Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution closes out the PS3 and Xbox 360 era for the Naruto series, and it lands as a mixed bag rather than a clean victory lap. Developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Bandai Namco Games, the game packs in a huge roster, a revamped combat system, and a new exclusive character designed by Masashi Kishimoto himself. It is a game built to satisfy longtime fans of the anime and manga, but it stumbles in places where it should shine brightest.
Trailer, via IGN.
The New Fighting System
The core of the game is its fighting system, and here is where the game makes its boldest move. The revamped system introduces guard-breaks and counterattacks alongside a new support system that lets players form teams based on skill types. A guard-break allows a player to break through an opponent’s guard, leaving them open for a devastating follow-up attack. Counterattacks let players intercept incoming strikes, rendering opponents helpless and sealing their support.
These mechanics sound simple on paper, but timing becomes everything. A counterattack is a chakra-consuming action, and the game punishes careless attempts with failure. The guard-break has a limited number of uses, so players must manage their opportunities carefully. Both systems reward patience and punish recklessness, which gives the fighting a sense of weight that earlier games in the series lacked.
The support system is where things get interesting. Teams fall into three broad categories:
- Drive type, which locks battles behind a Sealed Barrier that always activates the Support Drive ability
- Ultimate Jutsu type, which delivers a heavy damage super attack depending on the team composition
- Awakening type, which allows players to trigger an awakening at the start of the battle using the right analog stick
Each team type changes how a fight plays out, and switching between them mid-battle alters the flow of a match dramatically. The game’s 118 playable characters mean there are countless combinations to try, though the sheer volume can feel overwhelming at times.
Mecha-Naruto and the Roster
The biggest headline draw is Mecha-Naruto, a robot version of Naruto Uzumaki designed by Kishimoto himself. The character has a two-stage awakening: a four-tails transformation followed by a Mecha-Kurama transformation. He plays a role in the newly introduced four-player Tournament Mode, where he faces off against three CPU fighters simultaneously in an all-out battle royale format.
Mecha-Naruto also appears in a two-part episode of the Naruto Shippuden anime series that aired on the day of the game’s release in Japan. That cross-media tie-in shows the ambition behind the project, even if the character’s actual impact on the game’s overall depth is modest.
The roster itself is staggering. Over 100 characters are available from the start, with 14 support characters joining them. Returning favorites sit alongside new additions, and the game adds new costumes for existing characters, including Sasori. The sheer number of options means players are unlikely to exhaust every possible combination anytime soon.
The Story Mode
The game includes three original animated stories that expand on the history of the Akatsuki organization. The first story, “Creation of the Akatsuki,” follows the group’s formation. After Yahiko’s death, Obito appears in his Tobi guise before Nagato and Konan, having killed Hanzo of the Salamander and gained control of the Hidden Rain Village. Obito instructs Nagato and Zetsu to recruit Kakuzu while Konan drafts Sasori. Obito personally recruits Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigake, and later Orochimaru attracts the Akatsuki’s attention for his own purposes.
The story continues with the recruitment of Deidara by Itachi and Hidan by Kakuzu and Orochimaru. With the ranks complete, the Akatsuki begin their mission to find and capture the tailed beasts. The second story focuses on Shisui Uchiha at the time of his death, showing him fighting Itachi and later discussing the Uchiha coup. The third story, “The Far Reaches of Hope,” depicts Kushina Uzumaki interacting with a young Obito and the rest of Team Minato.
These stories are presented as animated sequences within the game, and they add context to characters players might otherwise only know through brief missions. They are not deep, but they flesh out the world in a way that feels natural to the series.
The Tournament Mode
The Tournament Mode is a bold experiment. Players face three CPU fighters at once in an all-out battle royale format, which tests coordination and quick decision-making. It is a mode that rewards teamwork and punishes hesitation, and it stands apart from the standard one-on-one fare.
Customization options let players tweak characters to their liking, though the scope of those changes is limited compared to some other fighting games in the genre. The mode is a novelty, and it works best as a change of pace rather than a replacement for the main fighting.
Where It Falls Short
The sheer size of the roster can be overwhelming. With 118 playable characters, the game asks players to sift through a lot of names just to find their favorites. The support system, while innovative, can also feel complex to master, especially for newcomers to the series. The guard-break and counterattack systems require precise timing, and the learning curve is steep.
The game is also a farewell to older hardware. As the last Naruto game released for PS3 and Xbox 360, it represents the end of an era for those platforms. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean the game is playing catch-up to newer systems that have moved past these consoles.
Final Word
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution is a solid entry in a long-running series, but it is not the definitive one. The new combat systems are ambitious, the roster is enormous, and the story mode adds meaningful context to familiar characters. However, the complexity of the support system and the sheer volume of content can feel daunting, and the game struggles to fully justify its ambitions.
It is a game that rewards dedication, but it demands a significant investment of time and patience. For longtime fans, the payoff is there. For newcomers, the learning curve is steep.
Score: 6.6 out of 10.
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