If you grew up with the early Naruto anime, this GBA game hits that sweet spot of nostalgia. You start off as Naruto running through the Hidden Leaf Village, throwing kunai and pulling off basic combos—nothing fancy, but it feels right for a kid ninja still figuring things out.

The side-scrolling action’s simple at first, but some of those later boss fights (looking at you, Zabuza) actually make you sweat a little. I remember getting stuck on the water prison mission until I realized you could actually use shadow clones as distractions. Classic Naruto move.

Graphics are bright and chunky in that early 2000s handheld way, and the music’s got those familiar anime-style riffs. It’s not the deepest fighter out there, but for a quick ninja fix between classes or bus rides, it still holds up. Just don’t expect the depth of the later Storm games.