Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 Review

Unfortunately, the Ultimate Ninja Storm series doesn't end on a high note. I both love and hate Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4.

As a fan of the anime and manga, I was expecting a lot of intense action from what was billed as the final game in the Ultimate Ninja Storm series, and to its credit, Storm 4 delivers. The characters and exciting battles look and feel great, and the story is satisfying. On the other hand, even the best combat system in the world will be useless if you can't find worthy opponents.

What I like the most is the ability to switch between the active fighter and the two support characters on the fly

That's not to say that this battle is the best, but it's pretty strong. Battles are fast and fierce, and feel like major events thanks to the abundance of cinematic camera angles and powerful jutsu moves at your disposal. The controls are simple and the most responsive of any Storm game to date. But what I liked the most was the ability to switch between the active fighter and two support characters on the fly by moving the right analog stick. This allowed me to use my characters both active and support, and not limit them to a single task in combat. In one match, I was able to land a series of hits with Hinata, then summon Naruto to help me deal more damage, then switch to Hashirama Senju to quickly replenish energy for a subsequent jutsu attack.

unworthy opponents

However, this strategy is not always necessary, as AI opponents have a bad habit of getting into a repetitive loop by constantly dodging and hitting from a distance. This has happened to me many times and it has become incredibly annoying, especially when I can't do an attack without taking a kunai to the face. This is compounded by the fact that parts of the story mode give the PC a huge advantage in combat by increasing their damage, which can make it feel cheap and unfair.

The level of quality of the story is disappointing

I was also disappointed by the introduction of the short, five to six hour story mode, which at first promises the epic battles and interactive scenes the Storm series is famous for. But within 15 minutes of starting, I was shown long montage scenes with motion-comic style effects instead of anime clips. Only later, in Storm 4, do they switch to cutscenes from the game, which look much better than the static images. However, the lip-sync to the audio is out of sync on both the Japanese and English soundtracks, creating some awkward moments. It is a pity that the level of polish of the story is not as expected. At least the ending of Story Mode hints at what's in store for Naruto and his friends.

Pick up

Next comes the turn of Adventure Mode, an epilogue that takes place immediately after the events of Story Mode. However, it is more of a must-see to remember key events from the early parts of the series, such as Naruto's early battles with Sasuke and the chuunin exams. It has more of the same AI issues and nothing new plot-wise, so it feels like it can be skipped without losing anything.

Storm 4's multiplayer is a fluke and a glitch. Local matches are great, with lots of different competitive modes and 61 playable characters with various attacks, jutsu, and alternate outfits. However, online multiplayer can be frustrating due to its connectivity issues, where I found it almost impossible to find a game, let alone a stable one. Nearly every match suffered from severe input lag or stuttering, rendering it virtually unplayable.

Verdict

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 upgrades the gameplay to the level of the best games in the series and offers an extensive roster of playable characters. Unfortunately, all of this potential is wasted: a short, poorly presented campaign with glitchy AI, a neglected adventure mode, and online matches that suffer from connectivity issues. Unfortunately, the Ultimate Ninja Storm series doesn't end on a high note.