For years we’ve seen several good Naruto games on home consoles, but the portable market has not been as lucky. Between the lack of quality, limited scope and awful mechanics, it’s not hard to see why people have been unhappy. Next up we have Naruto Powerful Shippuden, which combines the Super Deformed (SD) world of Rock Lee with the action packed story of Naruto Shippuden. On paper this sounds like a fantastic idea, but will it be enough to make Naruto Powerful Shippuden a must have for fans or is it another so so game based off an anime?
Lets check out what’s HOT and what’s NOT in our review of Naruto Powerful Shippuden.
HOT
Great for Pick up and Play
The world of Naruto Powerful Shippuden is broken into a number of different missions, which can range from killing enemies/bosses to simply collecting items. For the most part these missions are pretty straight forward, although a number of them will require some skill to complete. These are typically the race against the clock stages, since you really need to make the most of your time or at least collect enough time to make up for your problems. In any case, the average mission will last for a minute or two, which is perfect if you’re trying to kill a few minutes or looking for something to do.
Cute, but Functional Graphics
While Naruto games typically feature more realistic styles, Naruto Powerful Shippuden has opted to use the SD style found in the Rock Lee manga. At first this might sound like a turn off, but it actually really suits the game. For instance enemies can be knocked off screen, Rock Lee can throw his eyebrows and plenty of other silly things that work with this style. In addition to having silly elements, the graphics also pretty clear/crisp so it’s pretty good from both fronts.
Play Your Way
Despite Naruto Powerful Shippuden lacking a traditional difficulty setting, there are a number of options to make your “own” difficulty setting. The first are personal rules, which add an optional challenge in exchange for an XP multiplier. These challenges can be ignored if you don’t care and include things like don’t take damage; let no one pass and other things similar to this. The other way is through the level system, since you can freely add or subtract (can down level) experience on a given item. This is great if you’re looking for a challenge, but also helps if you’re having issues completing a part too.
