Naruto: Rise of a Ninja

"A good Naruto game? Believe it!"

The first great Naruto game! Or so the back of the game case says. Naruto: Rise of a Ninja would probably have never found its way into my house had I not read several reviews prior to seeing it on the shelf. I'm wary of any game that claims to be the best of is kind, especially if it's a licensed title or it stars a ninja with an orange jumpsuit. But hey, I wanted an adventure game and the 360 is lacking, so I took a $60 plunge. Was it worth it, or did the game fail in basic ninja training... How about we find out?

Rise of a Ninja encompasses about the first 80 or so episodes of the series... Or so I hear. I can't claim to have a very good knowledge of the anime myself. For all those unacquainted such as I was, Naruto is the story of a young boy (named Naruto... dur!) who wishes to become the greatest ninja his village has ever seen. It won't be an easy road for him however. Not only does he have to pass a number of grueling ninja examinations, but he also has sealed within him a demon of incredible power. It doesn't help that his entire village thinks he's a loud mouthed and dangerous idiot. As the game progresses, however, Naruto begins to gain the friendship and respect of those around him. Does he live to become the greatest ninja ever? Well that's up to you.

As far as story goes it's your typical Dragon Ball style quest to become the best. Thankfully the wide cast of characters remains interesting and humorous (Ninja powers that allow you to transform into a naked babe to stun your enemies? Oooo yeah), while the pacing is quick and only sees us through the important bits of the show. The majority of the story is told through high quality, uncensored clips taken directly from the anime itself. These are great and give anyone who hasn't watched the show a great sense of what it's all about. Sadly though, these scenes are also long, taking you away from the gameplay for awkward lengths of time. I sometimes felt as if I had begun watching the dvd's of the show as opposed to playing the GAME of the show. I might as well let everyone know now that all the voices are in english as well. As I write this the game is receiving a free download that allows you to switch to Japanese voices, so no worries to those of you who do care. All in all though not bad. The games handling of the plot definitely gave me a greater appreciation of the franchise.

Still, Rise of a Ninja is a GAME, not an anime clip fest. And what's the point of playing the game unless the gameplay is any good? Thankfully this is what really drew me in. Naruto plays like a combination of free roam GTA meets Clash of Ninja. It lacks the complete depth of either, but manages to find a workable balance between the two.

The free roam sections are pretty large, and definitely fully realize the world of Naruto. Leaf village stretches into the distance and is packed with climbable structures, rails to slide on, alleys to explore, people to talk to, and shops for status upgrades. While leaf village is your home base, there are several other free roam locations you will eventually visit as well, including places like the Land of Waves and the Forest of Death. They're not as large as Leaf Village, but they provide a decent sized area to explore and platform through. What's cool about the roaming portions of the game is that they really encourage you to explore them fully. Hidden throughout every area is a number of coins that can be found to purchase upgrades for the fighting portion of the game. Even better, not every area is available at the outset, and until you develop your abilities you can only explore so much. There are several mini-games strewn through the world as well that you can complete for extra cash and status upgrades. These can be anything from delivering ramen to racing through tree tops. Overall the adventuring and roaming part of the game is enjoyable, if not filled with various content.

While the adventuring portion of the game is likely to hog most of your time, Rise boasts an interesting battle system. Unlike other adventure titles where the fighting takes place in real time, in Naruto you will be challenged to random ninja duels while you roam around. Basically you and an opponent duke it out using a number of combo and reversal based moves ala any other fighter you have ever played. Naruto can acquire and upgrade ninja Justsu's that allow him to perform super moves by pressing the two analog sticks in various directions. These look awesome, but don't require much more skill than a quick finger to pull off. If you die during battle you can revive yourself if you have Memory clips equipped. This starts a small mini-game where you rapidly press A to refill your health. Otherwise it's back to the beginning of the fight. The fighting system works and is solid, but it lacks any real variety. The number of your moves is pretty limited, and sometimes battles just come down to mashing buttons as fast as you can. It would have been nice to see a bit more refinement put into the battle portions of the game.

No matter what though, at least Rise of a Ninja looks and sounds fantastic. The world of Naruto really does feel alive, and the art direction is fantastic. It really feels as if the developers ripped the world off the tv set and molded it into a digital game. The cell shaded appearance of most of the games locals and characters gives the game a really solid cartoon feel and stays faithful to the show. The voice work is up and down, but bearable and not obnoxious. Overall Ubisoft gave this game a level of polish many other licensed titles could have benefited from. Naruto fans shouldn't be disappointed.

Naruto: Rise of a Ninja is a good game. If I had to rate on a scale from Ninja Turtle to Shinobi, I would give it a solid Ninja Five-O. There is a LOT to accomplish in Naruto's world should you wish to go that extra mile for unlockables and achievements. Both the adventuring and fighting aspects of the game are well developed, but not completely realized. Presentations values are very high, and should appease anyone interested in naruto's world. There are just a few gripes that don't let this game live up to its full potential. The game's story is well developed but is over all too soon (6-8 hours). The game could have seriously benefited from some more story based missions. Fighting is fun and the engine is solid, but it lacks the level of complexity and skill that many other fighting titles offer. Unfortunately this also means the games online portion (based around the fighting of course) is equally flawed. And while the exploration aspect of the title is great, not everyone is going to go out of there way simply for a few unneeded upgrades and some achievement points.

Do I recommend it? Yes! If you enjoy adventure games, heavy exploration, and fighting games that is. If you don't, or you're just looking to complete the story portion, this title probably isn't for you. If you are an anime fan expecting to play as a huge cast of characters with tons of signature moves, you'll be disappointed as well. If, like me however, you enjoy platformers with a large amount of open exploration and combat then you'll be pleasantly surprised. Rise of a Ninja has initiated me into the world of Naruto in the best way possible. I am now a fan of orange suited ninjas. Greatest game ever? Nah. Greatest Naruto game ever? Absolutely. and with that, I shall NINJA VANISH!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/05/07

Game Release: Naruto: Rise of a Ninja (US, 10/30/07)