In March, Ember Lab released a Nintendo Switch 2 port of Kena: Bridge of Spirits, marking the action-adventure's first appearance on Nintendo hardware.
Developed by Ember Lab and originally launched on PlayStation and PC, the title's arrival on Nintendo Switch 2 was accompanied by a technical deep dive from Ember Lab COO Josh Grier about the studio's optimization work, performance targets, and future support.
Ember Lab tested the original Nintendo Switch during earlier development but determined the team did not have the bandwidth at the time to pursue a full port.
Once Nintendo announced the Switch 2, the studio viewed it as a viable opportunity to bring Kena to a new platform.
According to Grier, Nintendo provided development hardware and guidance, which helped Ember Lab adapt to the platform's toolchain and workflows.
On the technical side, Ember Lab focused on content-pipeline optimizations.
The studio revisited and refined level-of-detail thresholds, reduced texture memory usage, and improved hierarchical level-of-detail (HLOD) setups to cut draw calls and enhance rendering performance.
The team also increased the use of billboards for distant environmental elements to save on geometry and streaming costs without noticeable visual degradation.
Rot characters and their animations received targeted optimizations so the studio could preserve their personality while lowering asset complexity.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits on Switch 2 uses NVIDIA DLSS for upscaling.
Ember Lab selected DLSS settings that struck a balance between visual fidelity and the game's performance target.
While other Switch 2 releases have introduced higher-frame-rate modes (some offering 40 FPS), Ember Lab said that a higher-frame-rate option for Kena would require concessions to visual quality that the team judged unacceptable for the experience they wanted to deliver.
Looking ahead, Ember Lab said it is monitoring player feedback post-launch and will consider patches and improvements that fall within the studio's scope.
The company acknowledged fan interest in a physical edition—having supported physical release for the initial PlayStation launch—and said it continues to weigh future options.
Ember Lab also noted the studio's current focus on developing the sequel, which the team confirmed is being made for PS5 and PC.
Ember Lab's roots include the 2016 fan film Zelda: Majora's Mask — Terrible Fate, a project the studio cites as formative.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is available now on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch 2 owners.
Developed by Ember Lab and originally launched on PlayStation and PC, the title's arrival on Nintendo Switch 2 was accompanied by a technical deep dive from Ember Lab COO Josh Grier about the studio's optimization work, performance targets, and future support.
Ember Lab tested the original Nintendo Switch during earlier development but determined the team did not have the bandwidth at the time to pursue a full port.
Once Nintendo announced the Switch 2, the studio viewed it as a viable opportunity to bring Kena to a new platform.
According to Grier, Nintendo provided development hardware and guidance, which helped Ember Lab adapt to the platform's toolchain and workflows.
On the technical side, Ember Lab focused on content-pipeline optimizations.
The studio revisited and refined level-of-detail thresholds, reduced texture memory usage, and improved hierarchical level-of-detail (HLOD) setups to cut draw calls and enhance rendering performance.
The team also increased the use of billboards for distant environmental elements to save on geometry and streaming costs without noticeable visual degradation.
Rot characters and their animations received targeted optimizations so the studio could preserve their personality while lowering asset complexity.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits on Switch 2 uses NVIDIA DLSS for upscaling.
Ember Lab selected DLSS settings that struck a balance between visual fidelity and the game's performance target.
While other Switch 2 releases have introduced higher-frame-rate modes (some offering 40 FPS), Ember Lab said that a higher-frame-rate option for Kena would require concessions to visual quality that the team judged unacceptable for the experience they wanted to deliver.
Looking ahead, Ember Lab said it is monitoring player feedback post-launch and will consider patches and improvements that fall within the studio's scope.
The company acknowledged fan interest in a physical edition—having supported physical release for the initial PlayStation launch—and said it continues to weigh future options.
Ember Lab also noted the studio's current focus on developing the sequel, which the team confirmed is being made for PS5 and PC.
Ember Lab's roots include the 2016 fan film Zelda: Majora's Mask — Terrible Fate, a project the studio cites as formative.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is available now on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch 2 owners.