Ninja Destiny’s story takes place during the final stages of the Chunin Exams, and has players take part in all the battles that occur in the TV series right up until the point where Tsunade accepts the title of Fifth Hokage. The game tells the story painfully through slabs of text, which not only contain occasional grammar errors, but also do a rough job of describing the actions and motives of characters. For example, Naruto seeks revenge against Neji for the way he taunted and ultimately defeated Hinata during the preliminary exams, but the game more or less skips this point and has the pair bait each other before their fight. It just doesn’t capture the strong points of the show, and will leave fans with a bitter taste in their mouth.
I will avenge my clan!
The game’s combat system is fairly simple, you have two primary attack buttons, a jump button and a special button that unleashes finishing moves. Additionally, the shoulder buttons let you block frontal attacks and, more importantly, teleport behind your opponent for surprise attacks. However, teleporting and finishing moves use up your chakra meter, which is arguably one of the only strategic factors of the game. The meter can be filled by simply giving or receiving damage, but it’s important to use it sparingly otherwise you may find yourself at the mercy of your opponent. For instance, there are times when your opponent will knock you down, and if your meter is empty you may have difficultly getting back up since they’ll keep attacking you. The only way to quickly dodge their attack is by teleporting, so it’s worth keeping a minimal amount of chakra to avoid unnecessary damage.
At the start of each battle, you are also given six random items to aid you in your fight. Their uses vary from regenerating health to increasing your attack power and stopping your opponent from using chakra. Because you have no control over which items you receive, the system forces you to learn how and when to utilise each item, which can often determine whether you are victorious or not. The items are placed on the touch screen and can be activated with a single tap, but we found it would distract us from the actual fight, resulting in our opponent sneaking in a few hits. While the inclusion of items doesn’t really make too much difference in the single-player modes, when playing multiplayer they can make a battle last longer, and even change the outcome.
The core gameplay mechanics are solid, but the rest of the game is pretty limited.
Apart from the Story mode, there is also a Battle mode which lets you select a character and play a single match, or a random selection of seven opponents. As mentioned, you can compete against friends via wireless multiplayer, but you will need two copies of the game to take advantage of this feature, which is a shame given the influence items can have on multiplayer matches. Unfortunately, this is pretty much all Ninja Destiny has to offer. While the core gameplay is there, there’s a lack of extra content to keep players coming back and you can get the most out of the game within a few hours. That said, there are a total of 15 characters (or 16 for those that import the US version) and most of them do have to be unlocked. This isn’t necessarily a fun thing to do and it just cheaply prolongs Ninja Destiny’s lifespan.
Like other Naruto games, Ninja Destiny adapts cell-shaded visuals to capture the look of the anime series. For the most part, the character models look great and move smoothly, although there are times when some slow-down will occur when larger characters are fighting, such as Jiraiya. The game’s soundtrack primarily consists of techno and rock themes, and while they aren’t exactly reminiscent of the show’s music, they at least set an appropriate mood for each battle.
Ultimately, Naruto: Ninja Destiny is an average fighting game. While the core gameplay is fun and engaging, there’s a lack of depth and extra content to keep players compelled for more than a few hours. Even die-hard Naruto fans will be disappointed by it, especially considering the publishers are charging full price for it. If you manage to find this title in the bargain bin, it’s some cheap fun for you while traveling on the bus to work each day but otherwise, don’t go expecting anything more.
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