Stylish, colourful and entertaining
There are many highlights in Rise of The Ninja; the in-game cut-scenes which accurately portray the exaggerated stylisation of manga, the enchanting musical score, or even exploring the village for coins, but the fighting is by far the biggest draw. It does get tough, and combat could be deemed to be repetitive in places, but it never becomes boring and it certainly doesn’t rely, as many fighting games do, on button-bashing your way through.The fighting mechanic is very deep and aside from pulling off numerous combos (including magnificent aerial combos) it requires an equal balance of attacking and defending, as well as knowledge of the moves. At times it’s very basic - you can shield yourself, wait for your opponent to start attacking, wait for him to finish his attack and then begin your own, but as the baddies get tougher each battle becomes an intense battle of skill and wits as they pull out the full range of moves to counter your attacks and attempt to pummel you into submission.
One part of combat is the Jutsus, a magical ability technique that requires a specific hand sign to carry out. As well as being visually impressive, intuitive to use, and often amusing to pull off, they’re also extremely effective in battle. These special Jutsus are unlocked the further you progress in the game and come in handy during mini-quests in the village, where you can use a Chakra Jutsu to run up a tree or use a Shadow Jutsu to conjure up a beautiful woman to ‘wow’ the local villagers; in battle, however, they can be a deadly weapon.
Click for larger image
Click for larger imageJutsus are performed by pulling the left trigger and moving your left and right thumbsticks in a set pattern that was taught by your trainer. In a fight you’ll often find yourself with a spare moment to be able to pull off a Jutsu and then you’ll be treated to a cut-scene where you can use your Shadow Clone Jutsu to conjure up clones of yourself to attack him in numbers. The fight scenes have a great flow to them and they’re always a challenge, but are still always good fun to take part it. Jutsus add to the whole tactical process of combat and enhance the spectacle of the fight.
Naruto: Rise of The Ninja is certainly an addictive adventure, which is helped in no small part by a heavy dose of style. The platforming elements in the Forest Of Death are occasionally dull and there’s little depth to them, but it’s easily forgiven after you experience your first bout of combat and revel in the visual spectacle and balanced battles. The ideas behind the mini-games are old and collecting coins has been done a million times before, yet Naruto will still manage to win you over with its exquisite charm and provocative comic-book style.
Pros
Looks fab
Great animation
Jutsus are great fun to use
Fighting is brilliant
Cons
Platforming parts do get a bit stale
Picking up a new quest cancels out the old one
Stylish, colourful and entertaining.
HEXUS Awards
Naruto: Rise of A Ninja- Xbox 360
