Naruto revolution: Ultimate Ninja STORM Revolution on Steam

CyberConnect2 has the talent to create Japanese-influenced games for the Western user. This applies to both original titles like Asura’s Wrath and the Naruto Shippuuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm series based on the popular manga. The secret of success is simple: an oriental pathos plot is complemented by an anime-style production and heroes typical of the genre, and all this is diluted with an exciting gameplay and sense of style. The main thing is to observe the necessary proportions and dosage.

⇡#Everyone can become the best

For those who have little or no familiarity with the series or the original source, Revolution will be a good entry point. There is no global plot as such in this part. On a distant island, all the Ninja Villages decided to hold a world tournament to finally find out who is the most powerful shinobi in the world. This event brought together warriors from all over the world and time periods, and even different versions of the same characters. In total — more than a hundred heroes, and the skin of most of them is allowed to try on. Another thing is that first they all need to be opened.

If you assemble a «canonical» team, you can get a special bonus

The tournament takes place in several stages: from a qualifying battle and rank D, where it is simply embarrassing to lose, to level S, where you will be met by the most powerful fighters in the Naruto world. The plot of what is happening is arranged rather sparingly. Having chosen your favorite, you go to the island where all the fun takes place. The land is divided into several zones, but initially they are all closed. The only thing that can be done is to go to «qualify». Here we are waiting for one of the main innovations in the series — battles for four. The battle takes place in the style of «every man for himself», and to win you need to collect as many battle spheres as possible. At the beginning of the round, each participant has exactly 1000 of them. As you probably guessed, the hero loses some of them by missing blows, and any opponent who is nearby can pick up the spilled spheres.

As you progress through Ranked Battles, these rules do not change, but are supplemented with several important nuances. For example, the arenas themselves turn into weapons: traps appear on them, where it is useful to lure enemies, as well as several types of rails. On horizontal paths, the hero can quickly slide and shoot opponents with a unique technique, and on vertical paths, your ward takes off into the sky and, upon landing, performs a powerful blow to the area. Do not neglect this opportunity, otherwise the enemy will take advantage of it.

The developers literally in a few words talk about the basic rules, and then, if you forgot the previous parts or missed them altogether, you will have to comprehend the combat system on your own. When it comes to skirmishes, whether it’s classic duels or the new orb battle mode, Revolution is a mixture of action and fighting. Battles take place in small arenas, but in a three-dimensional plane and with an obedient camera. At first glance, the mechanics seem simple: a single button is responsible for the blows, which must be pressed again and again. To carry out various combos, you only need to set the direction of movement. But there are many little things that make the fights deep. Firstly, you can not only jump back from an enemy strike, but also dodge it, instantly being behind the opponent’s back and having the opportunity to counterattack. This costs a separate strip of energy, so it’s worth resorting to teleportation wisely. Secondly, using chakra (if more familiar — mana), the hero can enhance the techniques carried out. This energy, of course, is also not eternal. Any self-respecting ninja also knows how to throw daggers and carries with him a whole arsenal of aids: from banal first-aid kits to exploding seals. Finally, often you will have a «support group»: by pressing a special button, a comrade will appear out of nowhere, able to cover you with his chest or surprise attack an opponent.

Battles involving four fighters often look like a lot

Of course, this is not all that powerful heroes are capable of — each character is also trained in especially strong moves. And here lies the second, in addition to the new battle mode, an important innovation of UNS Revolution — types of teams. There are only three of them: strength type, awakening and absolute jutsu. In the first one, you can exploit your comrades-in-arms more effectively: they are almost constantly present on the battlefield and actively help. In the second case, the hero can enter a state of «awakening»: he becomes an order of magnitude faster, stronger and literally radiates an aura of power. Well, the last type will allow you to perform a particularly destructive technique, «removing» a good third of lives. The point is small — to hit the target. This division is provided only in classical duels.

In battles with artificial intelligence, you can freely experiment, but in battles with a live player, you will not understand until the very end who you have contacted. Here the command system introduces variety and an element of surprise. Unfortunately, a hundred available characters, multiplied by three types, turns into a total imbalance: there are obvious leaders and obvious outsiders. Again, this does not interfere with the single player game.

⇡#Storybook

As you advance through the standings, you will be able to explore new parts of the island. There is something to do on it: numerous characters ask for help (and later join you or open up the opportunity to start the tournament for them), and the nooks and crannies of locations are full of bonuses and money. Unfortunately, the quests do not differ in variety, and after a few ranks, cutting circles along the banks and rocks, performing the next “go, find, fetch,” will get boring. As a result, you run not for the sake of the process itself, but only in order to replenish the team and collect all kinds of accessories and outfits.

Even in Revolution, a social component appeared — on the island you can meet «shadow clones» and fight with them. This is the alter ego of other living players, controlled by AI. Of course, you can also send your “clone” to other worlds. If he wins, he will return with rewards. There are many opportunities for personalizing the «shadow»: from the appearance to the techniques used.

And that’s not the most powerful trick yet…

The developers have a surprise in store for fans and fans of the series: a few plot episodes presented as anime inserts mixed with battles. They come in a separate mode, which is in no way connected with the tournament, and talk about the moments important for the general outline, which were previously omitted in the manga. In particular, we will learn how the Akatsuki (a kind of supervillain team) was formed, and also hear the details of the life of Naruto’s mother. Plus, the author of the original manga himself delighted fans with a new, rather cute and funny story about Mecha Naruto.

* * *

Naruto Shippuuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution is an enjoyable action-adventure fighting game for anime fans in every way. The combat system professes the principle of «easy to learn, hard to master», which will allow both beginners and veterans to play with equal pleasure. The project has problems, and the main one is that the annual releases of Ultimate Ninja Storm have already become boring. Revolution refreshed the series to some extent, but I want more than a hundred characters and the division of super attacks into types. I want a crazy production and excessive pathos in the spirit of the best works of CyberConnect2. We hope that the studio still has in store for the grand finale of Naruto’s adventures for the new generation of consoles.

Advantages:

• a huge number of heroes for every taste;
• colorful anime styling;
• exciting fights;
• story episodes from the author of the original manga.

Drawbacks:

• no clear history;
• to open all the characters, you have to spend a lot of time on the routine;
• has over a hundred heroes, so don’t worry about balance.

Graphics	The visuals of the games in the series have not changed since the release of Ultimate Ninja Storm 2. Revolution looks as close to an interactive anime as technology allows.	8
Sound	Powerful, energizing motifs of the previous parts have disappeared somewhere. This time the soundtrack came out faded and unmemorable.	6
Single game	The game lacks the crazy and beautiful staging of its predecessors. On the other hand, the battles are still interesting, and sometimes what is happening on the screen turns into an extravaganza of special effects.	7
Team play	Multiplayer makes the fights more intense and unpredictable, but reveals a lack of balance. Ran into Minato with the awakening type? You can safely switch off, because it is almost impossible to defeat him.	7
General impression	It’s hard to highly recommend Revolution. Not against anime, but hands did not reach the series? Try it. Are you a Naruto fan? It’s worth checking out, but it’s not certain that you won’t feel overwhelmed by yet another Ultimate Ninja Storm.	7

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Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution

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