Become a ninja in this gacha RPG

Konoha: Ultiman Storm is a role-playing game based on the popular anime franchise Naruto. Made by an unknown developer from Japan named Game Syoko,  it is a seemingly standard gacha game. It will have you play through quests to get currencies that you can use to unlock new characters at random. The game will present the ninja journey of Naruto. However, its localization is done rather hastily. Playing the game will be awkward at times, but it’s still a good experience. 

What is the game about?

In the Naruto game, you will start as Uzumaki Naruto when he was 12 years old. His two teammates from Team 7—Uchiha Sasuke and Harada Sakura—will also be joining you in the quest. Konoha: Ultiman Storm eases you into its gameplay with these characters, but, eventually, you will be able to unlock other ninjas. Currently, there are around 80 characters that you can unlock. Because this is a gacha game, the characters you unlock are effectively random.  

The gameplay revolves around simple and consecutive battles. You will need to form a team of three ninjas, which will then fight against an enemy team consisting of one to six ninjas. The combat is turn-based, but it features a time meter that determines how frequently your team can unleash attacks. Players will have a choice to do standard attacks. However, if you build up enough chakra, you can use special attacks called Jutsu. Each ninja has an Elemental Affinity, which will come into play when considering your enemy’s strengths and weaknesses. They will specialize in a certain style and possess varying stats that you can raise through training and item usage.

Konoha: Ultiman Storm presents the story of Naruto through slideshow-like panels, colorized and taken directly from the manga. However, the English translation is shoddy at best. The whole game is riddled with imperfect grammar. Not only that, but the scenes progress too quickly that you can’t read certain sentences. If you are brand new to the Naruto franchise, this is not the best way to introduce yourself to the story. However, it is probably ideal for hardcore Naruto fans, who already know the story by heart. 

A weak Naruto retelling

Konoha: Ultiman Storm is like any other gacha RPG you can find on your app stores. The game is challenging enough to you thinking of strategies in battles. More, the characters offered are mechanically diverse. However, though it uses plenty of assets from the Naruto franchise, it does not present a very good retelling of the storyline. But, if you remove the Naruto aspect, it would still be a solid game overall.