Life as an anime ninja shouldn’t be this boring - Naruto Slugfest X Quick Review

Naruto Slugfest X is a surprisingly slow 3D RPG with good combat mechanics, but boring gameplay progression and archaic visuals that make it seem like an off-brand Naruto: Shippuden title. Although the game does a great job of keeping its storyline true to the anime series, its narrative isn’t enough for me “believe it” to be worth my time.

THE STORY

Two years after Jiraiya embarks on an adventure to mentor Naruto and train him to be a proper ninja, the pair return to the Hidden Leaf Village. From here, Naruto joins his old group, including fan favorites like Sakura and Kakashi, to face a threat from a mysterious group called the Akatsuki.

TIME PLAYED

I played Naruto Slugfest X for two hours and was able to reach level fifteen in that time and acquire four characters.

PLATFORMS

Naruto Slugfest X is currently only available on Android devices, although an Apple version is said to be coming soon. I played on a powerful Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra phone, but I still encountered issues. Although it might be a problem relating to online servers, I constantly experienced internet connection issues, even when I had really great service. This caused a lot of jittering and delayed responses in-game and wasted so much time. I even tried using a VPN and switching servers, but nothing solved the problem.

WHAT’S AWESOME

• Combat. Battles in Naruto Slugfest X are enjoyable, fast-paced, and action-packed. The game’s combat system works in connection with a gacha mechanic, sort of similar to Genshin Impact, where I could only fight using characters I owned. If I wanted more characters, I needed to roll for them with in-game currency or actual money. Thankfully, the starting characters were more than enough to keep me busy. Each character comes equipped with four unique abilities, and I was able to swap between them on the fly in combat, which made for some very dynamic and occasionally exhilarating fights.

• Narrative. Naruto Slugfest X’s story was on point with Naruto: Shippuden’s. I’ve seen pretty much every episode of the anime series, so I was glad to discover that the entire storyline from is perfectly portrayed here.

WHAT SUCKS

• Visuals. Naruto Slugfest X looks really outdated. The game’s character design and user interface give an unpolished, even tacky feel, and some of the characters look nothing remotely like those in the anime.

• Balancing and progression. Naruto Slugfest X lacks the challenge that I crave from a good RPG. Every mission, quest, and enemy I faced felt too easy to beat. I effortlessly zoomed through quests and dungeons like they were nothing, which led to the overall experience feeling mind-numbingly repetitive.

SHOULD YOU PLAY IT?

No. If you’re a Naruto: Shippuden fan like me, you might mine some enjoyment out of Naruto Slugfest X. But the boring, repetitive gameplay is likely to drive away both established Naruto fans and curious onlookers alike. Although it includes a fairly engaging combat system, that’s not enough to make up for the other problems that are dragging this anime ninja fantasy down.

💬 Who’s your favorite Naruto character and why?