If you were holding a Nintendo 3DS back in 2011, you probably remember the rush of excitement—and the eventual "oh, okay" feeling—of the early library. Among those early titles sat Naruto Shippuden 3D: The New Era. It wasn't just another fighter. Honestly, it was a bizarre side-scrolling experiment that tried to marry the high-octane energy of Masashi Kishimoto’s world with the then-novel depth of glasses-free 3D.
It feels like a fever dream now.
Tomy developed it. They’ve been handling the franchise for years, mostly through the Ninja Council series, so they knew the rhythm of a handheld Naruto game. But The New Era (known as Naruto Shippuden: Dragon Blade Chronicles’ spiritual successor in some mechanical ways, and Naruto Shippuden: Nin-Ritsu Zenkai! Chakrush!! in Japan) took a hard left turn into platforming. It arrived right as the Five Kage Summit arc was heating up in the anime, making it one of the first times Western fans got to see the Five Kage in a playable format.
Why the 3D in Naruto Shippuden 3D: The New Era Was Such a Big Deal
The 3DS was the "it" gadget. Everyone wanted to see pixels popping out of the screen without those clunky plastic glasses. In Naruto Shippuden 3D: The New Era, this wasn't just a gimmick for the cutscenes. The game used the depth to create layers of background and foreground hazards. You’d be running along a path and suddenly, a giant shuriken would fly from the "back" of the screen toward your face.
It was jarring. Fun, but jarring.
The visuals actually look surprisingly decent if you squint past the low resolution of the original 3DS screen. The character models are chunky, stylized versions of the Shippuden cast. They don't have the polish of the Ultimate Ninja Storm series on consoles, but they possessed a certain handheld charm. The environments—ranging from the leaf-dappled paths of the Hidden Leaf to the snowy crags of the Land of Iron—used the 3D effect to simulate a sense of scale that the DS simply couldn't touch.
The Gameplay Loop: More Mario, Less Tekken
Most Naruto games are fighting games. You pick a character, you mash buttons, you win. This one? It’s basically a platformer with combat elements. You spend about 70% of your time jumping over pits, dodging falling rocks, and timing your movements to avoid environmental traps.
It’s surprisingly difficult. Not because the AI is brilliant, but because the controls can feel a bit floaty. You have your standard combo strings, and you can call in support characters like Sakura or Kakashi to clear the screen or heal you.
The "New Era" part of the title refers to the specific story beat it covers. You’re playing through the prologue of the Fourth Shinobi World War. This means you get to square off against Sasuke in his "I’m going to destroy the Leaf" phase and deal with the immediate fallout of the Five Kage Summit. For fans in 2011, this was cutting-edge content. We were seeing the debut of characters like Onoki and Mei Terumi in a video game format before they were even fully fleshed out in the English dub of the anime.
Motion Controls and Gimmicks
Remember the 3DS gyroscope? Tomy certainly did.
There are segments where you have to physically tilt your 3DS to dodge attacks or navigate certain obstacles. In 2026, looking back at this, it feels archaic. Back then, it was "immersion." If an enemy boss threw a massive jutsu at you, the game would prompt you to tilt the console to the left or right to lean out of the way. If you were playing on a bus or a train, you looked like a total lunatic.
The Content Problem: Why It Didn't Become a Classic
Despite the novelty, Naruto Shippuden 3D: The New Era suffered from a lack of staying power. There are only about ten levels. You can breeze through the main story in a few sittings. Once you beat the Five Kage and finish the narrative, there isn't much left to do besides replaying levels to get better ranks or collecting "Secret Coins" hidden in the platforming sections.
It also lacked a robust multiplayer mode. In a franchise built on the idea of rivalries and "who would win" scenarios, not being able to truly battle your friends in a traditional 2D or 3D arena felt like a missed opportunity.
