Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker brings the popular Naruto series into a new online multiplayer arena in which two teams of four compete for victory against each other in various gameplay modes that beckon genuine strategy and teamwork from players and rewards them for it. The game is animated in a graphic style reminiscent of a manga, which combined with its exploration mechanics and character customization convey the feeling of genuinely controlling a ninja through the popular series. Unfortunately, the camera and lock-on mechanism often hamper the experience while repetitive gameplay and time-consuming game design in the game’s story mode sabotage the final product. Shinobi Striker doesn’t live up to the shadow of its predecessors, but it is a commendable effort that brings enough novelty to series to be praised and excite players to where this series is heading.
Boruto, like Naruto before him, has grand ambitions. As the son of the most powerful ninja in his village, Naruto, and the self-tiled spinoff following one of the bestselling manga and anime series of all time, the Boruto series aims to the tell the story of a new generation of ninjas in world that made its predecessor so popular. Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker finds itself in a similar position. Following CyberConnect2’s wildly successful and critically acclaimed Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm series, developer Soleil has taken the challenge to not only meet these two ninja worlds, but to bring something new and exciting to the series- and largely succeeds in doing that, although stumbling throughout the way.
But first things first: Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker is not Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm– players who pick up this game expecting the same single-player experience that the former series provided, like I did, will be inevitably disappointed. Shinobi Striker is not a story driven experience nor does it have the same one-on-one fighting gameplay of its predecessors, but is instead a multiplayer online fighting game that puts two teams of four vying for victory against each other in various gameplay modes such as flag battles, base battles, barrier battles, and combat battles.
Flag battles is the classic game of “capture the flag;” base battles force teams to bout for control of two out of three bases within the time limit; barrier battles split teams of players into attacking teams and defending teams, in which the attacking team must destroy barriers to defeat a boss while the defending team sabotages them; and combat battles are this game’s version of a battle royale. Although the rules are simple, the gameplay forces genuine teamwork and strategy among players due the game’s four class types.
Players have a great range of customization of their avatars not only in appearance, but in skill sets. Characters are divided into four classes: attack, range, defense, and healer. Abilities and weapons for each class are unlocked through gameplay that change how your avatar moves, attacks, and supports. If your character dies in a match you have the option to respawn as another class type- here, a well-planned, even sacrificial, class change can be the difference between a team’s loss and a victory. This is where the game shines. There is an undeniable enjoyment and sense of triumph in executing a great play and the degree of customization offered allows players to choose fighting style that reflects their own preferences. Eschew all thought to relentlessly attack your opponents or stay in the sidelines to heal your teammates and paralyze your enemies, there is something for every playstyle.
Although the game’s controls are simple and intuitive, the camera and lock-on mechanism can often ruin the experience. Keeping track of a character in a stage crowded with other characters is difficult and actively locking-on to specific character is even harder; forgo the lock and it is easy to lose the character and difficult to connect your attacks, but lock-on to them and the player is blind to his periphery and potential attacks.
Players can also experience the game through an offline single player mode known as “VR missions” in which the player can complete challenges and experience snippets of the series’ story. Although this is a nice option to have in the game, the objective of the missions is often repetitive and the stories are hastily delivered. I often found myself just waiting for a mission to be over only to grind through the next one.
Upon completing a VR mission the player is returned to a hub in which they must traverse to speak to characters in Naruto’s Konohagakure village to redeem scrolls, customize their avatar, etc. While fans are sure to appreciate some of these character interactions, all of this traversal is fine for an Animal Crossing game but is quite dull and time-consuming for an anime-fighting game.
But speaking of traversal, the the animation style and stage design of Shinobi Striker can’t be faulted. Almost every surface, wall, and cliff can be easily climbed and the player can use kunai ropes to sling onto surfaces just out of reach. This method of maneuvering along side the gloriously-shaded graphics make the player feel as if they are truly controlling their own character in the anime- this easily one of the game’s greatest achievements.
For all of the faults in Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, the game lives up to many of its ambitions. It is a grand challenge to not only follow but to also bring something new and exciting to the successor of the popular Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm series, and the game does just that. The online multiplayer format works surpassingly well for Naruto and moving through the game’s stages beautifully conveys the feeling of exploring the anime in a way that is sure to thrill any fan of the series. If the series keeps building on the successes of this game, then there’s great hope for the future games in the Naruto/ Boruto franchise, even if Shinobi Striker is a hit-and-miss.
