NARUTO: Path of the Ninja

While the Naruto craze is much more in its infancy here in the states than it is in Japan, American fans are now starting to get all the bells and whistles from the anime sensation. Naruto: Path of the Ninja is a decent RPG for the DS, one that will definitely be enjoyed by fans of the series, but bore those of us who aren’t.

The game opens at the beginning of the Naruto story-line, catching people up on this spunky kid’s ambitions to become a full fledged Ninja. You are also introduced to Naruto’s friends during the initial training stages. While you start with three, you can eventually get five in your party, and switch out between them. Maybe it’s because I don’t care much for anime, or I just don’t get it, but the dialogue literally gave me a headache. I know there is a lot to tell the player, to catch him/her up to speed, but the dialogue pours like a fire hose for the first 15 minutes of the game. And not only is the dialogue extremely cheesy, but it’s presented in the most uninteresting way possible. It would be better if there was less of it, and since the developers put so much stock in the dialogue to drive the plot, some creativity in the presentation would have helped. In fact, at the beginning, the dialogue is so oddly translated and strangely suggestive, that I have to wonder if it was done on purpose by the developers.

The game-play in Naruto is party driven, so the characters you love from the TV show will all be apart of the battles. You have the basic attack and flee commands, as well as Jujitso attacks, which work like a magic attack. Jujitso can eventually be combined with other member’s own Jujitso moves into devastating attacks. The battle area that you fight on is played out with attacks and strategic movements. If you move your character closer to the enemy (let’s say a spiky haired ninja), then you will inflict more damage onto him; but in return, when he attacks, you will receive more damage. While this battle system sounds fresh and dynamic, it’s really not. Combined with relatively pathetic animation and background designs, the battles are just standard RPG fare.

Gameplay is just as predictable. While the entire game can be played via touch-screen, it’s just as comfortable to play with the standard D-pad controls. The main touch component is used for your special Jujitso moves, which involves a furious rubbing of the screen to build up your Chakra meter (yeh…I giggled too); You don’t even have to draw a symbol or rub in any particular direction. If that is all the glorious touch-screen can add to our gameplay, then take me back to the 90’s. All of the action and animation is displayed on the bottom, while your party’s stats are permanently mapped to the top.

After playing the recent Pokemon games for the DS, this game just appears dated, looking no better than the first Pokemon games. The sprites have about two animations when moving: one with a foot forward and one with feet together. If you’re extremely forgiving of games, you might enjoy this title; but I doubt it.

Gameplay: 6.0
The controls are passable. Being able to switch between standard and touch-screen controls is convenient, but never mistake convenience for innovation. The "rubbing" mechanic is laughable; hyperactive 10-year olds might get a kick out of it, though.

Graphics: 5.0
This is a retrograde from the quality the DS should be putting out. Pokemon has set the standard for top-down RPGs.

Sound: 7.0
The music is distinct between lands and does the job.

Difficulty: Medium
While this appeals to kids, it’s not completely dumbed down.

Concept: 7.0
While I am unfamiliar with the cartoon series, I understand that this is a faithful representation of that; therefore this game should be commended for that, at least.

Overall: 6.7
This game is for young fans of the Naruto series, and I hardly think it could appeal to anyone else. There is a fully fleshed-out RPG experience here, though, even if it is unremarkable.