Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm

CyberConnect2 has done a terrific job with the Naruto franchise. With Ultimate Ninja Storm being a PlayStation 3 exclusive, it’s evident that the developers took advantage of the hardware they were given. Fans of the series should be ecstatic, while newcomers may be surprised with how much they enjoy the game.

77%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, optimization

77% User Score Based on 2,216 reviews

Critic Score 75%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

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Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm is a single player and multiplayer open world action adventure game with a anime theme. It was developed by CyberConnect2 Co. Ltd. and was released on August 25, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

NARUTO Ultimate Ninja STORM allows players to battle in full 3D across massive environments. Players will unleash powerful jutsu attacks, perform acrobatic evasive maneuvers and even run up walls and over water as they pursue their opponent for ninja supremacy. Players will be able to customize their characters fighting style and recruit up to two support characters to put their own stamp on the a…

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77%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,216 reviews

story169 positive mentions

grinding68 negative mentions

Faithful adaptation of the original Naruto story arcs with iconic battles and cinematic ultimate jutsu animations.
Engaging combat system that balances accessibility with depth, including unique character moves and support mechanics.
Unique open world exploration of the Hidden Leaf Village allowing players to run, jump, and interact with NPCs, adding immersion and nostalgia.

Story mode is sparse on cutscenes and relies heavily on text, making the narrative feel disjointed and confusing, especially for newcomers.
Gameplay is repetitive with frequent grindy side missions and mandatory mini-games like tree climbing and hide-and-seek that can become tedious.
Technical issues with the PC port including slow-motion bugs, saving glitches, poor controller and keyboard support, and frustrating camera controls.

