Kena: Bridge of Spirits is one of my favorite games of this console generation. I was the lead reviewer on PS5, we scored it quite high, and gave it our Indie Game of the Year award. Plus, I'm pretty excited for the upcoming sequel, Kena: Scars of Kosmora. Bringing Kena with me everywhere can be done via a Steam Deck or PlayStation Portal, but Ember Lab has now entrusted us to guide spirits through the Nintendo Switch 2. Is it a worthwhile journey, or just another port?
First off, Kena's adventure is an incredible step back into the PS2 era with a lot of heart. Not only is the gameplay phenomenal, it's also surprisingly challenging with a few Soulsy mechanics. Add in a narrative that will bring tears to your eyes, along with gorgeous visuals, and every second with Kena is time well spent. You can check out my 95/100 review below, but suffice to say, Bridge of Spirits is a game you should play immediately.
David Burdette
Booting into the Nintendo Switch 2 version, I noticed a few things immediately. First off, it loads almost instantly. I'd have expected as much given the type of game, but it's nice not to be waiting on a loading screen. Secondly, there are definite sacrifices made for this to run on the handheld. Let's get a little deeper into that.
The game itself runs like a dream. Considering the gameplay style, with platforming, climbing, and enemies that can pack a punch, performance is important. Ember Lab knows this, and in crafting this port, you can see their dedication to making sure it works right, even if it isn't as stunning as other platforms.
This is obvious in two areas: graphics and frame rate. Make no mistake, Kena: Bridge of Spirit still looks fantastic. The lush green forests you'll be accustomed to are still brimming with life; they're just a tad faded. Textures are somewhat muddy, especially if you get a good view of Kena's character model. That said, there is minimal pop-in, and what's here still looks good, just subdued on a handheld. Even with these "downgrades", the bright, Pixar-level quality still exists, and that's enough for me. It looks awesome on the Switch 2's screen, especially in HDR, and isn't bad docked either.
Moving onto the frame rate, Bridge of Spirits sadly won't be hitting 60 FPS. Thankfully, the 30 FPS performs admirably. I don't remember any hitches, and as mentioned above, you need this kind of game to be steady. The slower pace of Kena, the third-person aspect, and the need for a stable frame rate probably make this choice the best one. If it was going to be a jagged forty or sixty frames, it's probably not worth it.
Taking control of Kena is impressively done on the Switch 2. That shouldn't be any surprise as this genre of game fits a Nintendo device like a glove, but it's nice to see. With the more difficult nature Bridge of Spirits offers, a bad camera or shoddy button mapping wouldn't do. Instead, the team has delivered an excellent port – I was able to survive a boss with a single sliver of health left through half of its health bar. As much as the Joy-Cons can derail my enjoyment of certain ports, that's not the case with Kena.
Here is the actual, much more vivid appearance of Kena: Bridge of Spirits on Nintendo Switch 2
It's also a quick adventure to get onto your Switch 2. Weighing in at only thirteen gigabytes and change, you won't be waiting all day to download it. Bridge of Spirits being smaller also makes some of the graphical decisions and cuts understandable. At any rate, saving whatever space you can – especially with other third-party ports coming in between 60GB-100GB – is a godsend.
I feel like I've not given Kena on the Switch 2 nearly enough praise, so let's do it here. While there are limitations to this version, they aren't deal breakers. I still think the PlayStation 5 version is the definitive one, but accessing Bridge of Spirits in a handheld manner that doesn't require you to juggle settings just to make it work is tremendous. Again, this is an exceptional game, and one that a few compromises doesn't mar. Ember Lab delivered a hit years ago, and now Nintendo players get a chance to give it a go. You'd be remiss to pass up on this one – go buy Kena: Bridge of Spirits for the Nintendo Switch 2.
