Post by: riskman64 on March 26, 2026, 06:00:00 AM
A heartfelt journey through gorgeous natural environments.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/74916/kena-bridge-of-spirits-switch-2-review
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is one of only a few former PlayStation exclusive titles to make their way to Nintendo, but this one waited specifically for Switch 2–and for good reason. Its lush forest environments, especially during rainy sequences, look amazing, and it's hard not to stare at the breathtaking art and scenery of the game as you make your way through. While the gameplay of Kena serves it well enough, the heart of its story and the beauty of its visuals are the real standouts.
Kena is on a journey to find a sacred mountain shrine and comes upon an abandoned village that has been overtaken by corruption. By collecting little (oddly named) Rot spirits, she can manipulate the environment and even turn the tide of battle in order to bring balance back to the world. Gameplay will be familiar to fans of other PlayStation 3rd-person action titles like God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn, with Bridge of Spirits being lighter fare but with some of the same challenge, both in terms of puzzles and combat. There's lots to collect in terms of the Rot themselves, hats for them to wear, and currency to upgrade Kena's abilities.
Across a medium-size map, Kena will encounter spirits and other humans who guide her towards eliminating the corruption that has blocked paths and disrupted life in the village. Armed at first with just a staff and the ability to use her Rot to ensnare enemies and open up paths, eventually she acquires a bow, expands her health meter, and adds powers like creating a healing flower. Five difficulty levels allow players to customize the experience, but even the default setting offers a good challenge across many of the boss encounters.
Careful observation of your surroundings is needed to complete puzzles and figure out how to move forward. While your trusty map does indicate points of interest, including warp stones, each new section of the world brings with it new obstacles to navigate. Sometimes you'll need to command your Rot followers to pick up a stone to create a pedestal from which you can activate spread out beacons to open a door forward. When the bow is eventually in hand, you can use it to shoot certain flowers to hookshot you up to higher ground. Activating pillars in a particular order or defeating waves of enemies before purifying the battleground are a few more of the sequences you'll encounter, all of which culminate in a familiar but enjoyable romp.
Where Kena stumbles just a bit is in terms of its controls, movement, and repetition. Another Rot mechanic sees the lot of them transform into a dragon-like entity that you guide with one stick while controlling Kena with the other, and these moments never felt responsive or satisfying. At other times, there are ledges, hills, and platforms that it feels like you should be able to traverse, but instead the game just pushes you away, forcing you to find another way around. Even though the aesthetic of Bridge of Spirits is quite attractive, the forest spaces do blend in with one another, making me wish for a bit more visual variety, in spite of how beautiful these places are.
There are some truly heartfelt moments that Kena witnesses in her journey to the sacred mountain shrine. One of these involves a pair of children who serve as guides to you early on as they search for their older brother. The conclusion of their story arc was one that genuinely choked me up, all the more so because the cutscenes are so evocative and gorgeously animated. Changes between day and night time throughout the game contribute equally to it being in moments ominous but also tranquil. The balance that Bridge of Spirits manages to achieve in terms of tone is an impressive one.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits had long been on my radar as I held out hope for a future Switch port. It took the power of the Switch 2 to make that a reality, but there's no doubt that the fidelity of the visual experience was worth the wait. Bridge of Spirits isn't overly unique in its gameplay, but it compensates for that with a charming story and beautiful environments. Even in handheld mode, the game holds up well and the charm remains intact. Kena: Bridge of Spirits doesn't outstay its welcome, and with luck it will continue the practice of what were once PlayStation exclusives finding a home on Nintendo platforms.
