The fights are quick and the combat satisfyingly fluid. Though there are often multiple targets, Naruto's ability to dash (teleport) short distances and scoot around locked-on targets actually makes the fights fun -- at least from what we played, though the encounters were rather frequent and could get annoying after a while.

We explored gassy fields, precipitous cliffsides, a babbling brook, tranquil forests and of course many a feudal Japanese village. All of it was rather nicely varied, it a little on the non-interactive side. Still the graphics as a whole were quite nice; a solid 30 fps framerate, fantastic animation in the moves, some solid effects for things like fire and electricity and a solid overall interface made things quite enjoyable visually.

Aurally, we're happy (or, uh, pained) to report that the voices from the TV show are (of course) appearing in the game, though it's far, far more of an investment on their part this time around, as this is a proper adventure game and there's a fair bit of dialogue involved. All the major plot points were told with voice acted cinemas, so if you love or hate the voices from the show, you can do a happy dance or cry, because they're in here too.

Though we didn't play more than an hour or two of the game thus far (no sense in spoiling the game for ourselves when we can't tell you guys about it), this is certainly a surprise. Imagine a licensed game based on a dubbed anime property made by a developer not without the spottiest of track records and you'll see plenty of opportunities for the game end up being rather... well, bad. Uzumaki Chronicles isn't bad, though

In fact, from what we've played, it's actually rather good, and we're hoping our initial impressions hold through for the rest of the game. As soon as we get the chance to talk more about it, rest assured that we'll let you know.