Temple of Shadows is a free role-playing game from MsyGame, drawing inspiration from ninja-themed franchises like Naruto. This idle RPG has a straightforward gameplay objective: collect ninjas and train them to become stronger. Characters from the Masashi Kishimoto manga and anime are sorted into different rarity levels, which can be unlocked via lottery-style pulls or through completing quests.

Its mostly 2D gameplay, combined with a lot of things to do, makes Temple of Shadows a promising idle game without much grinding needed. It has issues common with this subgenre, such as leaning toward microtransactions and having intermittent glitches.

Lead your ninja village

The Naruto inspirations in Temple of Shadows are more than a coincidence. You collect characters from the hit series, sorted into different rarity levels, from one to five stars. Those who are harder to acquire are stronger than their more common counterparts. Also, most of the game is managed from a version of the Hidden Leaf Village, where Naruto is set. Each building corresponds to a different section.

You take on missions of increasing difficulty, then you set up your team with up to nine members. The strategic aspect lies in putting the right ninjas on your back, middle, and front rows to face different enemies. Aside from missions, you can also click the Fight button for quick fights. The combat itself is automated, and you can watch or just skip to the results.

As mentioned, the main issue with this game is its excessive reliance on microtransactions. Only a few characters can be unlocked through playing, and most of them are available through gacha, or randomized lottery. You can either buy additional tickets for these lotteries or purchase the characters directly—with the latter definitely costing more. Also, players have reported intermittent game glitches that required restarting the game.

A challenging cash grab

Overall, Temple of Shadows is a promising idle game that picks up content from Naruto. Its visual design and gameplay mechanics, inspired by the hit anime series, have made it immediately endearing for a lot of players. Other than that, it goes the standard idle RPG route, both in the good and the bad. Although the game leans heavily toward microtransactions and has its share of issues, it’s still worth checking out.