[Análisis] Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 Road to Boruto for Nintendo Switch – iGamesNews

Naruto it is without a doubt one of the most popular manganime series in recent years. The work of Masashi Kishimoto tells the story of a hyperactive teenage ninja named Naruto Uzumaki, who aspires to become Hokage, the leader of his village (the hidden Villa of the Leaf) and gain recognition among his friends. After its success around the world, the saga made the leap to electronic entertainment; and in fact, today some of its titles, despite the years that have passed, are still considered one of the best adaptations of a manganime work to the world of video games.

A clear example of this is Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy, a compilation that includes the remastered HD editions of the first three episodes of the Ultimate Ninja Storm: Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst fighting saga. This compilation is developed by CyberConnect2 and distributed by Bandai Namco Entertainment and it came to the hybrid console on April 26, 2018.

Well, this time the latest game in the Ultimate Ninja Storm series has finally arrived on Nintendo Switch. Is about Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 Road to Boruto. The fourth installment was originally released on February 5, 2016. and the Boruto expansion on February 3, 2017 (in both cases for PC, Ps4 and Xbox One). Despite the years that have passed, the good news is that the Switch version comes with all downloadable content, including the latest "Next Generations" update package.

In this title we will relive the Fourth Ninja War that took place in Naruto Shippuden and discover the story of Boruto: Naruto, the Movie with his son, Boruto Uzumaki.

Are you ready to join action-packed battles when and where you want?

Gameplay

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 Road to Boruto is a game about fight in 3d which has various game modes and are next:

• History: In this mode we can relive the events of Naruto Shippuden through static video sequences. Each part of the story mode is divided into episodes, and some parts have two routes that we must travel to complete them. We can select the episode and the chapter that we want to play from the script. There are chapters that start with a scene and chapters that start with a combat. We can replay the chapters and fights that we have already completed. The combats can be one against one, against several opponents at the same time or against final enemies. In addition, the spectacular QTE will not be missing either.
• Adventure: In this mode we can go on an adventure in the world of Naruto Shippuden after the events of the Story mode. Although it is possible to play it at any time, it is recommended to do it after completing the previous mode, since it elapses right after. In this mode, in true RPG style, we can control a group of characters to carry out different missions (main, secondary and even small additional commissions) and explore the game world.
• Boruto history: In this mode we can relive the events of Boruto: Naruto, the Movie.
• Collection: In this mode we can check the objects that we have obtained.
• Online combat: In this mode we can connect to Nintendo Switch Online to fight against opponents from all over the world.
• Free combat: where we can enjoy playing combat in our own way. Within this mode we find the sections Survival (to test how far we can go with a health bar), Tournament (we can play bouts in a tournament of 4 to 8 players), Duel (we will enjoy the most basic combat), League (we can participate in league games), Training (we can practice the fights by testing different settings), Customize character (we can equip replacement items and edit secret technique auction images) and Template (we can register in advance the character that we will use in battle).
  

One of the most characteristic elements of the game are the QTEcalled here interactive actions (AI). These are phases of the cinematics during which we press buttons according to what happens on the screen. We will be asked to press many different buttons so we must be careful not to get confused. Whenever we perform an AI correctly we will get stars. The stars we get will be filled at the top of the screen, and when the star bar is full, we will be able to see special scenes through the secret factors. Large stars equal 10 normal stars. It is not possible to save the stars we have earned for other chapters, so we must be careful. There are some special bouts called dramatic combat in which are combined free combat and AI.

Story mode is the main mode and there are missions that we must complete in combat to obtain ninja treasures. Furthermore, our objective will be to obtain the best punctuation general, which is calculated from the results the Story mode and the total score. In Story mode we can also enjoy side story episodes. These stories have no effect when completing the current chapter, so we can access them whenever we want to enjoy it even more.

