I never expected Kena: Bridge of Spirits to hit Switch 2, but it feels like a good fit

In a similar vein to some other games we had a chance to check out this GDC, part of the struggle of covering titles at RPG Site is sometimes deciding when a game is enough of an RPG to merit coverage – or when to make an exception for a title that explicitly isn’t an RPG, but which we figure our audience might be interested in. Kena: Bridge of Spirits was one of those titles we originally opted not to cover back when it launched on PlayStation and PC in 2021, though we now find ourselves re-evaluating with the recent announcement of a sequel, and an upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 version of the title.

Much like Elden Ring, this is one of the 3rd-party titles we were invited by Nintendo to play. Also similarly to Elden Ring, we can confirm that the port is looking to be in good shape ahead of the game’s release in the coming weeks. I can’t speak too closely to the technical performance, but in handheld mode the game looked rather good. Probably not a native 1080p, but whatever upscaling solution they’re using isn’t overly aggressive.

The game runs at 30FPS; I wasn’t able to check the game’s settings to see if there’s a 60FPS mode. If I had one complaint about the game’s performance on Switch 2 is that I did feel the game had some rather noticeable input lag. Though, I have not played the PlayStation or PC release of the game to note if that is unique to the Switch 2 release. It is also possible that things are smoothed out on that front before launch.

It’s by no means game-breaking, and I’m sure given enough time I could grow used to it; speaking to the overall state of the port, it’s worth noting that Ember Lab’s founders - Josh and Mike Grier – were in attendance to showcase the port. Right now the game doesn’t support gyro aiming for the bow, but when asked I was told that the team is considering implementing it prior to launch.

As for gameplay, Kena remains unchanged from its prior releases. It comes with all of the updates the game has received over the years, including New Game+, additional outfits and charmstones; otherwise the game strikes a similar beat to 3D Zelda titles, with utilizing Kena’s various equipment and commanding Rot to solve puzzles or help in combat.

Truth be told, I’ve been considering playing the original Kena before the sequel releases later this year, and I may just consider this Switch 2 port. Ember Labs has certainly put in the work to deliver a solid conversion for Nintendo’s hybrid console. Kena: Bridge of Spirits launches for Nintendo Switch 2 later this Spring.