The Naruto franchise is still alive and well through its sequel series Boruto and various ongoing adaptations. Masashi Kishimoto's magical ninja work has spawned plenty of games that take varying approaches, with one of the best-known being the Ultimate Ninja Storm series by CyberConnect2. Beginning during the PS3 era, these titles represent some of the most ambitious adaptations of a Shonen Jump property t-date, leading to CyberConnect2 being tapped for a similar project with Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 is celebrating its 10th anniversary today.
This series has entered the public consciousness once again through the announcement of Naruto X Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, which will bring together the four numbered Ultimate Ninja Storm titles alongside some extra content that tells the entire Naruto story - with additional Boruto content. How these games are going to be put together isn't yet known, but they are all worth experiencing again with modern touch-ups. Despite being wedged into the middle of the series' overarching plot, Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 has many unique attributes that push it above the rest.
Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Was an Odd Middle Child
Whereas Ultimate Ninja Storm 1 covers all of pre-time skip Naruto and Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 covers the entire Akatsuki arc up to the end of the Pain fight, the third entry doesn't have a clear endpoint. It starts just before the Fourth Great Ninja War, and ends after all the enemy leaders are fought directly. This non-canon ending was a surprise to fans, but between the fights against Tobi and Madara and the Full Burst DLC's battle against Kabuto, it wraps up handily
For better and worse, CyberConnect2's Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 is the only entry in the series surrounded on both sides by filler spin-offs. These iterated on the mechanics, but also served to fill an annual Naruto game slot without spending too much time and money. It was these games that allowed Ninja Storm 3 and 4 to adapt as much material as they did, and the benefits of following a half-step game are clear. Ninja Storm 3's return to the format of the other numbered games was celebrated, and what was accomplished felt more impactful.
The Great Ninja War Was Brought To Life In Ultimate Ninja Storm 3
Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 pulls off its awkward situation through a number of smart additions. Its most triumphant decision was to push everything in this era of Naruto as far as it could go, starting with a flashback of the Nine-Tails invading Hidden Leaf Village to introduce a new type of battle where players lead groups of characters against one overwhelming foe. This increased scale worked perfectly with Ultimate Ninja Storm's cinematic boss fights, and served as a good counterpart to another addition: Mob battles and hack-and-slash levels.
The biggest complaint that critics had with these battle styles is that there weren't enough of them, as these served as great alternatives to Ultimate Ninja Storm's usual arena fighter duels. They meshed perfectly with the war setting, and prompted the introduction of many unique minibosses, some of which never became playable characters. With adventure fields and their associated content coexisting alongside the story, as well as a new Ultimate Decision feature offering harder versions of some fights, there was a ton of replay value packed into Ultimate Ninja Storm 3.
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Tried Lots of New Things
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 was also special because of its finer details. In terms of mechanics, the biggest change in Ninja Storm 3 affected the universal Awakening super mode. Normally accessible at low health, this entry added an Instant Awakening that rapidly lowered the player's maximum Chakra. This was meta-defining, and alongside a lack of any truly overpowered characters, the competitive scene offers enough of a reason for high-level players to return to this installment. Breakable objects and ring-outs were also added, but since they were only in specific stages, Instant Awakening took the spotlight.
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 succeeded because it built upon what past installments have done, while avoiding the missteps of later entries. It kept the merged adventure and fighting game elements in its story mode, which 4 had to separate due to narrative incompatibility. It may not have the tag fighting mechanics of UNS4, but it did offer player expression and strategic options through refined Chakra mechanics and Instant Awakening.
With the best-looking and feeling gameplay up to that point, it's no wonder why Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 still sees play. It arguably laid the groundwork for its sequel's true tag system with its Rally team combo mechanic, which helped that game build a unique identity as well. No other Ultimate Ninja Storm is quite like this third numbered entry, so hopefully Naruto X Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections can emphasize the title's raw ambition coming off this anniversary.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 is available on PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.