Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4

There’s something poetic about Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 being both a final chapter and a glorious mess. Like the anime it’s based on, it’s bursting with power poses, improbable hair physics, and just enough raw emotion to get you invested before a kunai slaps you across the face mid-combo. It’s absolutely the most refined Storm game, and still one that stumbles when it matters most.

The good news? Combat rips. Fights feel like a playable anime episode, with cinematic camera sweeps and chakra-blazing jutsu that would make Michael Bay weep. You can swap between teammates mid-fight with a flick of the stick, opening the door for chaotic, tag-team takedowns that feel as good as they look. One second I’m comboing with Hinata, the next Naruto flies in to deal backup damage, and then Hashirama drops in to charge chakra and deliver divine tree-based vengeance. It’s a symphony of shinobi nonsense, and I mean that as a compliment.

But the AI? It’s like fighting a panicked Roomba. Enemies dodge and spam from across the map like they’re trying to submit you to death by irritation. Pair that with sudden difficulty spikes where enemies become damage-dealing tanks, and the single-player experience swings wildly between thrilling and “throw your controller” frustrating.

The story mode starts strong, promising emotional gut-punches and legendary battles. Then it drops you into motion-comic cutscenes that look like a PowerPoint presentation hosted by Madara Uchiha. Later scenes use the in-game engine (and look fantastic), but even then, off-sync lip flaps kill the mood faster than Sakura’s screentime in early arcs.

And don’t get me started on Adventure Mode, an epilogue more interested in nostalgia than novelty. It’s there, it works, but it’s basically an excuse to say, “Hey, remember the Chunin Exams?”

Online? When it works, it’s a blast. When it doesn’t, and that’s often, it’s a laggy jutsu slideshow.

Storm 4 delivers the flashiest, most bombastic fights in the series, but it’s held back by inconsistent storytelling, brain-dead AI, and unreliable online play. Still, if you’ve ever screamed “Believe it!” unironically, there’s plenty here worth charging your chakra for.