Kena: Bridge of Spirits review (Switch 2)

“Every single moment of Kena: Bridge of Spirits is simply wonderful,” we said in our PS5 review of the game upon its original launch in 2021. Since then, it’s been ported to more formats including Xbox, but it’s never lost its magic. And that remains the case now it’s also available on Switch 2. If you appreciate action adventure games with puzzle solving, combat and plenty of heart, this is for you.

Take a chance on Kena: Bridge of Spirits and you’ll find yourself playing as the titular Kena, a young Spirit Guide in search of the sacred Mountain Shrine. Upon stepping into a new and mysterious land, however, she soon encounters some spirits who need her help, with the local village and its surrounding areas overtaken by a foul corruption. Thankfully, with the help of some cute critters called Rot, Kena can clear this corruption, but it’s not going to be easy.

Being a story-driven action adventure game, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is fairly linear, but you are given a little bit of freedom in each area you explore to seek out additional Rot to add to your small army, as well as other goodies such as customisation items to make your Rot unique. And thanks to the stunning visuals on offer here, simply being in this world is a treat. It’s essentially like you’re directing your own DreamWorks animation.

The scenery’s not always so nice, though; it’s often ruined by that pesky corruption I mentioned earlier. It’s in these areas that you’ll typically find yourself engaging in combat against a range of dark and dangerous creatures eager to put your spirit work to an end. But armed with a potent staff, you can strike at them with both standard and heavy attacks. You can use your magical powers to raise a shield, too, and as you progress further into the game you can unlock additional skills via a simple tree. Some of these will even allow you to use the Rot to your advantage in combat.

You don’t simply end combat encounters in Kena: Bridge of Spirits by defeating all enemies who stand before you, though. Instead, it’s all about removing the corruption in the area. At the start of battle, your Rot companions will typically run away, scared of the foul creatures you’re about to face. By engaging in combat you’ll gain them some courage, however, and upon gaining a full pip of courage, you’ll be able to target a bud attached to a nearby corruption growth. Send the Rot to one of these growths and then burst it with a magical pulse and the corruption will be cleared, bringing you one step closer to victory.

It’s not only in combat that the Rot prove useful to your adventure, either. As you explore, you’ll often need to call upon your Rot friends to move objects so that you can access new areas or solve puzzles, and in some areas you can also manipulate your Rot to assume a new form. A number of them can fuse with water to create a moist blob, for example, useful for clearing up any small clumps of corruption that might be blocking your path.

All in all, this a truly mesmerising adventure that’s hard to put down once you start playing. It’s well paced, with its puzzles, combat and exploration elements carefully balanced so that no element feels overbearing. And its narrative its gripping, full of cute characters while pulling on the heartstrings. Switch 2 owners benefit from various updates to the game since launch, too. Not only does it boast additional content added post its original PS5 launch, but also new features such as additional difficulty levels.

The only negatives here are to be expected, given the power capabilities of the Switch 2 versus PS5. You’re stuck playing at 30fps with no performance mode available, for example. Though once you get used to it, it’s not that much if an issue. Additionally, while Kena: Bridge of Spirits still looks gorgeous on Switch 2, there are clear cutbacks in some areas. These really shouldn’t deter you from picking up Kena: Bridge of Spirits on Switch 2 though, especially if you’ve not played it before. This remains one of the best games of the last decade.