Let’s dig right into NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja 4.
The gameplay is fantastic. There is no other way to put it. Bandai Namco Entertainment and CyberConnect2 hit a home run with NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja 4 and it’s not just in particular areas — it’s in pretty much all the areas.
The first thing you’ll notice right out of the gate is the presentation value. While still cel shaded driven, which captures very fluid animation, the level of detail, movement, shading and lighting has reached new heights. The game feels like the anime. The game looks like the anime. You control the anime. There are few games that could wear that badge of honor. Games based on anime haven’t done this sort of anime before, even a game like One Piece. It’s impressive to see in motion, folks.
CyberConnect2 simply didn’t stop at the character models, which show an incredible amount of expression and emotional detail that makes them visually connected to their anime counterpart. CyberConnect2 took it one step further and made sure to make the environments where the players explored and fought just as stunning and visually appealing. Trees blow in the wind, environments are damaged and the surroundings are just incredibly alive and kicking. When you get to the part of the story where characters run and fight up on walls, you’ll know what type of game you’re in for with this one.
In addition to the visuals, the audio and music add to the opus. You get some over-the-top orchestrated pieces to fall along with the over-the-top action. The dialogue matches it all as well.
In short, while it isn’t a surprise, the visuals are leading the charge with this title. They’re absolutely extraordinary. Truly a new bar for visuals in the NARUTO series.
As the gameplay goes, you have some nifty things going on in this category. The biggest part, at least for me, is how precise the controls feel during fights. A good control scheme goes a long way when it comes to fighting games, ask any Street Fighter fanatic how important controls are to gameplay. The controls in past Naruto always felt loose when it came to executing fight moves and also stiff when it came to breaking form and shifting into some other move. Typically, Naruto games would steadfast on commands and play them through regardless of what was going on in the screen. It was always stiff and unenjoyable.
This time around, things have changed. Fighting with the characters and moving characters in and out of situations was simple. There were times where fighters had to play through their series of moves, but more times than not I could break from a move and shift to another, if it wasn’t to my advantage. It was like playing the Sega Dreamcast version of Soulcalibur 2, where the controls were precise and the moves could be broken in mid-form, if needed. Anyway, loved the controls in this NARUTO game. They worked and they felt like a good fighting game’s control scheme. It helped a lot when it came to getting attached to the story and action.
In terms of actual fighting, the enemies were brutal for the most part, depending on the mode being played. The story mode brought intense and challenging matches, giving you the best right from the first fight. The enemies were different in fighting scheme and style. They delivered different types of attacks, while breaking some patterns here and there (sometimes it was repetitive and predictable). For the most part, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 doesn’t hold back, especially in Story mode. If you shift to Adventure mode, the fights get a bit easier, but build as the adventure progresses. Online modes…well, they are what they are.
Speaking of modes, let’s break things down on what to expect:
Story mode – You get a nice bit of character play, gorgeous animation and solid backstory in this mode. I really enjoyed this, as I don’t exactly follow NARUTO (my daughters do, but I missed the boat somewhat), so it helped put some backstory into perspective for me about the characters. Anytime you can build on major characters to push the entertainment along, I support it like crazy. Good character development can make a story seem much more interesting, see any good movie for examples. Anyway, the story mode puts you on a path that has multiple points of on it, some split off into other side quests, which represent certain pivotal moments in the Naruto universe. Each one is essentially a fight, but the game throws you a variety of different types of fights. Sometimes it will be one-on-one, sometimes it will be two-on-one, sometimes it will be a lot-on-one; you get a nice variety with this mode.
This was my favorite part of the game in April of 2015 at Bandai Namco’s gaming conference in Las Vegas and this is still my favorite part. The presentation value alone will make you instantly attached to the action.
Adventure mode – The Adventure mode lies somewhere between an action/role-playing game and a bunch of dialogue (lots and lots and lots of dialogue). Go on some additional adventures featuring the characters from the previous mode. Collect things, explore places and fight here and there. What more can you ask for in an adventure mode? For me, I found this to be my second favorite choice. Again, the dialogue is plentiful in this mode, which can be a turn off when it comes to enjoyment, but the action and presentation are out of this world fantastic.
Online Battle mode – Fight players online. You like this sorta stuff? Have at it. I’m still getting used to the NARUTO series, so I need not apply when it comes to this, but I know some people will eat it up. Fighting against other folks online seems like a no brainer for a game like this. You get quite a few different modes and options with online battle. It works just as smoothly as any good online fighter game would in terms of netcode.
Free Battle mode – It is what it is, good folks.
There’s a lot of depth to this game, Naruto fans. This is probably the best game out of the series to date. The gameplay is a lot smoother than in the past. The modes are plentiful and worth your time. The visuals are amazing and will set new standards for future NARUTO titles. The controls especially are far more responsive and feel less like you’re controlling a clunky fighter with good animation, rather they’re more like you’re playing a character in the Naruto world that is moving to your every control scheme whim.
What more could you possibly want from a NARUTO game? Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 delivers solidly in nearly every aspect.
Oh, did I mention the rewards for doing a good job? If you’re looking for some replay value to this game, outside of the online mode, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 offers up items and collectibles for doing a good job during fights. I know that anime fans love collecting and achieving goals/items for their efforts and this game doesn’t disappoint. It’s a great motivator to have another go around.
Anyway, onto the summary!
