Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections is chock-full of everything you’d want in a Naruto game. The story is a bit slapdash, but the enormous roster from all across the franchise and reliably exciting gameplay is a reminder of when 3D anime fighters were top-notch.
Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections
Developer: CyberConnect 2
Price: $60
Platform: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC
MonsterVine was supplied with a PS5 code for review.
I’ve played the Ultimate Ninja series since the PS2 and was blown away when it became the high-flying 3D fighter Ultimate Ninja Storm. Though 3D anime arena fighters have become very commonplace, those initial games were the perfect fit for all the craziness of the Naruto franchise. Now, 15 years after the first game in the series, Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections has arrived, proving that there’s life in this subgenre yet – even if it’s not too different from the rest of this series.
If you’ve never played a Ninja Storm game, battles consist of two opponents battling one another in a 3D space. You can jump, dash, and soar through the air as you perform all sorts of ninja attacks and super moves. It’s a very exciting and satisfying system that emulates the wild and explosive style of the anime. The extensive mobility options and enormous and flashy attacks make fighting a thrilling experience, akin to the highest form of smashing together action figures as a kid while making crazy sound effects.
There’s an enormous roster of characters that span every era of the show, from the original Naruto to Boruto. The game even features multiple variations of certain characters, like Naruto and Kakashi, to cover all of the different attacks and designs they have. Whether you prefer to use one of the four Kakashi variants or an almost forgotten character like the Sound Four’s Kidōmaru, the game has got you covered.
“The visual style of Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections really nails the iconic look of Masashi Kishimoto’s charming and accessible art style.“
The two primary single player modes in Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections are a story mode that follows the main beats of Naruto and Naruto Shippuden. It’s primarily told through surprisingly low-quality stills from the anime – sometimes with narration – with the occasional excellently animated cutscene inserted for some pivotal moments.
The original Boruto story sees Boruto and his friends navigate a mysterious online virtual video game. The main difference here is that for the battles in this mode, you get to choose any character to play as in each battle. There’s even a series of Mission battles you can do within this original story with increasing difficulty, providing you with plenty of pleasant battles and opportunities to try out all sorts of characters from across the huge roster. The setting of Boruto remains off-putting to me, but the story mode works as a neat experience regardless.
You can customize characters using accessories and different color schemes earned throughout the story and bought with in-game currency, adding extra incentive to completing bonus conditions in battles. It’s not a huge thing, but being able to dress your favorite characters up in goofy ways is at least a decent little bonus.
The visual style of Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections really nails the iconic look of Masashi Kishimoto’s charming and accessible art style. Memorable moments from the series are recreated beautifully, while the different stages and ninjutsu just ooze with life and color, making each battle a visual delight. My only real issue with the presentation is that the English dub has a lot of awkward lines that seem as though they were the result of odd voice direction, coming off as more stilted than expected.
The Final Word
Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections is more Ultimate Ninja Storm. That’s great for me, as I enjoy the game series and the source material, but if you’ve played every Ninja Storm game, this won’t provide you with too much new content. Still, it’s a ton of fun – especially for Naruto fans who want to partake in battles between any combination of characters one can imagine.
MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
