Naruto: Rise of a Ninja

The list of Naruto-inspired video games is plentiful, though mostly focused on the core fans of the show - meaning players with less story knowledge weren’t as welcomed. This isn’t the case with Nartuto: Rise of a Ninja, with its storytelling aspect for new fans along with familiar combat and environments for dedicated ones. Players will experience the open world of Konoha Village, unlocking new areas and unique jutsu abilities along Naruto’s journey to winning respect among the village’s inhabitants.

Entertaining Exploration as an Iconic Character

Players will start the game within a beautiful 2D rendition of Konoha Village, scouring the streets and taking on missions along the way. In fact, the abundance of missions is enough to keep players hooked for hours on end. Simple tasks such as delivering ramen for a nearby restaurant can be carried out, alongside sillier quests like playing hide-and-seek with Konohamaru, the local snot-nosed brat in Konoha Village. Completing these missions is critical for swaying the town to Naruto’s side, which is the broader in-game goal; players start out with the town disliking Naruto, and each successful mission incrementally convinces a new group of townies to convert to his side. After a few hours of accomplishing tasks and unlocking additional areas, more city-like environments will become available, opening up a new world of possibilities for travel. Abilities are picked up along the way allowing buildings to be easily scaled, wide gaps to be athletically traversed, and players can even send Naruto sprinting across bodies of water.

Story-Inspired Jutsu Abilities

As mentioned, players will pick up an array of distinct powers beyond just double jumps and faster sprinting. The Naruto-inspired power of jutsu is at the core of these abilities, and if players charge up enough chakra, they can unleash critical damage on opponents. To do this, the correct hand gestures must be applied to release one of three types of jutsu - the chakra concentration, shadow clone jutsu, and sexy jutsu. These abilities as well as the beat ‘em up style of regular attacks aren’t complicated, and actually quite easy to pick up in a short timeframe.

Open World, While True to Past Titles

Among the strengths of Naruto: Rise of a Ninja is its open world within the village of Konoha. Although there are limited areas accessible outside the town, the bandit posts, temples, and swamps are vibrant with an organic feel. These aspects aren’t featured in past Naruto game titles, while the classic one-on-one combat establishes some familiarity with those who played older games like Path of the Ninja.

Bottom Line

The exciting use of jutsu in Naruto: Rise of a Ninja, familiar aspects for loyal fans of the manga, and fulfilling player progression make it a fun Xbox 360 title, though not for very long. Some limitations in combat, such as minimal combos and fighting the same battles throughout the game, can hinder its sense of long-term entertainment.

Similar Titles

A title which matches the open-world facet of this game with a similar combat scope, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot released in January 2020, and My Hero: One’s Justice 2 with similar animation style though no open world aspect.

Pros:

• Intriguing jutsu abilities true to the game’s preceding manga narrative
• Eases non-Naruto fans into the story
• Fulfilling progression throughout the game

Cons:

• Surface-level list of combos renders combat a bit limiting
• Repetitive battles don’t mix up difficulty much
• Transitions from 3D cutscenes to 2D animation can breed disappointme