Naruto Online

Game overview

Naruto Online is a top-down 2D animated MMORPG set in the world of Naruto. The game is officially licensed and contains popular characters and locations based on the anime series. Players participate in quests and instances, doing battle with bosses from the anime alongside ninjas that you can recruit and build a team with. The PVE and PVP content is decent, but the passive combat system may not be for everyone.

Combat is turn-based but players play a minimal part in the execution of battles. Before a battle, you can select which ninjas to pick and create strategic synergies, but then you can only watch how the fight plays out. Graphics are okay but the animations do not look as good as it should on the 2D world backgrounds. Overall, Naruto Online is still a fun game to play especially for hardcore fans of the anime series.

➔ Main points:

• Play through authentic Naruto world, characters and events
• Good amount of PVE content that plays out exactly like the anime series
• Friendly player community that is active
• Collect ninjas and build your ideal team

Trailer

Full review

Authentic Naruto Experience

Naruto Online is a browser-based action and strategy MMO that was released in 2016. Naruto Online is the only officially licensed Naruto game in existence, which makes it the only go-to MMORPG game for fans of the anime series. So how does it hold up? Naruto Online is very similar to games like Ragnarok Online, which uses a top-down point of view with controls such as click to move. Naruto Online is also a hero collecting game. Famous characters from the anime series are included in the game world and players can recruit them to join their rosters.

Upon entering the game for the first time, you will be asked to select your character based on one of the five elements known in the Naruto world. These are Fire, Earth, Lightning, Wind and Water. Once created, players are taken straight into the starter area, which is Kohana where you will be given a series of beginner quests that teaches you the basics of the game, such as equipping gear, combat as well as building your team roster. This is where the game starts getting exciting, especially if you love the Naruto series. Players will be able to join up with Team Kakashi including Naruto, and embark on quests that are directly related to the Naruto anime series. Questing will involve some direct dialogue reading and they are decently written, while others will involve combat objectives.

The Combat

And this brings us to the topic of combat in Naruto Online. There are two elements of the gameplay that directly affects the combat mechanic. The first and probably the most entertaining and strategic part is building your battle roster. Players take teams into battle, either for PVE questing or PVP. Each team will consist of four ninja characters. The strategy here is to create an effective team strategy based on synergies. For example, if all ninjas on your team are Water element users, whose abilities rely on water, you will be effective against opponent teams that uses Fire.

The second part of the game's combat is where things fall short. At the beginning of a battle, you must place your team on the arena grid, which will dictate who attacks first in your line-up. But after that, you pretty much just watch the battle unfold without actively participating. Both teams will take turns to execute attacks, and players can use special abilities when it's off cool down. But beyond one or two clickable skills, everything else plays out passively. Players are basically observers the entire duration of the battle, which may be boring especially if you feel like you want to contribute to the success of your team. While it may be fun and entertaining for some, the fact that combat feels and plays out like a show can be a let down for others.

Players are basically observers the entire duration of the battle, which may be boring especially if you feel like you want to contribute to the success of your team

PVE and PVP

When it comes to PVE questing, Naruto Online has done a good job with the theme park feel. Majority of the main story and quests are related to the first two seasons of the anime show, so players will find some enjoyment in reliving their favorite moments, battles and characters. Instances on the other hand function as public dungeons, but are more focused on boss battles from the anime show. Players can join up with other players in a group to take on these bosses for experience points and loot. There's also a stamina mechanic involved. Players can take part in quests and instances at the cost of stamina, which replenishes over time. Stamina will also recover if you are idle or go offline. So you can't really farm instances back to back to get quick experience points to level up. Of course, players can always instantly replenish stamina in the store.

Majority of the main story and quests are related to the first two seasons of the anime show, so players will find some enjoyment in reliving their favorite moments, battles and characters

For PVP enthusiasts, there are two modes available which are Arena and Ranked. Arena is the more popular of the two, as players are given a scenario that they must adhere to. For example, the scenario could be to use all female characters, and players participating in the arena must build a team of all female ninjas in order to compete. This makes things more strategic and fun because it balances the playing field in a creative way. Rank matches are exactly what it sounds like. Players are paired together based on their power ranking and leader board positions, where matches are more difficult depending on what rank your team is.

Graphics & Presentation

Naruto Online features a combination of animated artworks that complements the game's anime roots. The world design and background art of locations, maps and battle arenas are rendered in 2D and it's fantastic. It's easy to see that the game involved some of the original artists who worked on the Naruto series. When it comes to the animations of your character's movement or your team's combat animation, the graphics becomes a little disappointing.

When your character moves, it seems as if the game cannot decide if it should have been made in 3D or 2D animation. And the result is a very jarring combination of the two, that looks out of place when you watch it unfold on the great 2D background canvases found throughout the game. As for presentation, the game scores positive points for it's clean and easy to navigate UI system, that does not make things confusing compared to other free to play browser MMOs.

Is It Worth Playing?

Ultimately, if you are a fan of the Naruto universe, then it's a no brainer that you should be playing Naruto Online. The game is as authentic as it gets, with officially licensed characters included in the game where you can play alongside them for the duration of the game. You can even relive the best boss battles from the anime series with your own created character and team. There's quite a lot to do in the world too. Quests and instances are fun and rewarding, but only if you can tolerate the combat system. Graphics are also decent, if you don't mind the animations. Overall, Naruto Online should be the only Naruto game that fans of the series should be playing.

Ready to enter the world of Naruto Online? Click here to play now!

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Review summary

1. Authentic Naruto Experience
2. The Combat
3. PVE and PVP
4. Graphics & Presentation
5. Is It Worth Playing?