This review was based on a review copy of the game and not a retail copy, generously furnished by TOMY.
NOTE: Some text has been added to the original review (2/9/08).
Going into this game, I was definitely a bit skeptical, though I’m not sure why. Perhaps it was just my general skepticism about licensed games, or maybe it had to do with a series popular for fighter games moving to an RPG. Whatever the reason, I was pleasantly surprised to find that, despite some misgivings, TOMY and D3Publisher had created a solid, enjoyable game.
First things first: the story. If you’re looking for a compelling narrative, you might as well stop reading here. The story is exactly the same as the anime, up through the end of the Chunin Exam/Invasion of Konoha story arc, but it’s very much so watered down. Several story elements, especially those involving characters other than the main three, are sometimes omitted altogether, and the emotional scenes are given a rather unsentimental treatment. Nothing kills the mood of a death scene more than the dying character switching instantly from a “standing” sprite to a “lying dead” sprite.
Some presentation issues aside, the gameplay itself is actually rather solid. The meat of the game, the combat, is easily the game’s best feature, due to some interesting features that end up working very much in the game’s favor. On the battlefield, there are twelve spaces you can occupy with your three characters. Depending on how close you are to the enemy, you can give more damage and also receive more damage, but it’s a bit deeper than that. Depending on the overall placement of your three characters, your formation may have special affects, such as increased attack stats, or the prevention of one-hit KOs, so you need to give character placement a lot of thought.
Besides that, each of the three main characters (Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura) play and evolve differently. Sasuke is your heavy hitter, Sakura is a gifted healer, and Naruto can induce several status changes in his enemies; their individual jutsus (special moves) reflect this. Speaking of jutsu, each one has its own “hand sign”, which is what you need to do to activate the jutsu. Sometimes you don’t need to do anything, though other times you need to hit a button combination, or rub the screen with your stylus. Doing so will add more Chakra (similar to MP) to your move, making it more powerful.
There are some other cool additions as well, like Chemistry, which is basically how well other characters get along with Naruto. There are many things you can do to improve or worsen Chemistry, such as healing another in battle, or eating ramen with another character (the most effective way). Even during cutscenes, when you’re presented with a choice of what to say; it won’t affect the plot at all, but your Chemistry with another character may increase or decrease. Having good Chemistry increases the likelihood of spontaneous team attacks in battle, when you’re in the Lightning formation. Overall it’s a very cleverly done combat system.
[ADDENDUM (2/9/08): There is one major beef I had with this outing, and that’s the difficulty level. For about two-thirds of the game, the game failed to prove itself much of a challenge. The game will prompt you at certain points to go out and level grind if you feel like it, but I never felt that there was much need, I was taking care of enemies rather without trouble. Then, partway through the Chunin Exam, the difficulty level spiked up like a brick wall, and I found myself in a battle where I was being killed on the enemy’s first move, before I could even go. The pacing of the difficulty needs work in this way.]
The touch-screen controls, during battle, work near flawlessly, and even though you can use buttons to control the action I always found myself using the stylus instead. Outside of battle, though, there are a few problems. You can navigate the overworld with the stylus, but it feels rather clunky since Naruto can only move in four directions, and you probably won’t want to do so. It’s a bit more convenient when navigating menus, except when you come to a list of jutsu or items. For some reason, you cannot usually scroll down just using the down button, and you have to use the stylus or the shoulder buttons to navigate to a lower part of the menu. This wouldn’t be so bothersome, though, if it didn’t work as inconsistently as it did.
Those problems aside, though, the game is still fun to play. The overworld feels like a traditional RPG, right down to the music that plays, which is a bit of a treat. Talking to characters sometimes reveals voice clips from the original voice actors, and exploring to find items is fun as well. When I finished the game, my game timer said 10 hours 30 minutes, which feels a bit short but wasn’t too problematic; I get the sense they’re gearing up for a sequel. Overall, I have to give Naruto: Path of the Ninja a Yay! for a great combat system and thus an overall enjoyable experience. If you’re a Naruto fan, I would recommend picking it up, but even if you’re not, you may find something in here for you.
