Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution

This is a Naruto game for the hardcore fans but can be enjoyed by everyone. Ever wanted to see what Naruto would look like as a robot? Ever wanted to see how exactly the Akatsuki formed? Perfect! Shōnen Jump right in to this fun, fight fuelled foray into this button bashing ninja nightmare in Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution by CyberConnect2.

Story Mode

So this game has a story mode, set around a Tournament Arc. You fight your way through to Torunament as you’d expect but toward the beginning the player encounters a robot version of Naruto named “Mecha-Naruto” and that’s where the real hijinks ensue. There is a lot to this story mode and I’m not going to pretend there weren’t moments where I stared at the screen wondering what on earth was going on.

There’s robots and body switching and the plot was convoluted but it was also definitely designed with the concept of being a new side story that didn’t affect the greater plot of the show at all and that’s all fine. It didn’t take itself too seriously but still got an emotional reaction out of me. I still enjoyed the good treatment the story got from the great voice acting and underlining moral lessons that the show has taught its viewers over the years.

There are more than just the quick play battles and the main story. There are 3 original animated stories about the origin of the Akatsuki, the terrorist group and antagonists for the series. These segments are woven into the gameplay and allow you to play as members of the group who go out to recruit others. It’s a fun little side quests that add to the greater experience.

Gameplay

The gameplay revolved primarily around 3 main sections, watching cutscenes and conversation scenes, basic map traversal where you run around completing fetch quests and exploration, and finally the combat segments which can last a while depending on the difficulty. The combat is relatively simple and primarily consists of button bashing and special moves. The exploration was very straightforward and served its purpose.

One thing I enjoyed was the huge roster of characters to play as, around the 100 mark from Naruto to Neji to Might Guy and so on; more than enough ninjas to get your jutsu on.

Anime games have come a long way since this title was released in 2014. 2018s Black Clover: Quartet Knights, for instance, has less playable characters but far more character mobility and more robust and diverse combat options.

Art Style

The entire game was animated in a way that greatly resembles the original art style and I found it to be very aesthetically pleasing and immersive. Characters were excellently executed, thanks to facial expressions, body language and reactions from the characters, tied in with original voice actors that really helped me settle in to the IP I know and love.

Pros

• Lots of Characters
• Great art style
• Great voice acting

Cons

• Action can be hard to follow
• Very little world detail
• Main story was a little silly

Another entry in the long line of 3D fighting games, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution adds a flurry of features for fans to enjoy. This exciting anime fighter lets you team up with your favorite characters and combine your powers for god-like damage, all while swiftly navigating the stage. This game is packed to the brim with content, with new unlockables popping up every few fights. Anime fans and fighting game experts should get a kick out of this buffet of Naruto battles.

Main Game Features

• Crazy 3D anime battles
• Over 100 playable fighters
• Tons of unlockables

Story

Though Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution doesn't have a traditional story mode like its predecessor, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, it does have a few unique modes with plots for Naruto fans to enjoy. The biggest slice of single-player content comes from the World Ninja Tournament, which has you ranking up to become the best ninja in all the land. After picking your character, you get to roam around Festival Island, all while meeting characters, training, and doing side quests. Various characters can be unlocked for use in the Tournament, which features standard fight types along with some new ones. On your journey to become the master of the tournament, you must progress from Rank D to Rank S, each with an area to explore and unlockables to find.

Once you've completed the World Ninja Tournament, a new mode is unlocked called The Story of Mecha-Naruto. It plays much like the World Ninja Tournament, but features a fresh story about the new character, Mecha-Naruto, with its own dedicated area. Additionally, there are the Ninja Escapades, which have three original stories, including “The Creation of the Akatsuki”, “The Two Uchiha”, and “The Far Reaches of Hope”. Despite the absence of the expected story mode, there's enough narrative in Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution through these fun additions.

Gameplay

Staying true to the anime and manga it is based on, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution is full of fast and hectic 3D battles, with tons of explosions and special moves. Although the action can be hard to track at times, it's easy to stay in the battle, as the controls are as easy as can be. You have just one button for your main attack, as well as dedicated buttons for special moves, blocking, and projectiles. The camera can cause issues on occasion, but there's nothing too complex to learn and you should become familiar with the fighting after just a few battles.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution also contains the kinds of modes you would expect in 3D fighters like Soul Calibur II or Tekken 3. If you don't want to get into story-related content, you can start fighting right away in Survival, League, Tournament, and VS Battle modes. There's even a new 4-Player Tournament fight mode, where you beat up opponents and collect their dropped orbs, hoping to have the most orbs when the time runs out. Regardless of the kind of fighting you're doing, you'll earn Ryo currency, which can be spent on tons of unlockables. There are hundreds of character customization pieces to buy, characters to unlock, and much more. Since you'll quickly fill your pockets with Ryo, new content is available at all times, making it hard to run out of things to do.

Conclusion

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution has an excess of modes to try, including three decently long story campaigns that fans will appreciate.

Pros

• Crazy fun anime action
• Constant unlocks
• New Naruto animation scenes

Cons

• Lots of button mashing
• Mushy textures and pop-in
• Awkward camera angles