Are you a Naruto fan? Well, if you are, be ready to welcome this latest installment of the Naruto franchise game for the PSP! Develop by Namco Bandai; this highly anticipated sequel has been released in the Japan 15th July last year. As for European gamers, you have nothing to worry about as the game is also set to be released in Europe on the 22nd of March this year! In the meantime, while you wait it out, I’ll try my best to provide you with a juicy preview on the game.
Before proceeding into the key features of the game, I would like to introduce you to the storyline of Kizuna Drive. For starters, the story takes place in the Sasuke and Sai Arc, which is immediately after the Kazekage Rescue Arc. Here, Naruto and his friends face an unknown foe responsible for the mysterious disappearance of ninjas from Hidden Leaf Village.
First of all, the game features two entirely different game modes for players to choose; Story mode and Free Mission Mode. As the title suggests, story mode puts players into the shoes of Naruto and his band of friends where they journey to uncover the truth of the mysterious disappearances. On the other hand, the Free Mission Mode provides players with the flexibility to select their favourite characters and put together their very own ninja dream team. Unfortunately, in order to fully experience the free mission mode, players will have to complete and unlock missions from the Story mode first.
Basically, this is a ninja-based hack-and-slash game containing several RPG elements. However, the core gameplay element of the game closely revolves around teamwork. Yes, teamwork. In Naruto Shippuden : Kizuna Drive, players will be tackling enemies and monsters in a team of four. This feature allows players to enjoy a whole new gameplay experience with their friends through ad-hoc connection; nothing beats spending time bashing monsters with your friends! Before heading into a mission, players are also given the chance to equip their characters with special scrolls, which can be obtained from missions. These scrolls function as skill or stat boosters which increase character stats or skill effects. Missions in the game are categorized into six different grades of difficulty; C grade missions which are the simplest, B grade missions which are a level above, and the more difficult missions ranging from A to S++ grades. However, in the demo I’ve played, B grade missions still prove quite a challenge to players. This is where the whole teamwork dynamics shine. Playing with friends through ad-hoc not only allows you to plan alternatives and strategies to counter bosses in the game, but also allows you and your friends to carefully time and execute a special combat system known as the Kizuna Drive.
The Kizuna Drive combat system functions to divert all team members’ effort to a single enemy for a higher damage output. In order to activate this, players will have to stun an enemy then simultaneously hitting the triangle and circle button. Upon activation, a short cut scene will show your team members gathering around the enemy which is now launched into the air. Basically, this combat system is like volleyball; all you have to do is time your attacks at the right time when the enemy is passed to you. If you time it correctly, you’ll deal a certain amount of damage to the enemy. Conversely, if you time it wrongly, you will be the one hurting instead. However, this combat system limited to normal enemies and cannot be used on huge bosses, making the game much more challenging for players.
To tell you the truth, Naruto Shippuden : Kizuna Drive is not a very beautiful game. If you were expecting to see improved graphics or character designs you can forget about it. The character designs and environment designs of the game are not very sharp and refined; in fact you can practically see the jagged edges on the characters. Instead, the game makes up for this lack of graphically intense environments by presenting the special effects in a colourful and refreshing way. The user interface is also carefully positioned; the top left hand corner houses the health and mana bar while the top right hand corner displays the health and names of your team mates. This feature not only allows players to observe their surroundings with ease but also to maintain a clear view of their team mates’ health.
It really depends on the way you look at the game. If you are the type that demands graphical perfections, this may not be the game for you as the graphic designs will frequently affect your mood. On the other hand, if you think that gameplay mechanics are more important, you should give this game a go. With several new features and a multiplayer option, I am sure that many of you will be spending long hours immersed in the game.
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