Summary
TheNaruto: Ultimate Ninja Stormseries has been a classic inNarutogames for the better part of the past 15 years. With five games in the franchise, the series saw a high with the hitNaruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, which was released in 2016. CyberConnect2’s CEO, Hiroshi Matsuyama, recently indicated that the latest game in the series,Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, will likely be the last for the franchise, with the studio moving on to other projects that could beunrelated toNarutoor theUltimate Ninja Stormseriesin general.
WhileNaruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connectionsreceived a mixed reception upon release, seeing the end of the beloved series is sad for many fans, especially considering the potential of the franchise. With five installments to its name,Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Stormhas covered the entirety of theNaruto Shippudenstoryline, along with a large amount ofBoruto’s story.Connectionscould continue and fill in the gaps with patch updates and DLC. However, there were concerns thatConnectionsdidn’t live up to its potential, and a final installment that surpassesUltimate Ninja Storm 4could end the series on a high.
The Cons of Another Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Game
The gameplay features and ultimate storyline remain largely unchanged acrossUltimate Ninja Stormand creating yet another game with the same characters, maneuvers, and gameplay could cause fatigue and make little sense. To create anUltimate Ninja Stormgame that feels revitalized after five entriesmay require an overhaul, but then that would risk losing the identity of theUltimate Ninja Stormseries.
Despite the venture intoBoruto’s storyline, the sequel series isn’t as popular asNaruto, and thepower levels of the characters fromBorutoare incomparable to the characters that appear inNaruto Shippuden.This makes balancing a game with characters from both series difficult.
Why Ultimate Ninja Storm Should Have One Last Game
TheUltimate Ninja Stormseries has largely followed the same formula, adapting thestory ofNaruto Shippudento video gameswith a massive roster of characters and the different abilities they display throughout the series. TheUltimate Ninja Stormseries also includes exclusive anime scenes that expand on storylines, particularly about fan-favorite characters like Shisui and Itachi. Other parts of the story that were adapted in the anime also appear inUltimate Ninja Storm, but some are altered to more accurately reflect the manga than the anime’s adaptation. These additions have largely been positively received, and for the most part, offer more depth to characters that didn’t receive it in the original story.
Another issue that aConnectionssequel could address is the repeat of certain characters while not tapping into their potential, particularly characters like Sakura and Tsunade who have very few versions despite being two of the most prominent characters in the series. Sakura only has a couple of versions, while Naruto and Sasuke, her Team 7 counterparts, have many different versions for each character. WhileSakura’s roster of abilities isn’t as impressive as either Sasuke or Naruto’s, the abilities she does possess aren’t used either, and her animations, Ultimate Jutsus, and Team Jutsus are very boring when considering they don’t use her Byakugo.
This is a problem with several characters on the roster, who have all remained unchanged over at least threeUltimate Ninja Stormgames. Ending the series withConnectionsmeans that the only hope these characters have of ever getting an update is through a patch.
