Naruto Shippuden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising | a Review
originally published on 06/04/2021;
Hello everyone, I am the mistakenly enrolled into the Akatsuki superior ninja, G.E.M.Simov, a superb master of gaming and all chakra types, come to tell you about a PSP game called Naruto Shippuden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising, henceforth referred to as NSLAR.
Simple review details - I rank games on an out of 10 basis, granting up to 3 points in 3 categories, as well as a last, single point from my own self, depending on my experience with it. Also, I am a gameplay designer and a writer so I got the credentials to talk shit.
Gameplay
Alright, so this is a 3D action-beat ‘em up game. I think that’s what it looks like, and what it is, though it does have some RPG features and some Adventure game features. It is a weird mishmash that’s very similar, in concept, to Kizuna Drive, though it has a different, far more successful execution, and it even has some moments which make it enjoyable.
Now, due to the fact that it is not a fighting game, and it is a 3D game on a PSP, it is LACKING a very, VERY large number of functionality, due to the fact that the Camera NEEDS to be controllable by the player. There’s 5 Buttons dedicated to the use of the Camera, which means that there are 5 other buttons left for Gameplay purposes, and that’s very, VERY problematic.
As a start, there is no means of blocking or guarding. The only defense the player has against attacks is to dodge or run away. Naturally, due to the game being a Naruto game, there is a mechanic featuring the Substitution Jutsu, which makes the player avoid damage by pressing a button at the right time, though that one did not seem to work 100% of the time, and so it is not something the player can depend on for avoiding damage.
Another issue here is that 2 out of those 5 buttons are connected to movement. One of them makes the player Jump, which has incredibly limited functionality, and the other makes the player Dash, which allows for avoiding attacks and getting up close to the enemies, though most of the time if the enemy just keeps moving it is very hard to get in position to deal damage to them via melee attacks.
The three remaining buttons are relegated to using items, issuing attacks and performing Jutsus. I really like the way Jutsus are handled in this - whenever the player wants to use a Jutsu, they hold down the Right trigger/bumper and then a wheel, of sorts, appears on the screen, featuring the Jutsus they can use. To use a Jutsu, the player, while holding the Right trigger/bumper, needs to press the corresponding button (which would be the X, Circle, Square or Triangle Button), and then the Jutsu goes off if the player has enough Chakra.
That brings me to the issue of Chakra. In all other Naruto games, there is a means of regaining Chakra, which is the resource used for Jutsus (including Substitution Jutsus). In NSLAR the way Chakra is regained is slowly, over time… Or by using an item. There is no button the player can press and hold to channel their Chakra and gather it up. The same applies to health - though that does not naturally regenerate, at a snail’s pace (like Chakra). Instead, it can be restored via an item. And the player can have up to 6 varieties of healing items, up to 99 of each variety, meaning that the player can never die, if they are stocked up on items well enough. The same applies to Chakra.
As I said, this game has RPG and Adventure game features… And those are these consumable items which can be bought in a store and then used to make everything manageable. The items don’t extend only to things that heal the player or provide them with a resource to spend, they can also be Ninja Tools that get thrown at enemies. Some of these thrown Ninja Tools deal as much damage as a Jutsu, if the player has the appropriate stats, or the enemy is low enough level.
The power of items is great, but then there’s the actual RPG aspect of this game - levels. Enemies have levels, the player characters have levels, and, the higher the level, the greater the power. There are statistics which can be increased through the use of items, allowing for different builds that focus on different ways of killing the enemies as fast as possible, there are means of making Jutsus stronger by leveling THEM up, there’s a system that allows for Ninjas to support another Ninja by providing static bonuses to said Ninja’s stats - it’s quite in-depth, and it is quite refreshing, when compared to either Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes or Kizuna Drive.
