Summary
TheNaruto Ultimate Ninja Stormfranchise has had a good run overall, providing fans with some of the most thorough fan service in all licensed Shonen Jump games. EvenNaruto’s author Masashi Kishimoto has acknowledged CyberConnect2’s arena fighters as being one of the best ways to consumeNaruto’s story, thanks to their dense story modes and gorgeous cinematics.Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connectionsis the latest of these, and is arguably a celebration of theUNSseries itself rather than Naruto. If any licensed game series deserves that, it’s this one, andNaruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connectionsdemonstrates why that is.
Every playable character from across theUltimate Ninja Stormseries, except for certain special cases like theTekkenguest character Lars Alexandersson, is playable inNaruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections. Highlight fights featuring them can be replayed in its condensed campaign, and there’s even a new story mode featuringBoruto’s cast and some original characters. Throw in custom costumes and another pass on the battle mechanics, and it’s plain to see whyUltimate Ninja Storm Connectionscould beconsidered the ultimateNarutogame. It’s also whyNarutogames may want to quit while they’re ahead and scale back their next title’s roster.
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Can’t Keep Its Roster Stable For Much Longer
Over 130 characters, with more coming as DLC, is an impressive achievement, and represents thehighest roster count inNarutogamesso far. Fans can craft almost any battle scenario inNarutothat they can imagine, throwing out the signature Jutsu’s in their best animated forms yet. However, all of those characters come at a price, and it’s been showing through in the gameplay since the beginning.Ultimate Ninja Stormalready started with simpler basic controls than theNarutogames before it, and it lost more mechanics and attacks over time, even as others rose to take their place.
The Next Naruto Game Can’t Be Another Ninja Storm
WithNaruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connectionsbeing the grand celebration it is, it’s the ideal time to start over. Fans havewanted something new out ofNarutogamesfor a while now, and even the long-runningNaruto to Boruto: Shinobi Strikeris getting too long in the tooth. Whether that means it’s time to finally pivot back to a traditional fighting game, try a different arena fighter approach, or do something completely different,Ultimate Ninja Storm’s roster will need to be pared down.
Future Naruto Games Have Plenty Of Reasons To Shrink Their Rosters
Pivoting to a focus on quality character design over quantity may be risky, but it could be better received than the past decade ofNarutogames, and that’s not all. A smaller roster wouldn’t just stand out from priorNarutogames, but from other major players in the anime game space as well. In particular, the upcomingDragon Ball: Sparking Zeroand its 164-character launch roster should be more than enough to satiate any shonen game fans who want that.Sparking Zeromight push back otherDragon Ballgameswith its sheer scope, so having another licensed giant to contrast it could be good for both.
Fewer Characters Would Put Less Pressure On A Boruto Game
Then there’s the matter of justifying this smaller roster. Despite having taken over theNarutofranchise for several years running,Borutodoesn’t have a big-budget game adaptation. Even if the resulting title is focused purely on adapting material from beforeBoruto’s timeskip, there should be more than enough to match the campaign of the firstUltimate Ninja Storm, while also keeping the roster humble compared to the lastUNS. Whatever the case may be,Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connectionshas pushedNaruto’s roster far enough, and the nextNarutogame has everything to gain from changing directions.
