Naruto: The Broken Bond

There are a few things that you can count on to be consistent throughout the world of gaming. Mouse and keyboard setups will tend to be the most accurate for FPS games. Although the major consoles all have their own advantages/setbacks that balance them out, there will always be a constant ‘console war’ that extends past the end of time. And finally, Naruto games will be great in comparison to other games. Its almost uncanny how well the developers are able to understand the finer aspects of the Naruto manga and anime, being able to bring those feelings to each game produced. Of course, there are some not-so-great examples of Naruto games (common with any ‘great’ game series), but by and large Naruto has enjoyed great dedication from the developers behind each one. Naruto: The Broken Bond once again proves that this assumption can be taken seriously. Its got heart, knows the source material from episodes 81-135, and has a slightly different focus compared to other titles.

End of an Era

Given the current feeling towards companies like Ubisoft, its pleasant to say that this developer put a lot of effort into Broken Bond and even improved on many of the aspects they learned from its predecessor Naruto: Rise of a Ninja. In comparison to the Ultimate Ninja Storm series of games, which put a heavy emphasis on battles/crazy scenarios, Broken Bond instead shifts towards realism, speed, and navigability for the core of its gameplay. It even has some similarities to games like Spider-Man: Web of Shadows because of its fighting style/open world aspects and the challenges available to the player. It would not be constructive to say that it is the best Naruto game, but it can easily hold its own against other installments.

My personal favorite part of this game is that it ties together the basis of the Naruto series, has art direction that honors the original spirit of the series, and has some fantastic story elements. It has an amazing soundtrack, truly respectable voice acting, and uses the open world mechanics to the fullest without becoming a burden. Being the last title produced by Ubisoft, it ended on an incredibly high note that completely expanded on the ideas presented in Rise of the Ninja.

A Bit Broken

Despite its greatest parts, Broken Bond was at its weakest when it came to the variety of side quests available, how minimally accessible it is to newcomers of the series, and its use of quick time events (QTEs). Side quests were just blatantly repetitive. After you’d done the first of one kind, you’ve essentially done them all and it quickly became a chore to do each one. Though this should be unsurprising, since it is a sequel, the chapters covered in this game pick up right in the middle of some story arcs.

Bottom Line

Though it isn’t possible to pick up, it does make this one of the worst to pick up in terms of story coherence unless you’ve played the first. Finally, there’s nothing wrong with QTEs, but this game used them excessively. I didn’t hate it, but it took something away from the game that made it feel like it wasn’t wholly Naruto to me.

Pros:

• Beautifully directed/animated
• True to source material
• Fluid combat with great fusion between realism and fantasy

Cons:

• Story can be minimally accessible to newcomers
• Excessive quick time events
• Side quests repetitive