story
1,526 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
78%
11%
The story mode loosely follows the original Naruto series' key arcs but is presented mainly through brief text summaries with minimal cutscenes, resulting in a fragmented and often confusing narrative, especially for newcomers. Progression is frustratingly gated behind repetitive and tedious side missions and mini-games required to unlock main story battles, which diminishes pacing and immersion. While combat and major fight recreations are generally praised, the overall storytelling and mission design are considered lackluster and grind-heavy, appealing mostly to existing fans rather than new players.
- “The story mode covers key events from the original Naruto series, recreating iconic battles and memorable moments from the anime.”
- “Cinematic cutscenes, voice acting, and interactive sequences make players feel fully immersed in the story.”
- “The game captures the essence of the beloved anime and manga series by faithfully adapting key story arcs and memorable battles, immersing fans in the rich narrative and character development that define Naruto’s journey from an underestimated outcast to a powerful shinobi.”
- “The story mode is really bad, padded out with required side missions just to be able to progress in the main story.”
- “You have to grind for mission points to keep on with the story - with some absolutely stupid filler missions like the hide n seek and searching akamaru or pakkun.”
- “The story mode is a barely there collection of missions without more than a paragraph of explanation as to what's going on in the story.”
gameplay
289 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
57%
14%
The gameplay offers a solid foundation with accessible yet strategic fighting mechanics, diverse character movesets, and some unique features like jutsu clashes and item use, making it enjoyable especially for fans. However, it suffers from clunky controls, poorly explained and sometimes frustrating mechanics—particularly the substitution jutsu—along with repetitive mission design and slow pacing that can make progress tedious. Overall, while its combat retains nostalgic charm and depth, the game’s dated systems and grind-heavy structure limit its appeal compared to later, more polished series entries.
- “The combos actually have meaning and aren't just another way of dealing damage like Storm 2 and 3; normal combos recharge your chakra by pushing the enemy away, left combos send them flying against a wall or into a support attack, down combos steal their chakra, and up combos send the enemy flying for aerial attacks—creating simple yet deep gameplay. You can also customize ninjutsu allowing characters to have multiple attacks, and there are ninjutsu clashes that add to the fun factor.”
- “The fighting mechanics are like second nature, so even if you're a total noob, you'll be dishing out sick combos in no time.”
- “Originally released on the PlayStation 3 and later remastered for modern platforms, this title offers players the chance to relive the early chapters of Naruto’s story with updated graphics and smoother gameplay.”
- “I have never played the storm series and I’m going through them; the gameplay feels clunky and the mission design has you catching frogs more than following the main story.”
- “The substitution mechanic is... weird, the open hub area is pretty pointless, and all in all it would've benefitted from being more streamlined like later games.”
- “The combat mechanics are shallow and unresponsive, with sluggish controls that make executing combos and special moves a frustrating experience.”
graphics
144 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
60%
3%
The graphics of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm are generally praised for faithfully capturing the anime's vibrant cel-shaded art style, offering a visually engaging and colorful experience that has aged well since its original release. While some users note outdated character models and occasional optimization issues, especially on lower-end PCs or problematic ports, many appreciate the game's animation quality and overall presentation as still impressive and true to the source material. Overall, the visuals remain a strong point that immerses fans in the Naruto universe despite some technical hiccups.
- “The remastered version benefits from enhanced high-definition graphics, providing a polished and vibrant presentation that makes battles feel alive and engaging.”
- “The cel-shaded graphics beautifully recreate the vibrant and dynamic world of Naruto, bringing the characters and environments to life in stunning detail.”
- “The best part about Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm is that with its bright, candy-colored graphics, playing it really does make you feel as if you're romping around in an episode of the popular anime.”
- “Trash graphic optimization; graphics run laggier than Crysis.”
- “The graphics of this game are something I would like to compare to a badly developed Roblox game with a semi-rushed clicking simulator game art.”
- “Environment graphics are fine, but character models look very outdated, like from an old PSP game.”
grinding
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
5%
91%
Grinding in the game is widely regarded as tedious and repetitive, often requiring players to complete numerous side missions and mini-games to progress the story or unlock content. While some fans of the Naruto series find the grind somewhat enjoyable for its clear goals, many criticize the excessive and monotonous resource collection, mission repetition, and forced busywork that detracts from the core fighting experience. Overall, grinding is a significant drawback that can make the gameplay feel slow and tiresome, especially for newcomers or those less inclined toward repetitive tasks.
- “If you're new to 3D fighters, this may not be the game for you. It's pretty hard, but it's the easiest, and if you really want to get into it, this is probably the highest window game I could recommend to a person that hates 3D fighting games. It adds a high competitive level and is probably one of the earliest and easiest to understand out of the four games on Steam. It has the best open-world that's a little grindy but not too grindy. There is some cheesy, kind of annoying AI in the game, but all of the Storm games have had that unfortunately.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Progression is boring, forced to do tedious objectives that should've been side quests or bonus mini games, not something required to see the next story beat that gets a half-assed summary textbox.”
- “Suddenly, you’re not a ninja, you’re Konoha’s little errand boy, searching for fried chicken to give to the ramen chef, grinding ingredients to increase your chakra, so you can finally do the Jiraiya mission that requires so much chakra and precision I was about to give up on the game.”
- “Most of your time will be spent wandering around an empty hub map or grinding out the same dozen recycled side missions to unlock the ability to progress the story.”
optimization
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
61%
20%
Optimization for this game is widely criticized, with many users reporting poor performance, frequent frame rate drops, stuttering, and issues even on high-end PCs. The port is considered badly optimized for modern machines, affecting gameplay fluidity and overall experience. While some manage to improve performance through settings tweaks, the optimization remains a significant drawback that may hinder enjoyment, especially compared to other games in the series.
- “The fighting is really well done and everything flows great when it's optimized.”
- “Performance: I was pleasantly surprised when I started it because it runs solid 60 FPS, with no lag or anything. I didn't experience any input lags on the quick time events and/or in-game. The cutscenes and the gameplay have been remastered perfectly into 1080p, this category is a solid 10/10.”
- “Graphically, the game is decent for the time it came out and offers a good bit of graphical options/optimization in case of low-end PCs.”
- “This is one of the worst optimized games I've ever played.”
- “The game is a terribly optimized port for PC.”
- “Game has serious optimization issues and save files are deleted by the game itself.”
music
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
