Naruto Ninja Council 2

Naruto Ninja Council 2 is a classic side scroller game where you take control of the titular Naruto and battle your way through the chunin exams as team 7 and put a stop to Orochimaru who is up to his usual BS. Battle through waves of enemies and utilize the three members of the primary trio, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, and stay alive for as long as you can. This game might seem like a walk in the park, but getting used to the special attacks is actually a bit of a challenge, so prepare yourself for that. If this sounds fun to you, lets keep going and look a bit further into it.

Gameplay

Handling like a simple 2D fighting game, like Streets of Rage or Kung-Fu Master, this game has you travel through familiar set pieces and defeating waves upon waves of enemy ninja. The levels vary a fair bit but match up well with what’s shown in the anime. You have a small number of attacks and abilities, specifically a standard combo, a double jump, throwing weapons, and special attacks that vary depending on the chosen character.

Each of the parties fighting styles and skill sets suit match what we’ve seen from the anime. From Naruto’s running kick or Sasuke’s Chidori, a small selection of each character’s signature moves is present in the combat. There is not, however, a large selection available as the combo capabilities of the console this game was designed for were pretty minimal. That said, I like to consider that it poses a unique challenge, rather than a limited one. That said, the premise of the game is a little bit “rinse and repeat.” If you like a title with a simple theme, this is a good option as it doesn’t bog itself down with too much nonsense surrounding the fights.

Story

This game follows the ninja world from episodes 22 to 80, meaning it covers the Chunin exams and Gaara’s and Orochimaru’s attack on the hidden leaf that takes place after it. This is a considerable amount of content but the majority of it is reduced to simply cover the cliff notes. There are cut-scenes in this game but they mostly cover the essentials and ignore the chatter and filler.

Visuals

The visuals of this game are actually quite charming. I find the art style to be simple and cute, and the backgrounds are easily reminiscent of the anime. The cutscenes are mostly pictures of the characters looking head on while a text box appears at the bottom of the screen with what they’re saying. Simple, but effective. If you are familiar with the anime or manga, you will have no problem with understanding where you are and what is going on.

Pros

• Simple but challenging gameplay
• Keeps to the established story while ignoring filler

Cons

• Music isn’t that great
• Is mostly just boss fights