This might be the first Naruto game in a long time that does something new, blending anime with class-based online battles. The idea may seem a little strange but it works well, and it would be great to see Bandai Namco build off this with other anime franchises in future. Shinobi Striker is well worth your time if you like the Naruto series and even worth trying out if you just want a new multiplayer experience to get lost in.
Engaging, fast and frenetic, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker feels good in its attempt to recreate the action of both manga and anime, despite minor issues here and there.
Technical problems and imperfect controls prevent Shinobi Striker from really convincing, despite the mix of single player and multiplayer online could offer an interesting touch to the anime series.
While it’s certainly not even close to being what we got with Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm, it’s still a fun and enjoyable game that surprised me quite a lot more than I expected it to.
Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker feels more like a commercial opportunity rather than a sought-after project. Ultimately the game will feel dull to most of the players but the most hardcore fans of the Naruto IP.
This game shares a lot of DNA with the Dragonball Xenoverse titles but manages to falter at almost every aspect, with flaws in the mission structure, the combat, the way you attain loot and in the way that you develop your character.
This is a VERY GOOD online game! It has interesting mechanics and is very fun to spend some hours playing with your friends. The possibility to create your own ninja and build the powers is what makes this game so different from other Naruto games in my opinion.
If there was one thing that quickly began to bug me in my early teenage years when my obsession with the programming on "Toonami" was just as big as, if not bigger than, my one for gaming, it was how seemingly all of the video game adaptations for my favorite anime shows were fighters. It certainly suited the material given how basically every conflict in their television/manga counterparts largely consisted of two dudes beating the crap out of each other, but it meant there wasn't a lot of variety and even back then I could recognize how the worlds of One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, and of course Naruto had the potential to deliver so much more. While we have seen a greater amount of diversity over the years since, the sad fact remains that the fighting genre is still a developer's top go-to for anything remotely shōnen in nature. Which is why something like this that forgoes the traditional mano-a-mano fisticuffs in favor of team-based, competitive multiplayer feels novel and a little exciting despite it not quite sticking the landing.
You start things off by making your own ninja with the somewhat embarrassingly limited character creation tools, before being thrown into a Boruto-era hub world (about the only Boruto content you'll encounter at all) filled with other players where you'll interact with various big names from the series to do things like access matches, get new items, and equip different clothing. For those not into the whole online scene, this is also where you can engage in single-player "VR Missions" (virtual reality headset not required) against AI minions and bosses. There's no story to speak of so it's not a true campaign. More like a series of solo challenges you can do to level up faster. They're a great alternative way to experience the game at first until you realize that each rank just repeats the same tasks over and over again at higher difficulties. Eventually becoming so hard you're practically forced into resorting to co-op to complete them.
There are essentially two progression systems. The main one which primarily rewards with scrolls that unlock randomized cosmetics with unique boosts, and a secondary "Ninjutsu Master" option where you select between a host of recognizable characters who will grant you special jutsu attacks, among other things, as you collect experience for them. Once they're maxed out you can swap for another master, allowing you to slowly experiment with every ability and build type over time. It helps add to the surprising flexibility of combat which features four customizable classes with unique roles on the battlefield, giving you the ability to craft an ideal loadout for any situation.
With such an unexpected amount of depth on this front, it's ultimately the game modes and to a certain degree the playerbase that brings things down. Barrier Battles feel unbalanced as they heavily favor the defending team due to the short time limit that only loses seconds faster when attackers get K.O.'d and requires them to defeat a boss with a massive health bar, while the capture the flag variant tends to end in unfulfilling stalemates unless one side is just completely incompetent. The need to rely on the coordination and ability of your allies can be frustrating as you can't always count on them to have either when getting paired up with randoms. Like how I lost a round of the title's spin on TDM with lives as a result of my teammates repeatedly falling into the cliff at the center of the map, and not because our opponents were knocking them in there. Or when the other three people I got stuck with in Flag Battle were more interested in camping the middle rather than guarding our flag or going after the other, forcing me to vainly try and do both. It's stuff like that which has led to me stepping away.
Overall, Shinobi Striker is an enticing idea in need of a sequel to polish up the execution. As of right now though it's garnered a pretty sizable community regardless. Who if I had to guess are mainly invested in hanging around for the plethora of cool costumes and looks they can acquire for their handmade avatars, that at any point they can change the appearance, name, and even gender of with the help of a simple "remake seal" that's easy to get their hands on. There is a certain appeal to that. Plus, the large emphasis placed on competing in the regular events ensure there's always something immediate going on to maintain your attention and plenty of purchasable DLC as well. As far as I'm concerned though, it deserves respect for experimenting with an out-of-the-box approach for a brand that's done almost strictly one thing on home consoles for so long, but admirable qualities notwithstanding the title could use a bit more work in regards to making the action and objectives as compelling as the concept, in order to appeal to an audience larger than solely that of the most hardcore Naruto devotees.
6.5/10
This is a generic naruto game. The most generic naruto game ever. It has very low lows and barely and highs. One of the biggest sins of this game is the recycled VR missions. Another sin is the pay to win dlc characters in this game. Some of the best and most useful abilities in the game come from the dlc. It's truly awful. I guess the coolest part of the game is actually making a naruto character to your liking. But overall this game is bad.
SummaryThe Naruto franchise is back with a brand new experience in Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker. This new game lets gamers battle as a team of 4 to compete against other teams online! Graphically, Shinobi Striker is also built from the ground up in a completely new graphic style. Lead your team and fight online to see who the best ninjas a...