Sadly, a game that has 2 buttons that are used for combat is bound to not be very pleasant to play. The extent to which combos go, in this game, is equal to pressing the Square button four times, and then maybe using a Jutsu. That is as far as it goes. The game has a very, VERY good concept, but the execution is lacking. In fact, every single character is quite weak and unpleasant to play as, with the exception of Shikamaru, who has a long-range Jutsu that stuns the enemy it hits and does a nice amount of damage, and another Jutsu that is almost instantly cast, is borderline impossible to avoid and sets the enemy on fire. Playing Shikamaru is fun, but playing any other Ninja is not fun.
Additionally, this game does something I have not seen in a while. When a certain gamemode is beaten, another is unlocked. The game is called “Akatsuki Rising” for a reason. After the player beats the main campaign, they unlock the “Akatsuki” mode, where they play missions, as the Akatsuki, and blast ass. It is a good means of motivating the player to finish something - in this case, the campaign, so that they can then play another, perhaps more interesting gamemode.
NSLAR has some other interesting modes. Survival Mode, which features a bunch of waves of enemies, and the player, alone, against them. The objective? Survive. Mission Mode, which features a bunch of tasks that need to be complete. Those tasks are, most often, go to that place, and ‘pick up’ an item or fight some goon. These are, frankly, the most fun, because it’s almost as if the player is the ninja taking on missions. There’s a reasonable summary of the mission before the mission itself begins, and then there’s a neat little cinematic when it is finished. The Mission Mode is the most pleasant mode of the entire game.
That reminds me - boss fights in this game are garbage. You thought it was reasonable to have these enemies not struggle with the clunky controls and have a perfect knowledge of the game? Well, they also have infinite resources. Yes, you have heard, or rather read, this right. The enemies, who can use Jutsus, have infinite Chakra. They also have an infinite amount of Ninja Tools they can throw at the player. Some of these Ninja Tools? They stun the player for so long that I doubt there is even an end to the duration. The stun ends when the player gets hit a second time - which, oftentimes, means that at least 25% of their total health is gone.
Infinite Chakra also means an unlimited number of Substitutions, which means that the boss can only die if it decides not to avoid all of the player’s damage. Thankfully, the AI does not use Substitution Jutsus around 25% of the time. The fights are… Painful, to say the least.
So, what is the verdict? Play Shikamaru and cheese through the game. It is not much fun otherwise. 1/3
Presentation
This game had the SICKEST, 50 page manual/instruction booklet any of the Naruto games I’ve reviewed so far had. It’s so full of information, it’s so unique, in a sense, it really tickled my fancy. Really neat!
Then there’s the actual game. It’s not too bad, frankly. The music is barely passable, but the visuals are very nice. The folks who have worked on this one really did a good job, as the actual cutscenes are not in the style of a visual novel, but have the in-game models get used for the entirety of them, and then there’s also a bunch of models for characters who are not really playable. Visually, it’s quite pleasing, and it is also pretty good. On a PSP, it’s superb, really. The Voice Acting is… Not bad, but it’s not good. No option to go for Japanese Voice Acting either, so it’s just pain.
Frankly, this game looks really good. It does not sound that good, though. 2/3
Story
The story of NSLAR is quite short - it focuses on the “Kazekage Rescue” Arc from Naruto Shippuden, and not a moment beyond that. It’s actually not bad at all, though there have been some slight liberties taken with who was where at certain points, and there is an overwhelming amount of BANDITS everywhere. Also, boars, monkeys, giant wasps and weird centipedes. It’s… It’s quite something, a reasonable amount of Fanfictioning has been done to fill in some gaps, but it is not horribly bad.
In addition, as mentioned, the Mission Mode features some pretty interesting situations which appear to fit the characters, and that’s pretty much great. Lovely stuff, frankly, it expands the world in a pleasant sense and provides some extra presence for the characters we all know and, maybe, even love.
It’s not all original for the game, so that’s a mediocre rating for the story. 2/3
Legendary Point
Does this game get the legendary point, so craved and wanted by all and none at the same time? No, it doesn’t. It had something going for it, but damn did it not manage to get the execution down. 0/1
Conclusion
5/10. It’s, really, just an average game. Neither good nor bad. If you like Naruto, and happen to have a PSP, give it a go. If not, don’t.
I tuck it under my belt, another footnote in my long and great history.