Seeing Kena: Bridge of Spirits land on Nintendo Switch 2 is one of those things that both makes sense and almost feels a bit wrong. When it was first announced during the PlayStation’s June 11, 2020, Future of Gaming showcase, it seemed like the kind of game that would define the creative spirit of the PlayStation 5 in the same way Knack was supposed to with the PlayStation 4.
Unfortunately, I missed out on Kena: Bridge of Spirits when it launched in 2021, primarily due to financial constraints related to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with a new console launch comes a new chance to experience the game, and as I said, it kind of makes sense given how much of the game was inspired by Nintendo games that it would finally find its home on a Nintendo console.
It seems like I’m doing these a lot lately, but I won’t go into overwhelming detail since CGM’s Zubi Khan already wrote a pretty comprehensive review of Kena: Bridge of Spirits back in 2021. Instead, this will function more as a Performance Review of the Nintendo Switch 2 version and in that regard, it’s pretty impressive—granted, this system handled Resident Evil: Requiem pretty impressively, so a game from five years ago was bound to be a slam dunk.
What I didn’t fully realize about Kena: Bridge of Spirits is that it’s essentially an indie game, and as such, it’s built in such a way that makes it incredibly optimized for playing on the Nintendo Switch 2. Right from the start, cutscenes ran smoothly at a high resolution, most likely due to the fact that cutscenes are pre-rendered and loaded at the time of playing. Gameplay runs equally as well, thanks to the relatively small areas that players explore as they progress through the game in a linear fashion.
Playing in both Handheld and Docked, Kena: Bridge of Spirits runs at a what appears to be a pretty consistent 60fps. In handheld, you can see some small areas where the game had to make minor sacrifices. Things like Kena’s hair, foliage or grass textures suffer some minor pixelation. But when it comes to the main objects like enemies, architecture and Kena herself, they’re all rendered smoothly and with an impeccable amount of detail.
Not only that, but since Rot Spirits don’t follow you everywhere like Pikmin, the game doesn’t have to use extra processing power to keep them on screen at a high framerate. But where the game does suffer a bit is during combat. While it’s generally smooth throughout, there is a small stutter when using the block and parry, which isn’t exactly game-breaking but does make the flow of battle a bit awkward.
“Kena: Bridge of Spirits feels inspired by games from Nintendo’s catalogue.”
And Kena: Bridge of Spirits looks fantastic on the Nintendo Switch 2 due in large part to the game’s bright and colourful world and interesting, Dreamworks-esque character aesthetic. Even on the Switch 2’s standard LED screen, the game’s use of stark reds against the monochrome environments of decaying lands, contrasted by the way they spring to colour and life when cleansed, always looks amazing.
And like I said at the top of this review, so much of Kena: Bridge of Spirits feels inspired by games from Nintendo’s catalogue. Even if you knew nothing about it, it’s not hard to start seeing similarities to The Legend of Zelda and Pikmin as you begin your journey—finding relics and new abilities to help you traverse the land and relying on your army of little friends to help you in exploration and combat.
And as someone who didn’t play it when it launched, I was honestly impressed by just how quickly it hooks you. It’s got an engaging and well-produced story, a genuinely fun combat system, and a breathtaking soundtrack. What’s more, I was honestly surprised by just how likable Kena is as a protagonist. She’s polite and reverent, understands the weight of her position, and greets each new character, friend and foe with a warm, approachable niceness.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits feels right at home on a Nintendo console, and its size and scope make it a pretty decent travel companion—well-suited to easy pick-up-and-play. If you missed it the first time around and are willing to accept a small degree of graphical sacrifice, then this game is definitely worth your time.
