Naruto Uzumaki Chronicles Review

Finally arriving nearly two years after it debuted across Japan, Shonen Jump's trainee ninja Naruto makes it to Europe in Naruto Uzumaki Chronicles for PlayStation 2. The overly-confident, attention seeking ninja is enjoying something of a popularity spike at the moment, with Ubisoft's next-generation title expected later in the year on Xbox 360, and a DS-based title heading to the US, so perhaps the release of Uzumaki Chronicles is well-timed after all...

A new story set in the early days of Naruto's time at the ninja academy in Hidden Leaf Village, Uzumaki Chronicles follows the Leaf Ninja as the threat from Orochimaru emerges, and the lower-level ninja trainees (including Naruto) are called to undertake quests on behalf of the village. Despite following an original storyline and deciding to drop the cell-shaded visual style of previous Naruto titles in favour of something more generic, Uzumaki Chronicles remains faithful to the series. Featuring a ton of characters from the franchise including fellow trainees Neji and Choji, and voice actors such as Maile Flanagan (who voices the teenage ninja in the anime), there's enough here to keep fans of the series just about content.

Players can choose from a number of quests, each graded in difficulty, which set Naruto off into the wider world of the game. The first in a number of nods usually associated with Japanese RPGs, enemy ambushes have a habit of occurring on a fairly regular basis. Usually faced with several opponents, these sequences may help to pad out otherwise eventless missions like delivering a cart to a nearby town, but they aren't balanced during some of the more substantial quests where they just get in the way. Beginning with a fairly limited world map, additional routes to nearby towns and outposts become unlocked as the game goes on, and is a tangible representation of the player's progress through the adventure. However, the map is little more than a link between the towns and the combat sequences, and feels a bit old - perhaps an indication of the game's age.

But enemy ambushes aren't the only RPGs elements in the game; Health and Stamina boosts, a solid potion and weapon inventory, and a attribute boosting system called Skill Plates, are all thrown in to create a surprising amount of depth. Defeating enemies boosts Naruto's ability to purchase addition Skill Chips, which can then be added to plates of various shapes and sizes as the game goes on, improving the ninja's combat skills. It's a solid idea, if a little too complicated with some of the more intricate chip shapes, but it at least gives players the ability to develop the character's core strengths.

However, a lot of this depth is undone and let down with lacklustre fights against hordes of grunts throughout the game. It doesn't take much to beat down even an entire band of pyjama-wearing adversaries, especially when Naruto's inventory stocks everything from range weapons such as ninja stars and knives to health replenishing medicines. Even the regularly occurring sub-bosses prove to be little match when Naruto's special powers prove to be especially effective...no wonder he's got a cocky attitude! It's only later in the game, when faced with some of the more significant bosses that the awkward Save system is really needed. Speaking about 'special powers', the ability to chance into a woman whose looks stun nearby enemies might be faithful to the series and totally original, but it's a little weird to say the least. Others however, such as the ability to conjure multiple fighting clones of Naruto, are easily executed, and coupled with the game's Ally system (where other characters can be called to help in a mission with their own unique powers), creates a limited level of variety to the fighting.

Ultimately it's the repetitive nature of the missions that hampers Naruto Uzumaki Chronicles. Ensuring that carts get to their destinations in one piece before the time runs out, and relatively short battles against generic ninjas, fail to hold much interest. Even the occasional spar against fellow trainees or participating in sensei quests isn't enough to keep the adventure going for long periods of game time. The core combat and mission structure just isn't as developed as it needs to be, and the variety and challenge is limited - a shame given some of the depth going on behind the scenes.