Naruto Ninja Storm 4 - Review

A review of the saga ending video game.

Ninja Storm 4 Poster

The closing chapter of the Shippuden saga and played via the Ninja Storm Legacy Bundle on a base, first day Xbox One Console, Ninja Storm 4 was an entertaining ride with a few flaws.

Based off of the manga series from original author Masashi Kishimoto, Ninja Storm 4 covers the final arc of the main series, the 4th Great Ninja War and its ramifications in a way you can’t quite get from flicking through pages or watching the anime. Fighting games as a whole are always going to be shackled and limited in many ways given the very nature of the content, it’s emphasis is on combat and gameplay over narrative and while this game is perhaps a slight bit of an anomaly as it has many a narrative through line and X amount of beats to play on. It does come with a warning however, it’s more niche than an Injustice as the slate of characters which are featured and the narrative itself are all from the closing section of a titanic sized series and even a number of previous games. So with that in mind it might not be the most accessible or satisfying title if you’re after investment, the bundles however are quite good with the Legacy edition providing all 4 games and DLC. Regardless of how you get your hands on it, the Ninja Storm Series is worth trying and the whole Naruto arc is compelling to say the least.

Gameplay wise I largely enjoyed the experience but would be naive to not address some of the major issues that comes with it. As for performance and running, it’s likely a personal problem so take this with a pinch of salt but there are some sequences which are majorly impacted and almost to a detriment, an issue which sadly plagues a lot of the latter stages where things become more grandiose. Mixing in some of the more mind-boggling forms of characters, these battles are at times generic and the vivid attacks really do mess with the frame rate and bog down the gameplay. It’s quick time sections were always entertaining and felt rewarding for completing with perfect success, unlocking secret factors and at the very least recreating iconic scenes Id watched before. In gameplay there are a few outright defunct mechanics, at times movement is difficult and certain moves are all but impossible to pull off against difficult opposition, something that makes that coveted ‘S’ rank all the more difficult and all the more sweet when you attain it. It’s a mixed bag and at times the level requirements are contradictory, thinking of the Boy’s on the Battlefield chapter in particular, Kakashi’s Chidori was clunky and really didn’t mesh well with manual camera controls, but hey, I can’t lie, I did find it to be an entertaining experience when you finally best opponents. A welcoming game that has a revival mechanic that really adds enjoyment to the title, I found overall that the combat is very much a case of taking the good with the bad.

Elsewhere, the DLC is a decent offering. With the Boruto expansions you receive a heap of more narrative content and gifs the bundle well, providing a nice epilogue. Aside from cosmetics, the adventure packs were a nice play through and offered more than I expected with around 3 hours game time per add initial package. As far as ‘bang for your buck’ or value for money, it’s really good.

Other game modes I can’t comment upon too much. The online mode isn’t to my taste and as such I haven‘t dabbled in it but other offline modes are very much a training arena. Arenas to hone skills and get to grips with the gameplay and sample what the cast has on offer.

In conclusion of this quick read review, Naruto Ninja Storm 4 is a worthwhile buy a very solid video game outing at that. With hours of content of all kinds and a stellar narrative, I’d really recommend it!