Revolution’s story takes place during the final stages of the Chunin Exams, and has players fight in all the battles from the TV show right up until the point where Tsunade accepts the title of Fifth Hokage. The story is told through the game’s Mission mode, which uses a combination of text and audio taken directly from the series to explain the motives behind each fight. While Naruto fans should be able to pick up on what’s going on, it’s not always clear for those unfamiliar with the series. For instance, the battle between the Third Hokage and Orochimaru is only briefly mentioned, and the game seems to miss the fact that Orochimaru’s arms were sealed, preventing him from using Jutsus.
Wait a minute, I've got sand in my eyes.
The game’s combat system is fairly standard and hasn’t changed too much from previous instalments. You have two main attack buttons which represent strong and weak move types, as well as buttons that let you dodge enemies, perform the Substitution Jutsu, and unleash special attacks. The latter two however, can only be performed by using chakra, which is regenerated by either receiving or giving damage. In battles, players can hide behind objects such as crates and rocks to protect themselves from enemy attacks, and once your opponent lets down their guard you can even jump out at them. Stay too long however, and they can easily demolish the obstacle, causing you to become temporarily stunned and be at their mercy. One particular feature that we liked was that you can actually knock your opponent out of the arena, and send them flying into a new area. During the transition, the developers have also incorporated some interactivity, which lets you choose to either move ahead and strike at your opponent as they land, or quickly attack them in mid-air. While the system has been used in other games, the minor interactivity involved makes the sequence a little more interesting than a simple stage change.
Revolution features a number of different gameplay modes including Single-Player, Verses, Time Attack and Survival, which are all self-explanatory and similar to each other. As we mentioned before, there is also a Mission mode which is considerably different as you’re given specific objectives to complete in each battle. Objectives typically range from not being allowed to use special attacks, to protecting an ally whose health is rapidly depleting. Occasionally, you’re also asked to defeat opponents by using a particular attack, however, it’s not always clear exactly how to do this. For example, in one mission we had to use Sasuke’s Phoenix Flower Jutsu, but the objective failed to mention exactly which combo would trigger it. Later on, we had to use Tsunade’s finger flick and were specifically told the combo to input. It just seems out of place that some scenarios tell you how to perform the technique, while others don’t. In case of the latter, you’ll also have to painstakingly go through each individual combo, and prey that you eventually discover the right one. Even the combo list you can bring up by pausing the game isn’t much help, as each move is simply given a number rather than a unique name.
You're weak.
Like most fighting games, with each new entry in the Clash of Ninja series comes brand new elements such as different gameplay modes and more characters. Revolution is no exception, however it may not quite be what fans are expecting. Being a Wii game, it’s not too surprising that the developers have incorporated a few mini-games. These include a shooting game where you throw ninja tools at specific targets for points, a game where you have to pick the real Naruto from a group of clones, and even one where you practice Naruto’s Rasengan technique. While the mini-games certainly work well and offer players something else to do other than fight, there are only a handful to play, so you’ll likely loose interest after ten-twenty minutes. Lastly, there are quite a few new characters to play as that weren’t available in the previous games including Temari, Tenten, Itachi and our personal favorite, Shino. It’s certainly nice to see such a varied cast of characters, and you’ll be spending quite a bit of time unlocking them all.
Similar to Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Revolution supports several different control types. These include a combination of the Wii remote and Nunchuck, the Wii remote on its side, and of course the GameCube and Classic controllers. The Wii remote and Nunchuck combo actually has two different settings in the option menu; one option requires you to shake the Wii remote to perform weak and special attacks, while the other places them on the D-pad buttons. Unfortunately, the controls simply feel awkward and when you’re trying to shake the Wii remote, at times it’s even unresponsive. Thankfully, the Wii remote being turned on its side is efficient and surprisingly suits the fighting style of the game. The B button lets you dodge and perform the Substitution Jutsu, while the 1 and 2 buttons let you attack and by pressing them together, unleash a special move. We do however, recommend using a GameCube or Classic controller as it feels more natural, especially when you consider previous Clash of Ninja games were GameCube games.
Looks like Guy and Kakashi's rivalry may be coming to an end.
Revolution also features multiplayer support for up to four players, and allows each individual to choose whatever control method they prefer fighting with. From there on, you can verse each other in teams and decide if you’ll battle each other in one-on-one, two-on-two or even one-on-three matches. New to the game is also the ability to play Survival mode with a second player, which adds to the already engaging experience.
Visually, the game hasn’t really changed too much from its predecessors but looks and runs a little more smoothly, particularly when playing multiplayer matches. Like most anime games, Revolution also adapts 3D cel-shade effects to capture the look and feel of the TV series. For the most part, character models and environments look fantastic, which brings the characters to life and makes battles very appealing. In terms of the soundtrack, there are a few remixes such as Orochimaru’s Theme, combined with general Japanese rock music which suits the environments and is respectful of the game’s origins. The voice cast from the TV show also reprise their roles, so you can expect to hear a lot of memorable quotes which will make remember some of the more epic moments of the series.
While there are some problems such as the lack of mini-games and the Mission mode not explaining how to perform specific attacks, Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution is still a solid fighting game. There is varied cast of characters to play as, a simple yet competent combat system and multiplayer support for up to four players. Returning veterans may be a little disappointed that there isn’t too much new on offer, but if you’re new to the series then it’s a worthy addition in any Naruto fans collection. Just remember to invest in either a Classic or GameCube controller.
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