has recovered, so be ready to dodge quickly after you have gotten one or two heavy melee attacks in.
It can be quite difficult to hit Taro’s lantern when he is sprinting about, which is why Focus is a must. By activating Focus, you can slow down time enough to make sure your arrow strikes the glowing lantern, even when it is swinging around.
Taro’s second weakness is quite a large one. On his right arm is a huge, purple bubble. When you have filled up your Courage meter and your Rot are brave enough, you can order them to go for Taro’s arm, causing the bubble to glow blue. This will give you a small window of opportunity to strike the bubble and deal significant damage. Be warned that Taro will be flailing around trying to get the Rot off him, so using Focus is a must once again.
Identify Taro’s Phases
Taro is a difficult enemy because he is aggressive and wild. To make matters worse, he is relentlessly fast and has a penchant for going on frenzies that do not seem to end.
Much like a hormone-addled teen, Taro has phases. Fortunately, there are patterns to his movements. His patterns of movement change according to what phase he is in. During Taro’s first phase, he will wield a sword. He will use the sword to swipe at Kena or stab her.
Timing your dodges correctly is critical, and while parrying is an option, it is usually a better move to simply duck out of harm’s way. When you are in close proximity to Taro, he will also occasionally use his tail to swipe at you.
After you have reduced Taro’s health a fair bit, he will enter his next phase, where he is faster and more aggressive. Be prepared to do a ton of dodging once he reaches this stage because it begins with him jumping all over the place like a bunny rabbit and swiping at whatever is in his way. Taro does away with his sword and uses his claws instead.
During this phase, dodging is vital. Taro will lunge at Kena and attempt to grab her. If he succeeds, he will significantly deplete her health. It is not a position you want to be in at all, and finding yourself in Taro’s grasp even once can easily end your entire run.
Put It All Together
Once you understand Taro’s weaknesses and different phases, it is easier to figure out how to take him down. A winning strategy is to start the battle off by sending your Rot out to swarm Taro’s right arm. This is easier to do if you have the Enter the Fray ability which allows you to start combat with 1 Rot action available. Activate Focus and blast the bubble once it is blue. Before Taro’s had much of a chance to recover, start aiming for his lantern once it glows amber. As soon as your arrow lands and Taro is crippled, squeeze a few melee hits before dodging out the way.
If you repeat this enough while dodging Taro’s attacks, you should whittle his health down until he enters his next phase. It is pretty obvious when it is happening because Taro will raise his hands and let out a burst of energy before destroying his sword. Stay away from him when he does this.
Taro should begin circling you before preparing to pounce so he can either swipe at you with his claws or grab you. It is the grab you need to be really afraid of, but the swipes are not to be taken lightly either. Like the previous phase, you are going to want to shoot Taro’s lantern. The best time to do this is when he begins charging at you. Simply activate Focus to give yourself a few precious extra seconds to aim, and let your arrow fly once your bow is aligned with his lantern.
Tips
There are a couple of ways to make the battle a tad easier for yourself. Firstly, there are flowers around the field which you can use to replenish your health. However, your Courage meter will need to be filled up enough for your Rot to be brave enough to come out before you can use the flowers.
Secondly, if you struggle to dodge some of Taro’s attacks, it may be best to just play it safe and avoid close-quarters combat. Although it will take longer, sticking to your bow and relying solely on ranged attacks will also get the job done.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is available on PC, PS4, and PS5.
