Naruto: The Broken Bond
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Naruto: The Broken Bond
Warm up your Jutsu, Naruto fans.
If you’re a fan of Japanese anime and manga, then chances are you’re familiar with the name Naruto. Chances are that you may also be aware of the name as Ubisoft Montreal put out a fairly good game based on the series, Rise of a Ninja, about a year ago. Picking up where that game left off, Ubi is bringing The Broken Bond to the 360 console, and it certainly is a worthy successor to the previous game. The adventure is longer, the story is better, and the gameplay is simply a dream.
Gameplay
The Broken Bond’s story covers the events of episodes 81-135 of the anime series, so if you’re into Naruto, you’ll have a fairly good idea of the plot. If you have no prior knowledge of the Naruto series, fear not. While there are still plenty of references I’m sure hardcore fans got that were completely missed by myself, the games plot is still engaging enough to keep you hooked, even if you don’t know who’s who in the beginning. Essentially the game is about friendship, jealousy, and of course the battle between good and evil. That’s as far as I’ll go with the plot though, as I’m sure there are plent of Naruto fans out there who would rather be surprised by Ubisoft’s adaptation rather than have it spoiled by a relative newcomer to the series.
The gameplay itself has some very interesting ideas of what it wants to be. One part adventure-quest game, one part platformer and add a helping of JRPG and Fighting games and you’ve got the basic premise for Broken Bond. While it blends all of these gameplay types together fairly well, some work better than others. The platforming and fighting elements are best implemented here. Using your friends, (there are around 30 playable characters here), to help solve puzzles, like solving how to get over a broken bridge, or tagging them in during the fight sequences is immensely satisfying. The fight mechanics are pretty much what you’d expect from a standard fighting game. While maybe not as in-depth as other fighters out there, the combat is visceral, and defeating enemies with your character of choice’s Jutsu is incredibly gratifying.
So what exactly is a Jutsu? Think of it as your characters special move. Not only does this work during the fighting sequences however, but you’ll need to use Jutsu to solve the puzzles that you’ll come across while questing throughout the world. Each character has one particular useful talent that you’ll need to help you overcome problems, and while at first you may have difficulty grasping this concept, you’ll realize that it’s become second nature by the end of the game. There’s quite a few times when you’ll need to rely on your friends in order to progress to the next level, and that focus really helps the game shine. It’s rare that you see the secondary characters and their abilities utilized in this type of game to this effect.
The fighting elements of the game are also uncommonly well done. Maybe it’s because I hadn’t played the original so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but this is definitely a very skillful fighter in its own right. No, it’s not as complex as the Tekken’s or Soul Calibur’s of the world, but it is effective in its simplicity. You’re equipped with a good number of combos, your Jutsu and two friends to watch your back and tag in if you’re having a bit of trouble. You can also take the fights online in versus mode. The online is pretty much what you’d expect from a fighting game, but with the added perk of having a tag battle involving four players. There’s also an online tournament mode which has you fighting random Live fighters to progress to the highest rank of Hokage. It’s a fun system, but will likely be most enjoyed by Naruto enthusiasts only.
There are a few areas that do need some work for the inevitable continuation of the series, however. While I have no complaint with the fighting system at all, the mission structure does seem to need a bit of an overhaul. The missions during the single-player mode are tedious, dull, and will be the deciding factor as to whether most complete the main story. Even for the hardcore, the number of fetch-quests you’re asked to complete here may be enough to put a majority of them off. While completing tasks and utilizing the Jutsu to solve terrain puzzles is fun and engaging, it’s off-putting to see that the mission structure couldn’t offer as much variety as that of the combat or the Jutsu gameplay mechanic.
While I enjoyed the fighting system, I also found that there’s a lot of fighting generic and weak enemies throughout your treks across the world, and this can be frustrating when you just want to get to your goal and have done with it. It’s enough to give you the impression that they’re padding the story mode so that it clocks in at a certain amount of hours, and this is just a tad annoying when there are already plenty of fetch-quests that do that job just fine. Of the two, however, I’d definitely take the fighting over the fetch-quests. Notch up the difficulty of the generic ninjas and it’d be a totally different story, but as it stands, mowing through armies of random, weak opponents just makes it feel like a chore, not a challenge.
Graphics and Sound
Visually, The Broken Bond is a much prettier game than its predecessor. The visuals compliment the series nicely, and the awkward transitions from RoaN are gone. Character models look fantastic and the fighting animations are on par with that of some serious fighting games. Environments are fairly well detailed, though there is a tendency to keep things a bit bland throughout parts of the world.
The music in game is good, but fairly unremarkable. English voice-acting is...well, there. Call me a purist, but I really think anime needs to be heard in its native tongue to really be enjoyed. English acting always tends to be a bit hammy. Thankfully, Ubi has included the Japanese voice-acting track.
Value
The Broken Bond offers a great amount of content, and while there are some flaws within the story mode, it’s still an enjoybale brawler. The online increases the longevity even more and is incredibly addictive. There are 30 characters to play around with, and mastering the combat and Jutsu skills means that Naruto-fanatics will have plenty to be excited over. There is a tendency to get bored with the missions, though, even for the hardcore faithful out there.
Conclusion
Ubisoft have improved upon the previous 360 title in nearly every way, making Naruto: The Broken Bond the most complete and compelling entry in the series yet. For Naruto fans out there, this is a must have. For the uninitiated, the story may not win you over, but the combat and puzzles are interesting enough to be worth at least a rental.
Pros
+ Great combat system, animated just right.
+ 30 Characters to experiment with in online, and off.
+ Online tournaments and versus battles are excellent.
+ Updated visuals make this the best-looking Naruto game on the market.
+ Using characters Jutsu to solve environmental puzzles is a great mechanic.
Cons
- Fetch-quests-aplenty make for dull missions.
- Story won’t appeal to anyone outside of hardcore Naruto fans.
- Random encounters feel thrown in to pad the story’s longevity.
Final Verdict
Here's a small guide to help you understand our evaluation of games.
PRESENTATION GRADE
Can be from the game's box to the contents of the booklet, and even the game introduction. (Intro, menus, options, etc)
GRAPHIC GRADE
Up to what point the graphics have been worked on my the developper. The design type, the effort used for textures and environments, as well as animations and framerate.
AUDIO GRADE
Is the soundtrack a good match to the game's style, he ambient sounds keeping with the gameplay and the sound effects clear and convincing?
GAMEPLAY GRADE
Placement of the controls and the inferface that the player with be using during the game.
REPLAY VALUE GRADE
The most important factor in the evaluation of a game. It identifies the lifespan of the game and the fun of coming back again and again.
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