For quite some time now gamers, like myself, with a hunger for an RPG mixed with a fighter, have been searching for a long lasting experience in a single game. Recently came Dragonball Xenoverse. Everything that teased the game led us to believe we finally were getting that mythological game. But, like with most games in this era, we were expecting too much from the jump. Servers seemed like they were never set up in the first place.
Thus, multiplier game types and matches suffered greatly. I faced these problems almost every time I logged on in the first months which led me to playing the story mode which was the only redeemable part of the game. Quests were repetitive and rewards were not even worth going thru the rigorous tasks. So when I heard Xenoverse 2 was dropping I ignored it. That’s not what you want in a game that wants to last long. Naruto to Boruto SHINOBI STRIKERS is the most fun I’ve had playing any Naruto game ever. I got to be one of the few thousands chosen to be a beta tester for the trial and I got to experience first hand what a great game this could be.
The introduction of creating your avatar is simple, yet creative. The different choices, which are subject to change, range from each village in the Narutoverse. Once finished detailing your avatar you are dropped into the village you have chosen; I chose the Hidden Leaf village. The lobby experience is already smooth and not at all confusing. Each ninja master is tasked with guarding certain huts around the village. The only one they let you use was Sakura Chan, which introduces selecting your classes for online battle and clothes/equipment. Heal, range, attack, and defense are the four different classes. They have shown that each class features different abilities and ninjustu plus weapon slots and special move slots. Range type was my favorite class because of the more genjetsu approach the class gives and the special move Kirin was a one hit kill when charged. Each class was preset with ninjustu and attack combos but from watching interviews and reading more into the game there will be more combos and ninjustu you can combine.
The most important issue that most games like this experience is the lobby being glitchy and not being able to sustain lots of users. Being that only a couple thousand people were in this beta it would be highly inaccurate to say that they solved that issue. What I can say is that, for a beta, it had no issues with run time or matchmaking and lag was never an issue during my 3 day experience. Finally, the game-play, and when I say this is the most joy I have gotten from a Naruto game, I am not kidding. The mini battles between users feel ten times more realistic due to playing in a open world type of map.
You’ll find yourself battling at the bottom of a rock close to falling off to battling in the air on tree branches. Though only one map was used during this beta, it didn’t get overly repetitive and felt smooth without any bugs. Being able to switch classes after your character dies brings a COD-like feeling to the game giving users chances to switch their role depending on how the game is going; bringing the term "Ninja War" to a whole new level. All in all, the tease that was given to us a month ago has left me begging for more. If Bandai and Namco continue to develop and add more layers into this game they will have a gem in their hands for many years to come. Naruto to Boruto SHINOBI STRIKERS offers a chance to correct the mistakes of past RPG with fun matchmaking to go along with the original story mode of the game.
Though the beta did not show any side quests, from watching a video involving the creator of the game the thought of side quests with rewards worthy of your time was mentioned. Naruto also gives fans the ultimate fan service in involving the Kekkei Genkai with user's avatars allowing you to mix Rinnegan and Sharingan, Byakugan and Sharingan, or whichever you want. The creator was vivid in letting us know it’s customizable. Lastly, the release date has not been set, but this should be on any gamer's pre-order list when it becomes available. And Naruto fans as well should find this game bridging the gap between pure fighter and RPG. Keep an eye out and hopefully I see you on the battlefield.
Leave your PSN in the comments if you want to get served!
