And it builds up to a solid conclusion, too, when Naruto and his fellow ninja are faced with a situation that tests just how much they're willing to risk for one of their friends. The story here starts out strong, with a dramatic battle that ends in tragedy. Unlike Rise of a Ninja, which incorporated clips from the anime to move the plot along, resulting in some jarring transitions between 2D and 3D, The Broken Bond uses its own beautiful graphics for all of the cutscenes, creating a much more cohesive experience. The Broken Bond's Story mode picks up where Rise of a Ninja left off and covers events that span episodes 81 to 135 of the anime. Naruto and friends are back in The Broken Bond. Sadly, that potential for improvement has not been realized in its follow-up, The Broken Bond, and the flaws are not so easy to forgive this time around. Rise of a Ninja also felt somewhat underdeveloped, though, leaving plenty of room for improvement in its promised sequels. Last year's Naruto: Rise of a Ninja was a promising start to Ubisoft's planned series of games telling the story of Naruto, the brash young ninja whose anime series has millions of devoted followers all over the globe.
