Summary
Narutovideo games are a dime a dozen, as one would expect from one of the biggest and most successful shōnen action franchises in the world. However, while most people are familiar with its 3D fighting games (like theUltimate Ninja Stormseries), this IP has also been adapted into a vast variety of different genres.
After all, theNarutomanga has existed since 1999, which means it had quite a lot of time to explore multiple types of video games, and some of them are extremely unusual and unexpected. Whether it’s because of their art styles, their original stories or their gameplay, these are the 7 most unusual video games in theNarutofranchise.
7Konoha Ninpōchō
The First Naruto Game Was Made For An Obscure System
All the video game adaptations of big anime franchises have to start from somewhere, andNarutowas no exception. The young ninja’s first foray into the digital landscape was 2003’sNaruto: Konoha Ninpōchōwhich was only released in Japanand exclusively for Bandai’s obscure WonderSwan Color handheld.
The firstNarutogame wasn’t even an action adventure or a fighter, but a unique RPG that focused on the use of scrolls with different Jutsu sealed inside them. This gameplay was surprisingly complex for its time and console, and it also featured some surprisingly detailed character sprites and environments. However, due to its exclusivity and age,Konoha Ninpōchōis not very accessible for most fans and, thus, has been forgotten with time.
6Shinobi no Sato no Jintori Kassen
Naruto Finally Arrived To Home Consoles… With A Board Game
A few months after the releaseKonoha Ninpōchō,the series finally made its inevitable debut on the home console market, withNaruto: hinobi no Sato no Jintori Kassenfor the PlayStation 1. But, to the surprise of most fans, this still wasn’t a conventional action experience, but a strategic board game instead.
The gameplay inShinobi no Sato no Jintori Kassenis all about conquering an opponent’s home base by rolling a randomized number and moving around different themed boards. It’s not exactly a bad experience, but it feels slow and dull for a franchise as imaginative asNaruto. Because of these imperfections, this board game is not fondly remembered by fans.
5Uzumaki Chronicles
An Adventure Game With A Questionable Art Style
When it comes toNarutotitles released for the PlayStation 2,Uzumaki Chroniclesis without a doubt one of the most beloved ones in the collection. But this doesn’t change the fact that this semi-open world game is quite strange, especially because it ditched the cel-shaded graphics of previous titles in favor of a realistic art style and a dull color scheme that doesn’t really fit in this otherwise colorful franchise.
Fortunately, subsequent entries in theUzumaki Chroniclessubseries went back to a more conventional, cartoony presentation. Another odd aspect about the originalUzumaki Chroniclesis that the English version of the game cut and altered content from arcs that weren’t released outside of Japan at the time, which includes Naruto’s iconic Rasengan technique being renamed to Power Strike.
4Rise of a Ninja / The Broken Bond
An Xbox 360 Exclusive Developed By Ubisoft
Naruto: Rise of a Ninjaand its sequelNaruto: The Broken Bondare often consideredtwo of the best video games in the franchise by fans, due to their intricate mechanics, satisfying gameplay, colorful graphics that perfectly replicate the anime’s art style and exciting boss fights. They even adapted the plots of some of the earlyNarutoarcs almost flawlessly, which makes both games an ideal way of re-experiencing these stories.
But what makes bothRise of a NinjaandThe Broken Bondso special is not their content, but the context behind their existence. These were the firstNarutovideo games to be ever developed by a non-Japanese studio: Ubisoft Montreal, who also released the firstAssasin’s Creedearlier the same year. And if that wasn’t weird enough already, both titles were Xbox 360 exclusives, meaning thatNarutowas a key player in the console wars of the seventh generation.
3Dragon Blade Chronicles
A Hack And Slash Game With A Big Focus On Dragons
Naruto Shippūden: Dragon Blade Chroniclesis infamous among fans for being one of the weirdest video games in the entireNarutofranchise. For starters, it has an original non-canon storyline that introduces the concept of the Genryū, a group of elemental dragons with western designs. While this is an interesting idea,it does seem a tad out of place in this ninja-centric world.
But the gameplay is another element ofDragon Blade Chroniclesthat really stands out, since its combat system focuses more on the use of bladed weapons, which is quite unusual when controlling Naruto, a character who mainly fights with his fists. At the end of the day,this is a basic hack and slash adventure with aNarutocoat of paintthat didn’t really need to be based off of this classic manga series and, as a result, was poorly received by both critics and fans.
2SD Powerful Shippūden
A Bizarre Portable Fighting Game With Chibi Characters
There are so many different action games and fighting games based off of theNarutoIPthat sometimes it’s difficult to keep track of all of them. ButNaruto SD Powerful Shippūdenis definitely the most unusual one of the bunch, mainly due to its comedic presentation.
Unlike otherNarutofighters, this game doesn’t take itself very seriously, since it features a cartoony art style with chibi caricatures of classic characters and also includes a lot of funny slapstick in its combat. Not to mention thatSD Powerful Shippūdenwas released on the Nintendo 3DS, meaning that it’s one of the few fighting games in this franchise developed exclusively for a handheld device.
1Ultimate Ninja Online
A Naruto MMORPG That Can Be Played On An Internet Browser
Anime fans often dream of being able to explore their favorite fictional universesin the form of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Unbeknownst to most of them, theNarutofranchise already had something like that, and it’s titledNaruto: Ultimate Ninja Online. Weirdly enough, this is a free-to-play game released on internet browsers, which was a common practice during the early 2010s.
Also known simply asNaruto Online, this is an MMORPG with 2D graphics that lets players explore the world of this classic anime series and take part in exciting turn-based battles. Players even start by choosing original characters with peculiar names, like Scarlet Blaze or Crimson Fist, although they can later recruit other classic heroes and villains as well.Naruto Onlinemay not be the most ambitious MMORPG ever made, but it’s still being played by thousands of fans to this day, especially after it was released on mobile devices.
