Kena: Bridge of Spirits was one of the first “flagship” titles of this brand new generation of gaming, back when it was first announced in 2021. It gave gamers what they had been asking for years: basically a playable Pixar game, a game with the same level of visual fidelity as a CGI cartoon movie. It had some issues, namely an occasionally generic gameplay loop and voice acting that occasionally missed the spot, but it was a success. It won awards, it sold well, it put smiles on many people’s faces. I certainly was one of them.

The thing is, for a while, Kena was stuck as a Playstation console exclusive. It would take nearly three more years for the game to be ported over to the Xbox series of consoles. Considering this, and the fact we hadn’t reviewed the game back when it first came out, I thought to myself, why not give it another go? And here we are today. Is Kena: Bridge of Spirits worth purchasing on Xbox? The obvious answer is yes, but only if you hadn’t played it up until this point. Which, considering the fact it had been available for Playstation and PC for a good three years, makes it somewhat of a common game to own at this point.

If you’re not part of the demographic that currently owns a copy, then you might be wondering if there are any differences between the Series X version of Kena, and its PS5 counterpart. To be fair, nope. Both consoles are so similar to one another, it’s hard (and boring) to even try to compare both versions. It’s gorgeous, runs incredibly well, loading times are fantastic, and the button prompts are the same as the Steam version. I assume there was little to no effort taken to port the specific Steam version onto the Xbox, to be fair.

Instead, I decided to tackle it on Series S, to see if there was still some decent fidelity, if the game was still very much playable and highly enjoyable, as well as being better than an Xbox One port, despite the reduced hardware capabilities.

It’s still a pretty good port, all things considered. Even on less beefy hardware, Kena looks great. The 30fps cap on Series S, oddly enough, gives it more of a cinematic appeal. I’m not saying it’s ideal, as it does take a slight toll on the Souls-esque combat (not so much on the platforming), but the transition between gameplay and cutscenes (which are obviously pre-rendered) felt more seemless. To be fair, the combat isn’t insanely hard, more akin to Jedi: Fallen Order in this regard, and there are difficulty settings. Therefore, the combat is manageable, despite the framerate cap. You gotta look for positives, even on less ideal occasions, I suppose.

Everything else that requires more of the CPU, and not the GPU, such as transitioning between dark and “purified” environments, loading times, and so on, are as good as the version I’d previously beaten on a much more capable PC. I do like the fact that Kena is an open world game that simply doesn’t outstay its welcome when it comes to length and padding. It’s a somewhat short game for the premise, probably a consequence of it still being an indie at the end of the day. The level design is one of the highlights alongside the visuals, with the player rarely feeling lost whilst looking for Rots (adorable little spirits that act like this game’s main collectibles), for instance.

At this point in time, you may have already played (and beaten) Kena: Bridge of Spirits, and are aware of what it is, isn’t, its pros and cons. If the Xbox family of consoles is the only platform you have access to, fear not. It may have taken nearly three years for the port to be released, but it’s basically the same game as the PS5 version, if you’re a Series X owner. For Series S owners, there may be one or two setbacks, such as the framerate cap, but the game is still beautiful and very much enjoyable. The final verdict is simple: Kena has issues, but it’s still one of the most fascinating indies released over the past few years. I fully encourage you to give it a go, if you still haven’t at this point.

Graphics: 9.0 We’re here because of the graphics. They are, indeed, excellent, a more adult take on a Pixar movie, in playable format. It’s obvious that some cutscenes are CGI clips, but the transition feels more seamless than you’d think. The performance is also quite good.	Gameplay: 7.5 A slight mixture between 3D platorming, exploration, and slight Souls-esque combat. It doesn’t excel in any regard, but it doesn’t feel broken. It’s competent, never irritating the player.
Sound: 7.5 The soundtrack is better than the voice acting. Even if Kena’s voice actor delivers a strong performance, everyone else sounds a bit off, a bit less professional.	Fun Factor: 8.0 Kena: Bridge of Spirits excels at its visuals and the fact it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Even if it’s not an innovative game when it comes to its mechanics, I had a pretty good time playing it, and can easily recommend it to anyone, be it on PS5, PC, or the Xbox consoles.
Final Verdict: 8.0

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is available now on PS5, Xbox Series S/X and PC

Reviewed on Xbox Series S.

A copy of Kena: Bridge of Spirits was provided by the publisher.