Healing, projectile attack, and more will be tied with these adorable little spirits.

Since the moment it was first revealed, Kena: Bridge of Spirits’ beautiful aesthetic and its promise of a fresh new action-adventure experience have been drawing in the masses, with a large number of people keeping a keen eye on what’s looking like a promising new game. One aspect of the experience that’s been highlighted quite a bit and is clearly going to be central to the game in more ways than one is the Rot, the adorable little spirits that Kena will encounter and team up with throughout her journey. From exploration to puzzle solving to combat, the Rot are going to be an important part of the gameplay, and in a recent interview with GamesRadar, Kena’s developers spoke specifically about how they’re going to function in combat.

Josh and Mike Grier, co-founders of developer Ember Lab, explained that from swarming enemies to shooting projectile attacks to shapeshifting and pummeling enemies to even helping players heal, the Rot are going to be central to the combat in Kena: Bridge of Spirits. The larger your team of Rot is, the more powerful attacks you’ll be able to unleash, paving the way for upgrades and progression.

“Kena can infuse any of her abilities with Rot to defeat enemies in unique ways,” they said. “The Rot can swarm attackers, create piercing projectiles, and even form a shape- shifting cloud to pummel enemies. Finding and growing a larger Rot team enables more powerful attacks and unlocks additional upgrades. Working with the Rot, players will discover enemy weaknesses. Additionally, healing in combat is tied to using the Rot. Players will have to find a balance between delivering a strong blow or taking the opportunity to heal.”

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is out for PS5, PS4, and PC on Augut 24. Check out the game’s newest trailer through here to get another look at the combat and some of its beautiful environments.