Naruto: Rise of a Ninja

Who’da thunk it? Mashing up an adventure game with one-on-one fighting sequences and a much beloved anime/manga series, all under one of the prettiest cel-shaded umbrellas yet…ends up as a bizarre gaming trifecta that works together beautifully. And that should be J-pop to Naruto fans’ eager ears.

    While the game’s main story mode doesn’t encompass the entire series’ plotline, Rise of a Ninja works well for introducing the uninitiated to fictional Japan’s most plucky part-destructive fox demon, all-wannabe Hokage. Say “konnichiwa” to luckless hero  Naruto Uzumaki.

    Part of your job in the game is to win over your fellow denizens in Leaf Village, either in large groups (by completing important story missions) or one at a time (by helping them with specific side missions). No matter how you do it, turning villagers’ frowns upside-down helps you out. If a bystander is happy, you can ask them for directions to the next mission objective. If they’re unhappy – well, you’re on your own, young warrior.

    But winning over your neighbors is only one part of Naruto’s rather sizeable to-do list. When you’re not playing hide-and-seek, running ninja races, or dashing through specific fetch quests for the town’s citizens, you’re running the ranks of different Masters in town. You can upgrade your abilities through each one, refresh Memo Clips (which work like “continues” in battle), or progress the storyline with scripted missions. These open up the world outside of Leaf Village’s hub area.

    Though the village is densely populated by people and multi-tiered buildings — in fact, it can be downright overwhelming at times to navigate — you’ll unlock new abilities and Jutsus (special moves). For instance, the Forest of Death tosses everything at you. Not only will you dodge spiked traps and exploding wires, but you’ll also have to survive the breakneck pace of sprinting through trees and jumping from marker to marker at a blinding pace. Hit a tree, and you may drop from the upper foliage into a fight!

    If so, be ready, because the one-on-one, fighting game–style battles are where Naruto earns his stripes. The game’s fighting controls (punch, kick, jump, super moves) will surely separate casual fans from gamers: Combos, grappling, and special killer moves all figure into the progressively tougher fights – but finding the right timing to pull them all off with ease is a challenge reserved for the most talented toughs (or those who want to take their skills online; see boxout). You can fuddle your way through with some button-mashing, but if you’re not one of those talented toughs, you’ll definitely want to rely on upgrading.

    All of those special Jutsus work as super moves in battle, while also helping you navigate and access new areas outside of battle. The wonderfully strange Sexy Jutsu confuses enemies during combat, as well as cures lovelorn weirdoes in Leaf Village. The Chakra Concentration Jutsu boosts you vertically up trees and ups your power during fights. And aside from Naruto’s incredibly pretty, brightly colorful face, it’s this addictive ability to progressively access new areas that elevates the game from a simple franchise cash-in to a strong title in its own right.

    Yet, as lovely-looking and exhilarating a ride as Naruto can be, we have some words of warning. First off, the camera. It’s not terrible, but in a game that practices “verticality” (you’ll spend more time running rooftops and going up and down than moving through and across), not having a highly responsive, cooperative centering button can be a giant pain. This limitation is probably Naruto’s biggest obstacle; minor ones include cutscenes (lifted straight from the anime) that don’t segue as smoothly as they should, confusing at some turns while enlightening at others. To top it off, the controls take a little getting used to, as Naruto handles a bit stiffly – you can sense that the team behind this game carried over some of the arcadey style of the studio’s recent TMNT.

    These faults may deter some non–Naruto fans, but there’s really no reason that those who like the series or anime in general shouldn’t snap up the game. Ultimately, it’s one of the best, deepest, and most eye-candy–packed animation crossovers to land in the 360’s lap.