Kena: Bridge of Spirits was initially released as a cross-generation title, giving players a clear look at the differences between the PlayStation 4 and its next-gen version. No matter how you played it, Kena was a gorgeous game with animation quality and expressive detail rivaling the best of Pixar or DreamWorks films. If you played it on a PlayStation 5, the illusion was convincing during cutscenes and gameplay.
Eventually, Kena found her way onto Xbox consoles, where it was promptly ignored. This type of game was never really meant for the typical “ball and gun” gamer and probably would have been a better fit on a Nintendo console, especially given its similarities to The Legend of Zelda.
How would such a glossy and visually arresting game work on the Nintendo Switch 2? In reality, it’s likely not as demanding as it might appear, given that it was also released on PlayStation 4. Does it run better? What kind of features have been added? Find out in our Kena: Bridge of Spirits review!
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Developer: Ember Lab
Publisher: Ember Lab
Platforms: Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2 (reviewed)
Release Date: September 21, 2021 / March 26, 2026
Price: $39.99
A lot of gamers compare Kena: Bridge of Spirits to Zelda, but that’s only telling half of the story. I did not expect it to have noticeable similarities to the Pikmin series, with its obnoxiously cute spirit companions called the Rot. As Kena explores the world, she collects more Rot, who become helpful companions. In puzzles, you can direct them to lift heavy objects, pull levers, carry items, or activate mechanisms, much like assigning tasks to Pikmin in Nintendo’s games.
Unlike Pikmin, the Rot feel more like an extension of Kena’s own spirit guide abilities than fully independent squad members in an actionized RTS. In this realm, anyone who dies with unfinished business or trauma may become trapped between the living and spirit worlds. Their lingering anguish permeates the land, spreading decay and giving rise to dangerous creatures.
Kena is tasked with helping restless souls find peace and move on to the afterlife, all while working to complete her training and honor her late father, the former spirit guide of the abandoned village. It’s an emotional, heartfelt tale that weaves together quiet moments of reflection with bursts of intense action as Kena develops in both strength and insight. The only downside is that Kena herself feels like a rather generic and uninteresting protagonist.
It’s a shame the protagonist feels so plain. At its heart, the story beautifully explores how unresolved pain can taint everything around us, and how compassion and courage are essential to healing both the living and the dead. While this is executed really well, I couldn’t connect because the protagonist was just too dull.
While she may not be a deep or interesting hero, she’s pretty good in a scrap. The combat system revolves around Kena’s magical staff, emphasizing light and heavy attacks, charged strikes, and a parry/dodge mechanic, all while managing her stamina; a setup that will make Dark Souls veterans feel right at home.
Kena picks up new skills like turning her staff into a bow for ranged shots and precision aiming, using a Spirit Pulse to shield herself and uncover hidden details, and throwing Spirit Bombs to control large areas. The combat stays exciting and rewarding, blending melee combos with magical style, while pushing you to master timing and spot patterns, especially during bosses who put up a surprising challenge for such a game that looks like it’s meant for girls.
When they’re not being used to solve puzzles, the Rot act as a support squad. In combat, Kena commands them to swarm enemies, distract foes, or power up your attacks, so long as her courage gauge is loaded and ready. The Rot implementation is pretty novel and works very well. They respond instantly when used, reacting just as quickly as any of Kena’s core actions.
Exploring and battling is rewarding, as progression means gathering Karma to unlock new abilities and increasing your Rot count to open up more options. The game invites you to thoroughly explore, discover hidden Rot, collect hats to customize these little boogers, earn costumes for Kena, and simply enjoy getting lost in such a lush and captivating world.
Mercifully, the collecting and exploring don’t overstay their welcome, and the game takes about 10 hours to finish. Most optional areas aren’t too hidden, and your map tracks all interactions in each area, making it easy to go back and pick up any missed challenges.
Bridge of Spirits is a solid action-adventure game with plenty of fresh ideas, especially in how Kena makes use of the Rots. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel or anything and is a little on the safe side, but there is never a dull moment, and you can feel the devs’ busted asses and see that they poured their hearts into everything in it.
The visuals are especially notable, and I am happy to report that on Nintendo Switch 2, Kena is still a looker. The art style is a Western take on Eastern folklore, like Nickelodeon’s Avatar by way of Pixar. Every character is hyper expressive to the point of being rubbery, and while this might sound like a knock, it isn’t. The range of expression carries over into the gameplay, with Kena’s attacks and jump animations offering a tangible and satisfying sense of kinesthetics.
Her staff attacks have a crunchy whip and thwack to them, making you really feel the welts from her blows. The Rots are also well-animated… maybe too well-animated. These little saccharin toyetic blobs defy the laws of biology and versimilitude and are designed to sell plushies over believability.
The transition to the Switch 2 is impressive, but it comes with some compromises. The framerate is 30fps, compared to the PlayStation 5’s 60fps. This was expected, as the Switch 2’s specifications are more aligned with last generation’s hardware than with current generation systems.
Image quality is clear as a crisp spring morning, but shadow quality is noticeably more haggard and rougher. It’s easy to notice on Kena’s model when the angle highlights more pronounced shadows, creating a broken-up effect with jagged, shadowy shapes scattered across the geometry. These drawbacks are distracting enough even to casual viewers, but they won’t be enough to bring down the fun.
Regretfully, Bridge of Spirits on Switch 2 is a barebones port. The release version is the newest build available across all platforms, complete with all updates and features, including New Game Plus and bonus outfits. Gyro-aim and mouse mode are not present. It would have been cool if there were some exclusive costumes for Kena or hats for the Rots, or even a “Kena Must Die” mode, but there is nothing new for veterans.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is one of the rare Zelda clones that truly delivers, offering engaging gameplay, a captivating atmosphere, and an outstanding soundtrack. It can be a bit schmaltzy at times with its overly cute designs, and its target audience might be surprised by the impressively challenging combat, but you can’t go wrong with it on any console. It Kena kino? Almost! But it’s something to tide Nintendo fans over for a little while.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits was reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2 using a code provided by Ember Lab. Additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy is here. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is now available for Windows PC (via Steam), Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
