Naruto Dating Sim

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on March 11, 2010

Naruto is a popular Japanese manga series about an adolescent ninja and his struggle to become a leader in his village. In Naruto Dating Sim, players negotiate romantic relationships between several of the series' main characters by talking, flirting, and otherwise scheming for approval. Although we imagine that fans of Naruto will find this game somewhat entertaining, it's really pretty basic and repetitive, and not a whole lot of fun.

As Sakura, players are charged with winning over Naruto, Sasuke, and Rock Lee. The characters ask Sakura multiple choice questions and, depending on Sakura's response, react either favorably or unfavorably. The goal is to answer question appropriately so that more activities are earned; in the beginning Sakura can only talk to the other characters, but as the game advances she can visit, spar with, and eventually date them. Players must also carefully monitor Sakura's energy level, ensuring that she gets enough sleep and participates in rejuvenating activities. Sakura can gain intelligence, charm, and other qualities that help her in her quest to woo the other characters. Overall, the game isn't awful, but it's not a ton of fun, either. The questions are extremely repetitive--it didn't take us long to figure out the "right" answers despite having no previous familiarity with Naruto--and there's not much in the way of action or animation. There's no Help file, but lengthy instructions are provided at the start of the game. We suppose that die-hard Naruto fans might find it fun, but that's as far as we can recommend it.

Naruto Dating Sim is free. It installs a desktop icon without asking and leaves a folder behind upon removal. We recommend this game with reservations.