Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 Review

Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 features gameplay akin to that of previous games in the series, in which players battle each other in 3D arenas. A returning feature which was omissed since the original Ultimate Ninja Storm is the ability to Wall Run. Players will be able to dynamically take to battle to the sides of the arenas, and battle on the walls of each stage. A major change to the feature is the ability to have one character be on the wall, while the other stays on the field. Originally the second player was automatically moved to the wall, to keep the battle flowing and the system in check.

The option to select one of three different fighting types has been removed, which was introduced in Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution, restoring the previous system of Ultimate Jutsu and Awakenings seen in the rest of the series. Another new feature is the ability to swap characters during battle, similar to games like Marvel vs Capcom 3. Awakenings and ultimate jutsus from previous games also return, and can now be shared between the switchable characters, meaning players can build up their meter with one character, switch to the other and use said abilities with the other character. However, the characters will now all share the same life bar. Also new to the franchise is the ability to break weapons and armor, both in free battle and boss battles. To support this, they have added the ability to create elemental damage; For example, fire can burn away clothing. Players can, however, get rid of the fire by moving around quickly throughout the area or by getting hit with water attacks.

The game has a variety of different game modes which range from story, adventure, online and free battles. If you have never played a game in the series before or watched the anime series you should try the story mode first and this is also advised in the game. I did enjoy the fact there there are a lot of quick time events which can catch you off guard so you always have to be ready and the fact that when you have to mash buttons the screen starts to crack so makes you think it’s about to get serious. The only bad thing about the story in my opinion is that one part of the story could take 30 mins which sounds like a lot but in all that time there could be 25 mins of just story and only 1 battle which did make the game rather long, also in the cutscenes this is made up of clip art from the show as well as scenes where you see the characters move which is great only downside is that the lip syncing is really off when you have it in english but it’s not to much of a pain, it does give you the option to skip the story to go straight into battles but then you don’t really know what’s going on.

The only other thing on story mode is some of the battles as the 9 tails or variations of them i didn’t really enjoy them fights as much as i thought i would and two of them felt like i was playing star fox and not this game.

Once you’re finished with the story mode you can go to adventure mode which is a nice change of pace, it sort of reminded me of final fantasy the way you run around talking to people and finding side quests while going towards your main goal.

You play as Naruto and two companions which is nice but a bit pointless in my eyes as when you have to battle you can choose your team as if you was in a free battle so a bit hit and miss there, they do come in handy in the story just in there own way and when you get to the part that utilises them more i would had prefered going around and bumping into people to add them to my squad would have made more sense to me but it does work well it’s nice to be able to change your team every fight as different people work better together than others and can unlock secret finishers etc.

Adventure mode does capitalise on the huge roster of characters this game has to offer by doing missions that involve them which is great as there are so many.

The secret techniques are one of my favorite things, if you get your team right it’s all about experimenting with different players and finding a team that works for you. also helps if you did watch the show as that’s how most the characters are connected but you can figure it out through the story mode as well.

Different players have different abilities and different teams have different finishers and when you land one of these moves and it wins the fight it goes into a cut scene which is a nice touch.

The movement throughout the game works really well when you’re in battle the responsiveness is very fast paced at what you want it to do. This is most of the time when you’re playing as human character it all went a bit pear shaped for me playing as an awakened spirit and didn’t feel anywhere near as sharp as it should, it could just be me but you do have to play like that a fair few times during story mode and it felt the same every time.

In adventure mode you run around on various different places from the show and story and it all looks really good it does feel a bit too loose when running like you can’t really control where you want to go so you run all the time and the camera can’t keep up to the movement of the player and this can be annoying as sometimes there is someone you need to talk to and the camera is fixed and then you end up running past them and load up the next part of the village that you are in.

The graphics in the game are great and suit the game down to a tee they are simple but very effective i have liked these kind of visuals since the Wind Waker Zelda series.

Don’t be fooled though when in battle the simple but effective visuals are at their best with fast paced action that you can really sink your teeth in to with big ninjutsu attacks and much more they are frantic and a lot of fun at the same time with wall running and fighting on the walls it really is the best aspect of the game and it should be as the show is the same with big over the top battles.

I also like the fact of if you take damage it shows on your player for instance if you take fire damage it burns away at your health as well as your clothes which is cool. When in adventure mode they are just as as good very bright and colorful and just all round pretty it makes you want to play the game.

Everywhere in adventure mode looks great doesn’t matter what village, hideout or island that you’re at. All the AI’s there all have their own unique dress code and only two people look alike.  

The sound of the game when in battle is great you can hear all the explosions and much more however when not in a battle the music is nice and calming but very repetitive and can get annoying very fast, it sort of reminded me of when i used to play Pokemon and always had the game on mute as i could not deal with the music anymore, i am not saying it’s as bad as that but you get the idea of it.

In adventure mode the music does change to what village you’re in and whether you’re running around or talking etc.

There is a lot to do in this game with just story and adventure mode there are so many side quests and hidden items that you need to find that you can lose yourself in this game very easily.

Battle mode is a great mode to play with a friend but i found online by myself was not great lag  was a massive issue as it felt like i was always five moves behind the player i was fighting. The mode consists of you picking your team and battling other players teams that about it.

Overall  this game is done well and i and really enjoyed it, the story mode was fun but rather long winded with all the still clip art and then with the out of time lip syncing.

Adventure mode is a nice touch and adds a lot to the game but overall you are just replaying the story or rather a bit of a behind the scenes story. Battle mode is great with a friend i would not recommend online though as i had major issues with this.