Given that, apart from some retro games on PC, I play exclusively on Nintendo consoles, I haven't had a chance to play this game yet, but I heard a lot of praise about it, so I jumped at the chance when it was offered to us for review.
So let's get started:
You, that is, Kena is a girl with incredible powers. Namely, she is a Spirit Guide - she helps the recently deceased so that their souls find their way to the afterlife.
The story begins in an abandoned village surrounded by an ominous dark energy that affects the souls of the deceased and they, instead of moving on, become hostages of their own emotions and do not want to leave this world, turning everything they touch into a lifeless and poisonous wasteland that will swallow anyone who gets too close. Your task is to lead them on the right path, but they will not surrender without a fight.
You will be helped here by cute furry forest creatures named Rot, so with their assistance and the advice of several other Spirit Guides, you will travel through this unusual world and bring light into the darkness.
You will find Rotos in the most unlikely places
In the fight, you will use your faithful stick that you inherited from your father, and you will be able to perform weaker (light) and stronger (heavy) blows. Weaker shots are, of course, faster, but useless against enemies hiding behind shields, while stronger ones are much slower and allow enemies to avoid them, so you'll have to use a combination of both and practice perfect timing and detecting weak points to defeat bosses. You will also be able to create a protective field around you, which will protect you from enemy attacks to a certain extent, and if you activate the shield at the right moment, you will stun the opponent and create an opportunity for a counterattack. Over time, you will unlock additional abilities, such as ground slam and Rot infused arrows that pass through enemies, which will greatly help you in battles.
Very quickly in the game you will get a bow and bombs, with which you will deal devastating blows to the enemies. Also, you will be able to combine your friends, Rotos, with weapons and thus perform special strikes, or send them to distract the enemy and thus give you the opportunity to attack sensitive places (head, back). By gathering courage as you defeat enemies, you will be able to use Rotos multiple times in battle. You can stick bombs to enemies and wait for them to activate themselves, or hit them with an arrow for instant detonation.
Roots can be combined into this creature to destroy enemies and the infected environment
Outside of combat, you'll explore the world and solve various puzzles. You'll shoot at floating targets, use Rots to move things, jump on platforms and cliffs, open chests, destroy rocks, manipulate gravity and much more. Jumping is very precise and well handled, so if you jump a little too short, Kena will grab onto the edge and pull you up, saving you from falling.
On the way you will find more hidden Rots and add them to your merry company who will follow you in your footsteps, and in the chests you will also unlock adorable little hats that you can put on them.
Just look at those little hats
The story is linear, but the world is relatively open, and you can freely explore parts outside the obvious route because they often hide various challenges, treasures, costumes for Ken and hats for the Rotos, etc.
Although there is a detailed map of the whole world, there is no mini-map, so sometimes it is difficult to understand which direction I am going, and constantly opening a large map to get oriented becomes tiring, but that is honestly my only complaint about this game.
The animations are fantastic and among the best I've ever seen, which is not surprising because the Ember Lab team has experience in film animation. The surroundings are beautiful and detailed, you will stop to watch the babbling brook or sit on the cliff and enjoy the view. There are obvious compromises in terms of hardware requirements, most noticeable in the characters' hair and waterfalls, but this is still at the top of Switch 2 graphics.
The game runs nicely at 30fps docked and handheld, with only a few drops in framerate, but you'll only notice that if you're looking for it. I didn't pay too much attention because I was focusing on the story and gameplay, and they did a great job there.
The music, which has its roots in Indochina, contributes to the atmosphere very well, from mountain cliffs to underground warehouses, from wandering through the forest to fighting with a bunch of enemies - it is hit at every moment, the sound of hitting a stick and hitting an arrow are realistic and different depending on the surface you hit, and the voice acting is also very well done.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a superb port and a great addition to the Nintendo Switch 2 collection, and the visually stunning performance with a great story and adorable Rotovi will enchant you, so I'm very excited to look forward to the sequel, Kena: Scars of Kosmora, which was announced for this year, so I'm hoping for a Switch 2 version as well.
For all of the above, I give this game a big and well-deserved rating of 4.5/5 ★★★★⯩
Nintendo Switch 2 review copy provided by publisher Ember Lab.