The game also had a very strange "Sage Mode" mechanic. Instead of it being a core part of Naruto's moveset that you could trigger whenever you had enough chakra, it was often tied to specific power-ups or scripted moments. It felt restricted. You wanted to feel like the Toad Sage, but the game often felt like it was keeping you on a leash.
What People Get Wrong About the Story
A common misconception is that this game follows the anime's "Power" arc or is a direct sequel to the Ninja Destiny games. It’s actually its own weird beast. The plot is a condensed version of the Five Kage Summit, but it takes liberties. It introduces a "mystery" element involving a group of rogue ninja that weren't in the original manga.
This was a common tactic for Naruto handheld games—injecting "filler" villains so the player has something to hit between the major canon bosses. These original characters are largely forgettable, but they provided a reason to travel to different elemental nations that Naruto hadn't visited much in the main story yet.
Technical Limitations and the 3DS Legacy
If you try to play this on a modern 3DS XL or a New 2DS, the flaws become more apparent. The frame rate occasionally dips when there are too many particle effects on screen—which is often, because it's Naruto.
The sound design is a mixed bag. You get the iconic grunts and "Dattebayo!" shouts from the original voice cast, but the music is largely generic adventure tracks that don't quite capture the haunting, traditional-meets-modern vibe of Toshio Masuda or Yasuharu Takanashi’s legendary anime scores.
However, we have to give credit where it’s due: the 3D layering was genuinely impressive for a first-generation 3DS title. When you use a massive Rasengan and the blue energy swirls toward the camera, it actually looked "next-gen" for five minutes in 2011.
Is It Worth Playing Today?
Honestly? Only if you are a completionist or a die-hard Naruto fan who wants to see every iteration of the Hidden Leaf.
It’s a relic. It’s a snapshot of a time when developers were still trying to figure out what the 3DS could do. It’s not "bad," but it’s definitely not "great." It occupies that middle ground of "licensed games that were probably rushed to meet a release window."
If you want the best Naruto experience on a handheld, you’re better off looking at the Ultimate Ninja Heroes series on PSP or the Legacy collection on Switch. But if you want to experience the specific weirdness of 3D platforming Naruto, Naruto Shippuden 3D: The New Era is the only place you’ll find it.
📖 Related: Oblivion Remastered Bodyslide Mod: Why Your Character Customization Is About to Change
How to Get the Most Out of The New Era
If you do decide to track down a cartridge (which are becoming surprisingly pricey on the secondary market), here is how to actually enjoy it:
- Turn off the 3D for Bosses: The motion control segments where you have to tilt the 3DS will ruin the 3D effect anyway. You’ll lose the "sweet spot" and end up with a blurry mess. Keep the 3D for the running sections, turn it off for the fights.
- Don't ignore the Sharing Points: You earn points by performing well in levels. Spend these on upgrading your support characters immediately. Having a high-level Sasuke or Kakashi to bail you out of a tight spot makes the floaty platforming much less frustrating.
- Look for the Hidden Red Coins: These aren't just for 100% completion; they actually unlock concept art and some minor stat boosts that make the later Boss Rush modes easier.
- Check the regional versions: If you are a collector, the European and Australian versions are much more common than the Japanese ones under different names. Ensure your console is region-compatible before buying, as the 3DS is notoriously region-locked.
The game remains a fascinating footnote in the history of anime gaming. It tried something different. It moved away from the 1v1 fighter format and tried to give us an adventure. While it didn't entirely stick the landing, it’s a piece of Naruto history that deserves a mention, even if only for how weird it feels to play a decade later.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check Your Firmware: If you're pulling your 3DS out of the closet, ensure it's updated, but be aware that the eShop is closed. You’ll need a physical copy of the game.
- Price Check: Visit sites like PriceCharting or eBay to see current going rates. Don't overpay; this game often fluctuates between $20 and $60 depending on the condition of the box.
- Adjust Expectations: Approach this as a 2.5D platformer, not a fighting game. If you go in expecting Storm 4, you're going to be disappointed. Go in expecting Shinobi on the Game Gear, and you'll have a much better time.