Kena: Bridge of Spirits Nintendo Switch 2 Review

When I "previewed" Kena: Bridge of Spirits' Nintendo Switch 2 version earlier this month at GDC, I can't say I was expecting that merely 2 weeks later I would have a full review for the port ready to go. It's now clear that the build I had played was already the final release version. Admittedly, this leaves me in an awkward position; most of what makes this version of Kena interesting is, of course, the technical performance - and naturally, nothing has really changed on that front since I first reported on the port two weeks ago.

I can speak on technical matters a bit more at depth, now that I have finished the game. The 30 FPS cap is met for the majority of the game just fine, with only one specific location where I noticed a consistent framerate drop while in handheld mode. There is no optional 60 FPS mode, which means that the noticeable input lag remains. You can get used to it, like I did, and as such I can't rightfully call it a dealbreaker. I also, again, haven't had the time nor opportunity to compare it to the PlayStation 5 or PC versions of the game to see how they compare. It's very possible this is an issue that is not exclusive to the Switch 2 version, for all I know!

While during my preview I opted to play the game in handheld mode, and I felt that the game's image quality held up, I spent most of my time with the full game playing it docked while hooked up to my 42" LG C5 at my desk. While Switch 2 would never have been my ideal way of playing the game, Kena feels like the sort of experience where the presentation is tantamount to its gameplay. I wanted to see how the game on Switch 2 would stack up on something approximating a "home theater" setup, and if I felt that it did the game's visuals justice. While I did not play it docked at the GDC Switch 2 preview event, I did end up playing it seated a similar distance away from a similarly large 4K screen.

In a word, Kena absolutely holds up on the big screen. While you can absolutely tell that the game is using upscaling, whatever method Ember Labs is employing - I speculate it to be "DLSS Lite", as Digital Foundry has coined it - holds up well enough, even if fine edges have some noticeable breakup during fast movement. The game is an absolute looker on Switch 2, and while I'm sure the game looks even better on stronger platforms I can't say it felt like I was playing a compromised version of the game.

With all of that out of the way, I realize that we haven't actually reviewed Kena's first outing on any platform, and so I should talk about the gameplay. In a word, it feels like the sort of mostly linear 3D Action Adventure game you would've seen on the PlayStation 2, albeit with a slightly larger scope to match the hardware the game is running on. Players take control of Kena, a Spirit Guide, as she helps guide tormented spirits pass on. The story is fairly simple, but the presentation - learning more about the tragedy that befell the village at the foot of the Mountain Shrine, and its connection to Kena's own journey, is interesting enough and well paced for the game's 10 to 12 hour runtime.

Kena's gameplay falls into a similar category. The structure is fairly rigid; Kena will receive a new mask representing a tormented spirit, gain a new ability, and players use said ability in puzzle-solving to help find mementos of that person's life - before battling their tormented forms to free them. Combat starts off simple, and doesn't meaningfully evolve - though it's suitable for the length of the game as a whole. Players can use either quick light attacks, or lumbering heavy attacks; the latter of which making large, sweeping motions that can be charged for greater strength. Kena's shield can be used to block attacks, though with perfect timing she'll deflect them entirely - an element of the combat that starts off inconsequential, though by the final moments becomes something much closer to an expectation.

Rot, diminutive woodland creatures of unknown origin are the other half of combat, and key to many of the game's puzzles outside of battles. Dealing damage will eventually charge up the Rot meter, which will allow you to make use of their abilities. You can ask them to occupy an enemy, keeping them in place for a short period of time; you can also task them with activating flowers that can help restore a portion of Kena's health, depending on the combat arena you find yourself in. With some upgrades, players can even infuse their attacks with Rot to activate special abilities such as a piercing arrow, or a downward slam with devastating damage potential, alongside slight tracking properties.

Outside of combat, Kena can command Rot to aid her during puzzles - though this materializes in two ways. The Rot will either pick up and move an object like you're playing Pikmin, or they'll inhabit a water droplet, empowering themselves to clear a path forward for Kena through some corruption. Elsewhere, they slightly purify a section of corruption, offering an opportunity for Kena's pulse or bow to finish the deed. It doesn't overstay its welcome, but I'd be lying if I said the game's puzzles ever get more complicated than having the Rot move an object to the obviously telegraphed spot, direct them through a path filled with corruption, or use Kena's abilities to throw or shoot something at a highlighted object. This probably sounds reductive, and I suppose to an extent it is; the puzzles themselves are fine in practice, and I do want to stress that they manage the bare minimum to not feel like an active detriment to the gameplay loop. They're just not especially interesting. 

Part of why I hadn't gotten around to playing Kena previously was I'd had the feeling this was what I could expect - a visually striking game with decent, yet unremarkable, gameplay and story. There's nothing wrong with that. The RPG elements are very barebones in this entry - perhaps we were right to not cover the original release - yet I still had a good time with the game, all said and done. It has its moments; the final boss gauntlet sticks the landing, and while I don't think the story stuck the landing as well as it could have, it did its job. If, like me, you found yourself interested in how things might evolve with the sequel I can give my endorsement for Kena: Bridge of Spirits on Switch 2. All in all, it's a solid port for a solid game.