Naruto: Rise of a Ninja review

Aside from the set Jutsus you must learn to progress, you pretty much have free rein over how you wish to shape Naruto. Coins are scattered across the world, and collecting these will open up more and more items to purchase. New combos, moves and extra weapons can be obtained as and when you wish, and because you’ll unlock new areas you’ll often end up scouring fresh locations for these coins rather than the same trodden paths. There’s a very definite sense of progression, and each new move brings its own rewards. To top it all off, everything is wrapped up in a beautiful package. Scenes from the cartoon pepper the action to explain what’s going on so that even a Naruto newbie will understand.

Swallow your pride and dive in, because it may be Naruto, and it may be for kids, but (amazingly) it’s a bloody great game. Didn’t see that one coming.