When it first launched on PlayStation and PC back in 2021, “Kena: Bridge of Spirits” was met with a mixed, but overall positive, reception. While the debut game from Ember Lab didn’t reinvent the action/adventure formula, it was a great start to what might one day become a beloved franchise. We’ll see how that shakes out when the sequel, “Kena: Scars of Kosmora,” releases later this year. Until then, though, Switch 2 players who missed out on Kena the first time around finally have their chance with a port of “Bridge of Spirits” for Nintendo’s latest console.
“Kena: Bridge of Spirits” is out now for Nintendo Switch 2, but how does it fare on the somewhat underpowered Switch 2 hardware? Moreover, does this port offer anything new for returning players who can’t get enough of Kena and her adventures?
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If you’ve already made up your mind on “Kena” on way or the other, you’re probably just interested in learning how it fares on Switch 2. Is it worth diving back in if you’re a die-hard fan, or giving it a second chance if you didn’t respond the first time around? Simply put, does “Kena: Bridge of Spirits” work on Switch 2? The answer is “yes,” but there’s a catch.
“Kena” on Switch 2 runs at 30 FPS on Switch 2, whether you’re playing handheld or docked. This puts it in line with the PS4 version of the game, but the PS5 version had an optional “Performance Mode” that lowered the resolution while boosting the framerate to a slick 60 FPS. It’s a bit of a bummer that “Kena” can’t hit 60 on Switch 2, especially since the image quality takes a hit in the transition from PlayStation to Nintendo. It’s by no means an ugly game (in fact, it’s quite stunning at times), but you’ll see a lot more jagged edges, dithered hair, and other visual blemishes that betray its status as a Switch game.
Even so, “Kena: Bridge of Spirits” has a striking art style and makes tremendous use of darkness and light-emitting particles to really make the visuals pop off the screen. If only the Switch 2 itself had an OLED screen to really play to the game’s strengths. Kena herself, and her little Rot buddies, are as expressive and adorable as ever, but the transition between the pre-rendered cutscenes and in-game graphics is a bit more obvious on the Switch 2 version. Overall, I’d say “Kena: Bridge of Spirits” successfully makes the jump to Switch 2, but you’re gonna miss that smooth 60 FPS when you’re neck-deep in the game’s many challenging boss encounters.
While this is a years-later port, this is the exact same game from 2021. Or, 2022, if you include the additions from the “Anniversary Update,” which are included here. Nothing is removed, but nothing is improved, and “Kena,” for all its dogged spirit, has plenty of room for improvement. First off, the game will still kick your butt. I’m not too proud to admit that I had to lower the difficulty during particularly grueling boss battles, more than once. Kena’s combat options are varied, but her parry window is so limited, it takes a lot of practice to actually get good at playing offensively. In theory, you can hang back and pepper enemies with bombs and arrows (once they’re unlocked), but bosses are usually so aggressive, they will pummel you into submission multiple times until you figure out the exact frame-perfect timing to parry their attacks. It doesn’t help that the final boss has no fewer than five stages, and players can only heal a couple of times using environmental objects; there are no medkits or healing spells.
Combat is not the strong suit of “Kena: Bridge of Spirits,” but there are so many combat-focused chokepoints that force you to into fighting absurdly powerful enemies who will drain your health in just a few hits. It feels good when you survive an encounter without getting killed, but there’s always a tougher one just around the corner. Too often, I felt like I was being killed by off-screen enemies while the camera was focusing on someone else, or that the loose lock-on system for melee strikes just wasn’t enough to make my hits go where I wanted them to go.
Thankfully, there’s more to “Kena” than just fighting. The exploration is whimsical and wonderful, but seeking hidden collectibles is a bit of a chore, since you need to stop to put on the Spirit Mask that reveals their locations if you’re close enough. Some of the hidden Rot buddies are easy to find at a glance, but others are fiendishly well-hidden. Of course, they’re optional, and you’ll get plenty of Rot pickups as you progress naturally through the game. I’m also not a fan of Kena’s double jump. It resets her momentum and feels slow, like she’s using a busted jetpack or something. It keeps the platforming sections from flowing the way they otherwise would with a more fluid jump system. However, that’s not a huge knock on the game’s strongest gameplay pillar, which is still fun and rewarding through to the end.
As a game, “Kena: Bridge of Spirits” is a strong start, but there was a lot of room to grow. The world is engaging, the writing is efficient and impactful, and the visuals are stylish, especially if you haven’t had your fill of “Avatar: The Last Airbender’s” brand of vaguely-Asian chic. On Switch 2, it’s the same old “Kena,” for better or worse. Would it have been nice for this to be more than a port, but an opportunity to revisit the game, rebalancing and rejiggering things? Probably. But I understand the desire to keep things as they were. After all, the sequel is just around the corner, and we can leave it to “Scars of Kosmora” to reinvent the wheel.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits Release Date & Launch Trailer
“Kena: Bridge of Spirits” is available now on Switch 2, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Newsweek was provided a Switch 2 game code for the purposes of this review.
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