Fighting will be a fundamental aspect of the game and type of combat it can be changed from the combat selection screen. The team fighting allow two or three players to be used (team skills will vary depending on combination), while individual battles they are one on one. We will also have gang fighting, a combat mode in which we fight against a large number of enemies. The basic controls (movements, attacks and ninja techniques) are the same as in free combat mode. However, we will not be able to use certain commands, such as secret techniques and awakenings, so be careful.

One of the most notable innovations in team fighting is that we can no longer only ask for help in the middle of battles, but we can change characters at any time, which adds some depth and strategy to the contests. What hasn't changed is that the fighting remains just as dynamic, frantic and above all spectacular. In addition, the possibility of run down the walls and being able to throw objects like kunais and shuikens.

But as they say, uncontrolled power is useless and luckily the control system is great and despite appearing very simple a priori, as you play you can see how it is deeper than it seems, being able to make use of objects, special techniques and even enter the Awakening mode. Each character is associated with a type of action. When our Storm bar is above 50% during a team match, we can activate a support action and execute the action of the character we choose. We can also choose between 124 ninjas (the largest variety in the series) and a wide range of settings recognizable by any self-respecting fan.

Finally it should be noted that this title, like most Switch games, can be played in portable mode, desktop mode and TV mode. In addition also It is compatible with the Nintendo Switch Pro controller and the paid online and cloud data storage service.

Graphics and sound

At a graphic level, the game, like the previous trilogy, stands out again for presenting some very well modeled characters with an aesthetic cel shading, how well does it feel to games based on manganime series.

Both the animations and the video sequences are very careful and the scenes are also very well recreated. Separate mention deserve the special techniques

Various innovations have been included in this fourth installment, such as new animations and facial expressions. It is also very fluent to 30 fps. In general we are facing a good port, although on Switch it presents point framerate drops especially in Adventure mode and in portable mode they are appreciated more saw teeth, although it looks quite good despite lowering the resolution, so it can be played perfectly in this mode.

As for the sound section, the three installments have a good soundtrack, although unfortunately, as usual, it is not the same as the anime, but it is inspired by it. The effects are also very careful and will be very recognizable to any fan. Finally it should be noted that the game has voices in english and Japanese (I personally recommend the latter, since they also have the original voices of the anime) and texts in spanish, which is always appreciated.

Duration

The duration of this fourth installment as always depends on various factors, but in general completing the story and adventure mode will take us between 8 and 9 hours. But this is not all, since completing Boruto's History can keep us busy for about 3 more hours.

Obviously it also has, as I have previously mentioned, other game modes and if we intend to complete everything it offers us and unlock all its content: objects, music, characters, techniques, titles, etc., its duration can be shot up to 35 hours or more. On the other hand, its online mode can lengthen its useful life incalculable, so we have many hours of entertainment ahead.

Curiosities

• Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 Road to Boruto features a Early Unlock Pack in the Switch eShop at a price of € 2.99.
• The game features dubbing to Latin Spanish in America.
• Last October the CyberConnect2 CEO and President Hiroshi Matsuyama, shared that it could be possible that Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 coming to Switch, although this decision was not in his hands, since in order for the game to reach the hybrid platform, it must first receive the approval of Bandai Namco, her distributor, so she appealed to fans to ask her if they wanted this fourth installment to arrive. Be that as it may, finally here we have it.

conclusion

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 Road to Boruto is without a doubt a good port that will delight any fan of the manganime series. At the audiovisual level it is a true wonder and the fact of including all the content previously released makes this installment the best version, giving us a lot of hours of fun and being able to play anywhere.

Unfortunately its main drawback is that it is late compared to other platforms (so many users may have bought it previously and not be interested in it anymore). But if you couldn't play it at the time, this is certainly a good opportunity to do so. As always you will be the ones who have the last word and you will have to decide whether or not to give it a chance.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 Road to Boruto is available in physical and digital format, through the Switch eShop, from April 24 at a price of € 49.99. You must have a free space on your console or 12.2 GB microSD card to download it.