Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections is the latest Naruto game project to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of Naruto. Although the rumour of another Ultimate Ninja Storm game spiralled throughout the community before its official announcement, no one expected Bandai Namco to announce Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections during the PlayStation State of Play in February 2023.
The surprise announcement of the seventh instalment of the Ultimate Ninja Storm franchise also brought forth many new features and another opportunity to experience the world of Naruto. Furthermore, Naruto author Masashi Kishimoto has recommended these games as one of the best ways to experience the long-running Shonen Jump franchise. Thus, get your shinobi headbands on as we dwell into every new feature in Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections.
Also Read: 5 Most Played Demos at Steam Next Fest
3 New Features in Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections
New Special Story Mode and Reliving Old Stories
As one of the longest-running franchises in anime gaming, the Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections developers knew they had to step it up to prevent the game from feeling redundant to players. Fortunately for them, with the new character arc from Boruto releasing, they took inspiration and crafted an entirely new and original special story mode for the game.
The original story of Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections will portray Merz and Nanashi. While the former plans to bring chaos to the shinobi world and kickstart the Fifth Shinobi War, the latter, a character from Ninja Heroes, will be your companion and try to resolve the issue. It is an unforeseen twist of character role reversal as Naruto, controlled by Merz, is the antagonist, while Sasuke will try to defend the world from being destroyed with Boruto.
Furthermore, Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections will thoroughly refine the old stories and include the entire journey of Naruto and Sasuke from its beginnings all the way to the end. It is a welcoming first for fans as they finally can relieve the whole Naruto story in the game. If it was not clear enough, the official description of Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections stated: “For the first time in one game, relive selected scenes from the childhood of Naruto until his final battle with Sasuke through anime scenes and in-game battles.”
Also Read: Baldur’s Gate 3 Review Scores: Best PC Game Ever
New Characters, Skills and Ultimate Jutsus
At its core, Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections is a fighting game, and the one thing players care a lot about in this genre is the character roster. Thankfully, Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections will feature the most playable character roster in the series. For example, several highly-requested characters like Baryon Mode Naruto, Supporting Kage Sasuke, Boruto, Kawaki, Indra, and Ashura are just some new characters we can expect in the game with Merz and Nanashi.
Besides characters, players can expect a whole new variety of skills, ultimate jutsus and team ultimate jutsus from the game. For instance, we can finally use Kirin, a move Sasuke rarely uses in the anime and red Susanoo from Merz.
As for team ultimate jutsus, while we already know two new ones like the Uzumaki Double Palm Strike from Naruto-Hinata-Boruto and the Uchiha Cherry Blossom Shock from Sasuke-Sarada-Sakura, we expect to see some form of Naruto-Boruto Rasengan, Sasuke-Boruto linkup, or even a prelude to the new generation of Boruto-Sarada-Mitsuki.
Character Customisation
While the new story mode and characters entice the appetite, the return of character customisation in Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections will surely fill your gut. It is a welcoming return as the developers decided to forgo this feature after Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution. However, it is now back, and players can customise their characters to their heart’s content.
In Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, players acquire cosmetic customisation items as battle rewards and game progression. After obtaining the items, you can place them on your character and display them to other players while playing in online ranked and casual matches. Here are some of the customisation items you can obtain:
- Costumes
- Character Poses
- Accessories
- Stamps
- Home Screen Backgrounds
- And More!
Concluding Remarks
From the general looks and public reception, Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections is shaping up to be the best Naruto game ever. Although it is too early to make that claim, we sincerely believe it will live up to the hype and continue to amaze the player base with its breathtaking stories, updated character roster and customisation mechanic.
Related: The 10 Best MMORPGs to Play in 2023
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Platforms Will Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections Release On?
Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections will arrive on many gaming platforms, such as Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, and PC via Steam. However, it is unsure if it will arrive on Game Pass or PlayStation Plus.
Is the Special Story From Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections Related to Canon?
No. The special story in Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections is a game original that does not correlate with the events in the anime or manga. The special story will depict Merz somehow controlling our beloved protagonist, Naruto, and it is up to Sasuke, Boruto and Nanashi to prevent the Fifth Shinobi War.
What Other Anime Games Are Releasing with Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections?
Other upcoming anime games we will cover on the site are Sword Art Online Last Recollection, Infinity Nikki, Eternights and Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4. However, if you are a fan of already-released anime games such as Honkai Star Rail, Digimon and Genshin Impact, we also have you covered.