The Ultimate Ninja Goes 3D in the Action/Brawler “NARUTO: Uzumaki Chronicles”

by Louis Bedigian

“You can summon a whole bunch of Narutos to help you clear out a whole bunch of enemies at once.” 

For the ultimate ninja’s next adventure, Namco Bandai felt it was time to take Naruto away from the confines of a fighting game environment. “NARUTO: Uzumaki Chronicles is different from NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja in that it’s more of an adventure/brawler where you’re fighting against multiple enemies in large environments,” said Andrew Davis, Localization Specialist for Namco Bandai.

The cel-shading graphics of the last game have been replaced with a new 3D, fully-rendered style, matching the gameplay for the world you will explore. “As you progress through the game the world map gets larger and larger,” he says, explaining the mission setup. “In between missions you can wander around at your leisure, fight enemies, do mini-games, build your statistics. And then when you’re on a mission, you’re generally going where you’re supposed to go for [that] mission. You’ll have to accomplish goals before you can get back to the town.”

Among the new graphics, players can expect “detailed backgrounds including forests and really cool moonlit castle rooftops.” Character models are coming along great, and the new world should be Naruto’s most immersive yet.

Andrew says that the game follows the current anime storyline, but is also separate from the current storyline. “It’s sort of a what if, as if we’ve stopped time.”

Confused? After further pressing (and a few well-placed shurikens), Andrew was a bit more forthcoming. “There’s a problem with the village where, over the past couple of months, there have been more and more crises going on that keep on drawing all the high-powered ninja away from the village. The ninjas are starting to neglect their duties. At the beginning of the game, Naruto gets to take on higher-ranked missions than they are normally allowed to because they need to help out their higher-ranking buddies.”

With 20 to 25 hours of gameplay, an intriguing upgrade system, multiple special attacks and the new 3D environment, Uzumaki Chronicles looks like it’ll be the next evolution in ultimate ninja gaming. 

Can you discuss the mini-games? What types / styles – and how are they incorporated? Are they separate from the main quest, or are they featured in the quest as well?

Andrew Davis: Yes, there are mini-games. You can play them between missions. If you’re on a mission, they aren’t available until you complete the mission. But after that, while you’re wandering around and build your character, which you’re free to do in between missions, you can go play these mini-games. The better you play, the cooler the item [you receive].

One of them is a training game with Konohamaru. You see a bunch of buttons on the screen, and you have a small window of time to push them all (in order). The fun part of it is that it just keeps going and going. You have three seconds and BOOM! – another problem. You have to do a long string of them to prove your might.

Another mini-game is where you get to see how many enemies you can defeat. So they just keep coming and coming at you, and you’re surrounded by tons of enemies, and you get to see how efficient you are with your moves. 

Players will be able to use characters like Kakashi, Sasuke and Neji, who can swoop in for assistance. How will this work? Do you press a button, and then they jump in to save the day? Is this set up like a special power attack? Are the characters only available at certain times? Tell us everything you know :)

Brian Glazebrook, Localization Manager: You have a partner system where you can tap into these characters. Depending on the mission, you get assigned partners. What this does is, at certain points in the game you get to switch over to the character. Within that time frame there’s a little meter that goes down that [determines] how long you can use the character. Once the meter has been depleted you revert back to Naruto. What these partners can do – sometimes they’ll have abilities that Naruto doesn’t have.

What are the status-boosting chips and plates all about? What are they, and how do you get them?

AD: The chips are little geometric crystallizations of mystical energy that allows Naruto to change his statistics. You can set them into slots, and the smallest one is a triangle. They build up into diamonds and hexagons, and larger shapes that all have to fit together in one plate. You might have room to put in three chips that boost your strength, but that might come at the expense of one that boosted your defense or give you an extra move. (Such as an instant jump.) You purchase chips with your virtue that you get from defeating enemies. You can’t purchase all of them at once. You get access to more and more of them as you complete missions.  

What are some of the lethal attacks NARUTO: Uzumaki Chronicles will be offering, which come straight from the anime series?

AD: We include the Shadow Claw Jutsu where you can summon a whole bunch of Narutos to help you clear out a whole bunch of enemies at once. You have the Sexy Jutsu where Naruto turns into a woman [laughs]. Forget that!

Be careful, that one doesn’t work on all the female ninjas.

Can you give us an idea of how many standard, special, and other attacks Naruto will have?

AD: It depends on the kinds of chips you put into your character. You might start out with a limited number, but there are extra abilities you can get later on in the game that’ll give you more moves. 

Items? Weapons?

AD: You don’t start out with the general store in the game. That’s actually part of the story. But pretty early on there will be a store where you can exchange items that you have for newer items. There isn’t actually money, but you can go around and fight enemies for items. You might be able to trade five of the most basic items for one very powerful item at the store.

Thanks to everyone at Namco Bandai and Kohnke Communications for having a wonderful conference call.