7/10
Sep 29, 2025
Beat·Switch
Among the Naruto games, this is definitely one of the most refined as a fighting game. The battles are incredibly fun, and both the variety of characters and the differences in how they play greatly extend its longevity, which is a huge plus. Mechanically, it’s one of my favorites, and I truly think it builds on its predecessors. In fact, not just within Naruto titles, but even as a standalone fighting game, it’s an absolute blast. For competitive players, it might come across as unbalanced or too light on skill requirements, but with its low learning curve and the way fights flow so smoothly once you get into it, the game achieves something special. It’s similar to how Spider-Man’s web-swinging makes action games uniquely thrilling—Naruto games offer that same kind of distinction in the fighting genre, and this one takes it to the next level.
That said, it’s disappointing to see the Adventure mode feel so shallow compared to the richness of the combat system. Since you can almost ignore it, I don’t consider it a major flaw, but the loop of cutscene–linear path–dialogue–battle quickly becomes tedious and uninspired. The mini-sequences sprinkled in don’t do much to improve things either. And in the free-roaming sections, both the controls and the content fall below par. I’ll set the very first Ninja Storm aside (its adventure mode was impressively full, varied, and engaging), but honestly, even many PS2 and Wii-era Naruto titles delivered a better adventure experience than this one.