Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4

A phenomenal fighting game that offers lots of different modes to keep you busy, but one with an abundance of cutscenes and narrative throughout, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

85%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

optimization, stability

91% User Score Based on 77,357 reviews

Critic Score 80%Based on 22 reviews

Platforms

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About

"Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4" is the latest installment in the Storm series, offering a revamped battle system and intense fights from the Naruto Shippuden universe. Dive into a colorful and action-packed adventure with beloved characters and epic stories. This entry promises to be the most ambitious and exciting Storm game yet.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 screenshot

+12

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 32,752 reviews

story2.1k positive mentions

optimization110 negative mentions

The gameplay is praised for its smooth mechanics, fast-paced combat, and the introduction of character switching mid-battle, enhancing the overall experience.
The graphics are stunning, effectively capturing the anime's art style with detailed character models and fluid animations, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
The emotional depth of the story mode resonates with players, providing a heartfelt conclusion to the Naruto saga that evokes strong feelings.

Many players criticize the simplicity and repetitiveness of the mechanics, particularly in story mode, which some find tedious and lacking depth.
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, with reports of low frame rates, stuttering, and crashes, especially on PC.
The monetization strategy has been criticized as a cash grab, with additional content seen as primarily profit-driven rather than enhancing the gaming experience.

story
5,363 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
58%
4%
The story in "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4" is generally well-received, praised for its emotional depth and faithful adaptation of the anime's final arcs, particularly the Fourth Great Ninja War. However, many players note that the story mode is relatively short, often completed in around 5 to 10 hours, and features a significant amount of still images rather than fully animated cutscenes, which detracts from the overall experience. While the game offers a nostalgic journey for long-time fans, some express disappointment in the lack of depth and the absence of open-world exploration that characterized earlier titles in the series.
- “The story mode was okayish until the part in which Naruto and Sasuke get power from Hogoromo because everything is now animated after this scene; before this, the whole story mode was just a slideshow.”
- “The story mode is short and lacks replayability save the night guy fight.”
- “The story mode is garbage unfortunately.”
gameplay
1,846 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
46%
4%
The gameplay of "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4" is widely praised for its smooth mechanics, fast-paced combat, and the introduction of new features like character switching mid-battle, which enhances the overall experience. While many players appreciate the accessibility for newcomers and the depth for competitive play, some criticize the simplicity and repetitiveness of the mechanics, particularly in story mode. Overall, the game is considered a solid entry in the series, offering a satisfying blend of action and fan service for Naruto enthusiasts.
- “Overall, this game is a spectacular celebration of the Naruto universe, delivering thrilling gameplay and unforgettable experiences.”
- “The gameplay is excellent, offering smooth and responsive controls that make battles incredibly satisfying.”
- “The combat mechanics in Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 are accessible yet deep, allowing players to execute flashy combos, powerful special moves, and team-based attacks.”
- “The gameplay is absolute trash.”
- “The gameplay has no variation whatsoever, everything is way too easy to do and spammable, broken characters are the only ones that are worth picking up and it isn't a good pc port either.”
- “The free roam is worse than ever and just boring as hell instead of making it like ninja storm 2 and improve where you can jump and wall run or climb in the village and make it more of a vertical semi open world it's just lazy and boring gameplay and you can't jump or walk around with other characters.”
graphics
1,761 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
40%
3%
The graphics in "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4" have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals and fluid animations, effectively capturing the anime's art style. Many players highlight the game's ability to create an immersive experience with detailed character models and vibrant environments, making battles feel dynamic and engaging. However, some users have noted issues with optimization and limited graphical settings, which can affect performance on lower-end systems. Overall, the graphics are considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The visuals are stunning, perfectly capturing the anime’s art style, and the combat is fluid, fast-paced, and packed with spectacular jutsu.”
- “The graphics are impressive, perfectly capturing the anime's artistic style with detailed character models and fluid animations.”
- “The game dazzles with stunning visuals and fluid animations that make every battle feel like a high-energy anime showdown.”
- “1/10 graphics for babies, very childish character and story.”
- “The game however is meh... ok..still with the old revolution engine with only a few changes to the fight scenes and some graphic enhancement compared to the previous games.”
- “The graphics are also subpar compared to other hack and slash games.”
optimization
378 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
50%
29%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as low frame rates, stuttering, and crashes, particularly on PC. While some users have managed to achieve smooth gameplay with adjustments, others have found the game poorly optimized overall, especially for lower-end systems. Recent patches have improved performance for some, but many still recommend waiting for further updates to address ongoing optimization concerns.
- “The game is great, I love the graphics and it runs smoothly on a basic PC.”
- “Tbh, the game is very fun, it looks good and it's super well optimized; in my case, it runs better on my PC than on my PS4.”
- “After the patch, the game runs smoothly and everything seems okay.”
- “My computer configuration is much higher than required, the game is poorly optimized, the left side of my screen is not fully covered by the game, and pressing 'A' on the save creation screen does not respond.”
- “The game suffers from huge optimization issues.”
- “This is just another horribly optimized game that has numerous technical issues.”
music
239 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
60%
3%
The music in the game has received high praise for its quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many players noting that it complements the action and evokes nostalgia from the Naruto series. However, some critiques mention that the soundtrack can feel repetitive and lacks the brilliance of the anime's original music, leading to mixed feelings among fans. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally well-received, there are calls for more original compositions from the anime to elevate the experience further.
- “The soundtrack and sound effects complement the action, immersing players in the world of Naruto.”
- “The music is so perfect, whether it's hyping you up like crazy or preparing you for trauma.”
