Less promising new innovations.
One more recent game from the Naruto franchise, which is fully titled Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker. Officially released last August 30, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker offers a new gaming experience. Unlike the Naruto games previously made by CyberConnect2, Shinobi Striker was actually created by the developer Soleil.
Since we started playing, we weren’t really impressed with this game. However, we will still share the experiences that were felt when playing this game in the review article Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker.
Story
Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker comes with no background story at all. There are no stories taken from either manga, anime, movies, or others. Instead, what this game uses as a foundation is where the village of Konoha (Naruto’s home village) holds a tournament in the Chūnin exam that can be followed by ninjas from all villages. Soleil’s developer does not intend to present Story Mode or Campaign Mode because the gameplay used by this Shinobi Striker is online multiplayer.
Even the players did not play one of the characters in Naruto. The player will act as an unknown ninja whose designs can be designed by the players themselves. So don’t expect you to find cool cut scenes like the previous Naruto games in this Shinobi Striker.
Gameplay
The gameplay used by Shinobi Striker is different from the existing Naruto games, for example the Ultimate series. This game carries a team-based online multiplayer theme, where players can form teams of up to 4 players at once. Because it is team-based, players can determine their role where this role has its own role that can make the team balanced. There are 4 roles to choose from, starting from Attack, Defend, Range and Healer.
There are 2 main game modes in Shinobi Striker, the first is competitive mode. In this game, competitive mode is a chunin tournament followed by ninja from all villages. Players can create their own team or search for team members randomly. Of course there are prizes waiting for the team that manages to become the winner.
Second, there is the co-op mode, a side mission that players can use to get prizes apart from the competitive mode. Unlike the competitive mode that presents player versus player, in this co-op mode, we are required to complete a mission by working with other players in 1 team.
Similar to MMORPG games, Shinobi Striker also has equipment and cosmetic items that can be used. Equipment This can be obtained by completing missions or participating in existing tournaments. System equipment The one in Shinobi Striker is similar to the lootbox, where players will get it randomly in the form of scrolls that come in various rare qualities. Even though it does not have an effect on the game, at least players can create their own ninja character by adding cosmetic items obtained in the game.
Combat
Similar to the previous Naruto games, ninja-style combat is certainly filled with different jutsu-jutsu for each character. But in Shinobi Striker, the jutsu we use will be determined when the player chooses what role in his team. If the player chooses the Attack role, the player can use an effective jutsu to attack the enemy or the player who chooses the Defend role can use the defensive stance. Likewise with the remaining roles.
There are 3 types of combat available here, Combat Battle, Flag Battle and Control Battle. In Combat Battle, the team that kills the most opponents will be the winner. Flag Battle players must take the opponent’s flag while defending their own team’s flag. Whereas Control Battle, each team that manages to take the base will be the winner.
For us, there is nothing interesting about the combat system in Shinobi Striker because it is not that different from other Naruto games.
Graphic and Sound
Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker is formulated using Unreal Engine 4, of course there is an improvement in terms of graphics. Thanks to Unreal Engine 4, character details look even better. Likewise, details for surrounding conditions, such as buildings or battle locations that seem real without leaving an impression in the Naruto anime. Nothing special indeed, but the slight increase in graphics deserves appreciation.
Music is the same. The ninja-style music in the Naruto game or anime can still be said to be the same. There are no significant changes in the musical side.
Score
Story 5/10
The absence of a background story made us feel empty when playing. Even though there is a “little” story as the foundation for the game, it is still not enough for us. There is no dramatic cut-scene like the one in the previous series, making the battles or stories flat.
Gameplay 7/10
Carrying a new theme as an online multiplayer game, it brings new innovations to the Naruto game. Moreover, we can get cosmetic items when we successfully complete missions or become winners in tournaments. At least there is a spirit to play this game, which is playing with friends or random players to get rare cosmetic items and give the effect of our ninja character a cooler appearance.
Combat 6/10
There is no new impression in terms of combat. Still similar to the previous one, even now the jutsu moves are determined by the roles we take from the fight. Even though we can get jutsu, still team composition remains the key to every match.
Graphic and Sound 6/10
Graphics have experienced a slight increase thanks to the Unreal Engine 4 used by Soleil to formulate the Shinobi Striker. Looks real but doesn’t take away the essence of the Naruto anime style. Unfortunately there is no differentiating innovation in terms of music.
Total Score 6/10
Conclusion
Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker does offer new innovations, but it is unfortunate that these innovations are only for gameplay which now carries the theme of online multiplayer. There is no background story to make this game feel bland. We did feel the graphics improvement, but not with the music. Combat is also not much different, but it becomes exciting because we can fight with other teams or work together with teams to complete existing missions. You could say Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Strike offers new innovations and experiences in playing the Naruto game, but unfortunately it is less promising.
