There have been plenty of video games based on films, TV shows, and anime. Though it seems few titles truly capture the essence of the source material. One of those rare franchises has been the Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Storm titles from Cyber Connect 2. The games not only tell the story well, they capture every expression down to the core emotion of the anime/manga series. While we patiently wait for the Naruto Shippuden story to conclude, the Ninja Storm titles take a very brave step in trying to tell it’s own unique story not found in the anime or manga. How does Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution hold up against the rest of the Ninja Storm games?
Story
What is truly unique about Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution is the large departure from the main storyline found in the anime of Naruto. While there is a story mode in this game, it’s rather short compared to other titles. Rather, Cyber Connect 2 has focused on it’s own story line written by Naruto‘s creator, Masashi Kishimoto.
There are two parts to the story mode, the first is focused largely on a ninja tournament. It seems almost every character from the Naruto franchise is there to fight. The second, and far more fleshed out story is the introduction of Mecha Naruto. If the name doesn’t make it obvious this is a robot version of Naruto. The spoiler-free synopsis is that you, as Naruto, discover Mecha Naruto. After activating him, you discover that he’s missing his memories. The only way to help is to enter a tournament, and win the metals which can recover Mecha Naruto’s memories. There is more to this story, including some (surprisingly) touching moments.
There is also a Ninja Escapades mode, which features stories found in the anime/manga. Both of which take a look at a pre-Naruto world. They do a fantastic job fleshing out some established characters and making them even cooler. Also as a bonus, the game comes with a special anime episode of the character Itachi Uchiha making eggs. Sounds simple, but seriously it’s something to behold.
Gameplay
Gameplay features two unique styles. The first is a free-form roaming style utilizing the fantastic Ninja Storm fight engine.
Regarding the free roam gameplay, nothing much has changed from previous series. Though the map certainly has, with the game taking place during the rebuilding of the village Konoha after it was attacked by a certain nine-tailed fox. Luckily, you are given a map that you can pull up while roaming. The map is helpful, but a bit confusing. My only general complaint is that during these roaming moments you really don’t feel like a ninja. You don’t move slowly but you can’t charge chakra or even do any special moves. It’s essentially limited to a double jump and walking fast which makes exploration almost seem pointless as you only walk around long enough to start the next mission. There are plenty of item shops around, which allow you to spend money earned through the tournaments and general gameplay. My only specific complaint is that during the free roam in the World Tournament, the dialogue was extremely limited and no one reacted as you would expect with your ninja. I chose the ninja Hinata Hyūga (like you should, she’s a bad ass), walked up to Naruto, and received very basic dialogue as though there wasn’t any back story with the characters. This, of course, didn’t detract from the actually fight engine. It just made it feel a little less personal.
For me what really set the Ninja Storm series above other Naruto titles was it’s unique fight engine. This time around the fight engine includes some extra tweaks reminiscent of Marvel vs Capcom 2. When selecting your team you choose the character type your main fighter will be. Each type has its special bonuses: Ultimate Jutsu Mode (special moves are super powered), Awaken Mode (Ultimate Form transformations happen earlier), and Drive Mode (which works with the overall team). While I understand the concept behind the change, it felt a little strange and initially kind of confusing. I personally would have just balanced each fighter vs their style of fighting.
Other modes found in the game are Online, Survival, Tournament, VS, and League. All add great replay value depending on what style of combat you prefer. There are plenty of unlockables to find throughout the game, which adds a lot of stuff to do and plenty of Ryo (coins) to collect and spend, specifically when it comes to customizing your character’s overall appearance.
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Graphics
While gameplay is certainly more important then graphics, you can’t help but marvel at the visual beauty of the Ninja Storm series. Often times you almost forget you are playing a game. It looks so much like the anime it’s uncanny. That being said, this new title doesn’t really have the great visuals that the other titles of the series featured, as the story is more toned down. That’s not to say that there isn’t stuff to look at, just not on such a grand scale.
Sound
One of my requirements for titles that are based on anime/manga is to include the original Japanese dialogue instead of an English dub. Cyber Connect 2 has always followed this rule and it’s great. I only wish you could do this before the intro runs, as it’s defaulted in English. Not to say that the English voice cast is bad by any means. I just prefer the original Japanese dialogue. The voice acting is top notch, everything sounds the way it should with all the actors and actresses giving great performances. I especially liked the Ninja Escapades, as a lot of characters I always liked received much deserved backstory.
Overall
This was a difficult game for me to review. While I did enjoy playing it there were moments where I could tell the game wasn’t fully fleshed out. I was impressed at the attempt to move away from the central story, but that’s honestly what made Ninja Storm so fun. It reminded me of the Ninja Storm Generations title, just minus all the extra stories. Certainly, if you are a hard core Naruto gamer, this title will be up your alley. Though this game might not be the perfect title to introduce the series to new gamers.