69%
8%
The music in the game is generally praised for its energetic and fitting soundtrack that enhances combat and story moments, drawing players into the Naruto universe. While some find the compositions engaging and reminiscent of the anime’s style, others note repetitive or less memorable tracks and occasional sound bugs. Overall, the soundtrack is viewed positively, though not without minor flaws and mixed opinions on variety and volume control.
- “Complementing the visuals is an energetic soundtrack composed by Chikayo Fukuda, which effectively heightens the tension and emotion of both combat sequences and story moments, drawing players deeper into the Naruto universe.”
- “The soundtrack fits really well both in menus and missions.”
- “The music is awesome, especially the transition of music when you do ultimate jutsu, very godly.”
- “- The over-world music is loud and repetitive with no option to adjust it.”
- “But the music itself was not memorable for me.”
- “Silent voices, loud music, suddenly changing volume and even once I had a sound bug where a sound effect got stuck in the background and I had to restart the game.”
stability
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
88%
The game's stability is generally problematic, with frequent bugs, glitches, crashes, and performance issues reported across platforms, particularly on PC. While some players find it playable despite these flaws and appreciate its design and features, others experience game-breaking issues and frustrating save corruption. Overall, stability detracts from the experience, making the game more suitable for those willing to tolerate technical problems or to acquire it at a low price.
- “No glitches, no bugs, and no crashes; this game feels more polished compared to other Storm titles.”
- “The PS4 version runs great, providing a stable gameplay experience.”
- “The game runs great on the Steam Deck except for the Chunin Exam arena.”
- “Only play this game if you got it in the legacy bundle at a low price. This game is not worth more than $5.00. It lags and the performance on PC is sad for a Storm game. The glitches are a game-breaking issue that I wish they would fix; some have been known to make you wipe your game and start from scratch.”
- “I've given up playing it after putting more time into troubleshooting problem after problem than actually playing the game.”
- “Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm is probably a fun game but with the time I played, it is just too buggy to play. I can barely walk, let alone fight, and I can't fix it. So it sucks I bought it but there's nothing I can do now.”
replayability
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
63%
16%
The game's replayability is limited, largely relying on replaying the story mode and minor objectives like improving mission ratings, with no online multiplayer to extend longevity. Many reviewers suggest the later, more polished Storm 4 offers better replay value with more characters and content. Overall, while some see moderate replay potential, the game may feel short and repetitive without significant additional features or a remake.
- “Infinitely replayable (or almost).”
- “Overall this game is worth the money, and it has lots of replay value.”
- “There is some slight replay value if you want to retry previous missions with the goal of getting a higher rating.”
- “And of course, no online multiplayer, so the game's replayability ends with how much desire you have to play the soulless story mode.”
- “Pick up Storm 4 instead; it's arguably better, more polished, and has more playable characters than the first Storm at full price. Unless you're looking forward to doing the same tree race minigame within the story missions for the 100th time, it's better to wait for this one to go on sale again.”
- “A pretty short game in general; there is some slight replay value if you want to retry previous missions to get a higher rating, but in only 26 hours I managed to get all of the achievements and walk away with what I wanted out of this game.”
humor
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is appreciated for its funny moments and quirky character interactions, especially in couch duels, though it can feel unpolished and sometimes overshadowed by repetitive gameplay and difficulty. While some players found certain scenes genuinely hilarious, others felt the humor was limited and underutilized in favor of simpler gameplay.
- “Naruto cannon into a wall is genuinely the most hilarious thing I've ever experienced in a fighting game.”
- “Game is repetitive on some points and there are a couple of hard missions, but for me the game is funny and that is most important.”
- “Also, you can literally attack an opponent that got knocked flat on the ground, how funny is that?”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game effectively captures the emotional core and excitement of the anime, evoking nostalgia and strong feelings through its cinematic storytelling. While many praised its emotional impact, some were disappointed by the omission of key heartfelt scenes from the original story, which lessened the overall emotional experience for them.
- “It manages to capture the excitement and emotional beats of the anime while providing a gameplay experience that appeals to a wide audience.”
- “The game does a good job of touching on the nostalgia I once had for the show.”
- “I was very disappointed though in the opening of the story mode because they skipped episode 1, especially the fight between Naruto and Mizuki and the big emotional moment where Naruto pulls off Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu and the crying scene with Naruto and Iruka Sensei.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The game offers a faithful adaptation of key story arcs and battles, capturing Naruto's journey, but many important plot points and character development are glossed over or missing. While the main narrative lacks depth, some side missions provide original content with limited character development. Overall, character growth is notably reduced compared to the source material.
- “The game captures the essence of the beloved anime and manga series by faithfully adapting key story arcs and memorable battles, immersing fans in the rich narrative and character development that define Naruto’s journey from an underestimated outcast to a powerful shinobi.”
- “The game clearly shows inclinations towards making original content in the form of side missions with their own snippets of story and character development.”
- “Important plot points are glossed over or omitted entirely, and character development is virtually nonexistent.”
- “Not this one though, they barely show any character development (very different from the show).”
- “Which is weird because the game also clearly shows inclinations towards making original content in the form of side missions with their own snippets of story and character development.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization is widely seen as exploitative, prioritizing profit over player experience and relying heavily on Naruto fans.

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75%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews

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15h Median play time

24h Average play time

12h Main story

27h Completionist

5-42h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 20 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm is a open world action adventure game with anime theme.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Steam Deck, iPhone and others.

The main story can be completed in around 12 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 27 hours to finish. On average players spend around 24 hours playing Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm was released on August 25, 2017.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm was developed by CyberConnect2 Co. Ltd..

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM 2, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM 3 Full Burst HD, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM 3 Full Burst, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM 4, One Piece Burning Blood and others.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm

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