- “The beautiful soundtrack and animation hype the experience even more.”
- “Almost everyone who plays online seems to have a microphone connected, so you can hear people talking to their friends, the music they play, their vacuum cleaner, and everything else that is going on in the background.”
- “On the downside, music is a bit meh and repetitive, and the voice clips get a tiny bit annoying.”
- “Music is mostly garbage compared to the anime.”
stability
126 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
90%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs, glitches, and crashes that hinder gameplay, particularly in online modes. While some users have managed to enjoy the game without major issues, the overall consensus highlights a need for better optimization and fixes for the numerous technical problems. Despite its enjoyable mechanics and visuals, the game's stability issues have led to frustration among a substantial portion of the player base.
- “Really good quality, no glitches.”
- “Runs great, I've never had any FPS issues.”
- “Don't listen to these critics about optimization; I don't have a beefy computer and it runs great at 1080p 60fps - sweet deal for $7.”
- “The game is a buggy mess and you may even end up not being able to play it because of optimization and compatibility errors.”
- “I can't believe this game was released in such a buggy state and has never been fixed through one of the patches that were released later.”
- “Its a bad PC port, the lag and glitches literally make it unplayable.”
humor
98 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding joy in its funny character interactions, absurd moves, and hilarious glitches. Many reviews highlight the comedic value of multiplayer sessions with friends, where chaotic gameplay leads to memorable and laugh-out-loud moments. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with its fighting mechanics, making it a fun experience for fans of the genre.
- “Fighting randoms gets annoying but with friends is super funny. For example, I was playing a ranged character 'Art is an Explosion' and just the amount of rage pouring out of them is just golden.”
- “Now, in this game, not only can you choose three characters and play at the same time, but the whole team can use the awakening and create a great team ultimate jutsu. Some of them are awesome like Team 7, Naruto and Hinata, and some of them are hilarious like Iruka, Konohamaru, and Naruto with the reverse harem jutsu. It's just really funny!”
- “Recommended! Everything from the little details, to the funny interactions, to the great soundtrack.”
emotional
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highly praised, with many players expressing that the story mode evokes strong feelings, often leading to tears during key moments, such as character deaths and nostalgic flashbacks. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to capture the essence of the Naruto Shippuden anime, providing a heartfelt conclusion to the franchise that resonates deeply with long-time fans. Despite some technical issues, the emotional impact and engaging narrative make it a memorable experience for players.
- “Developed by CyberConnect2, this installment in the Naruto gaming franchise encapsulates the epic battles and emotional moments of the Naruto Shippuden anime, providing a fitting conclusion to the beloved ninja saga.”
- “The game gives a perfect playthrough of the story, and it gives so much of an emotional impact on its players.”
- “Made me cry a lot... remembering how good my first anime was... for the first time I could speak: the end of an era... my childhood came to an end.”
grinding
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
42%
54%
The grinding aspect of the game is frequently described as tedious and time-consuming, with many players feeling it detracts from the overall experience. While some enjoy the character interactions and story elements, the repetitive nature of quests and the need for extensive grinding to achieve 100% completion can be overwhelming. Overall, players suggest that a significant time investment is required, often likening it to needing "a second life" to fully engage with the game's content.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “A lot of grinding.”
- “A bit grindy sometimes.”
- “Overall my favorite game of the series, even though the grind was absolutely tedious and painful.”
- “It's fine, but a lot of it feels like busy work, and I was honestly just grinding through it for the unlocks.”
- “This is a filler story which is very grindy, and I would have traded it for a bigger campaign mode.”
replayability
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
48%
10%
The game's replayability is generally viewed as high, particularly due to its diverse character roster and engaging local multiplayer options. However, some players criticize the online experience for being lacking and plagued by latency issues, which diminishes its overall replay value. While the campaign and side stories offer replayable content, the short story mode may not entice all players to return frequently.
- “The inclusion of various characters from the Naruto universe, each with their own unique movesets and abilities, adds to the gameplay's diversity and replayability.”
- “This is an excellent game which is highly replayable and fun, with interesting characters, jutsus, and combinations.”
- “The game has lots of replay value and it's just a fun game to play with your friends.”
- “To those who are thinking of buying it for the nostalgia and want to know more about the Naruto series, I would highly recommend it, but sadly I would have to give this a no recommendation for its lack of replay value as well as its online.”
- “The story mode is short and lacks replayability, save the night guy fight.”
- “However, as for replay value and online experience, the game is incredibly lacking. The graphics, cinematics, and story mode are really well done, but the replay value is all in the online experience, which is very terrible and lazily made, making it very rare to actually have an enjoyable match with someone online.”
monetization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, with players feeling that the additional content, particularly DLC, is designed primarily for profit rather than enhancing the gaming experience. Many fans express disappointment over the necessity to purchase exclusive content, which detracts from the overall value of the game. Overall, the sentiment is that the monetization approach undermines the quality and integrity of the franchise.
- “Long time fan of Naruto games, way back when it was on the GameCube, this cash grab is sad.”
- “After finishing the DLC and earning every achievement for the game, it feels like the additional content was made for a quick cash grab, not to mention the fact that if you want to own the main bosses from the Boruto DLC, you have to buy that exclusively.”
- “Seriously, it feels more like a cash grab than anything else.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the character development in the game, particularly highlighting its positive impact on Tenten's growth. The character design and animations are also praised, contributing to an overall enjoyable gaming experience.
- “This game was essential, crucial, and greatly beneficial for Tenten's character development.”
- “Awesome gameplay, game modes, very on point character design and beautiful graphics.”
- “Fun game with good animations; I also like the character design.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere in the game is highly praised, with users noting its well-conveyed graphics and immersive music that enhance the overall experience. Many consider it a strong sequel that successfully maintains a captivating ambiance.
- “Well conveyed atmosphere and graphics.”
- “A very good sequel with a nice atmosphere and nice music.”