Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 – Road to Boruto earned a 79/100 Metascore from 19 critic reviews for the Nintendo Switch edition, which Metacritic classifies as “Generally Favorable.” Critics most often praise its anime presentation, broad character roster, and generous package; the main reservations concern simple fighting mechanics, uneven adventure pacing, and Switch-specific performance or visual compromises.
What does the Switch critic score mean?
Metacritic’s Nintendo Switch listing shows 79/100 from 19 critic reviews: 17 positive, two mixed, and none negative. That score summarizes critics represented on the aggregator; it is not a player-opinion poll or a score for every platform edition. Metacritic’s review listing includes the platform-specific score and excerpts.
What is included in Road to Boruto?
Bandai Namco presents Road to Boruto as the conclusion of the Ultimate Ninja Storm series. Its product page describes a collection of Storm 4 downloadable content plus an added adventure focused on Naruto’s son. The publisher’s 2017 announcement described the collected release for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in the Americas, with Steam availability, and said existing Storm 4 owners could buy the expansion separately. Bandai Namco currently lists a Nintendo Switch edition on its official product page.
The publisher’s 2016 announcement described the expansion’s story as based on Boruto: Naruto the Movie and identified Boruto Uzumaki and Sarada Uchiha as new playable characters in offline and online Free Battle. Its 2017 release announcement also named Mitsuki, Seventh Hokage Naruto, Wandering Sasuke, and Mecha Naruto among the new characters. These are publisher descriptions of the package, not critical judgments.
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#1 Best Overall
- New Generation Systems - With the power of the new generation systems, this brand new game will take players through an incredible journey of beautifully Anime-rendered fights!
- Change Leader System - Recreate all the legendary teams from Naruto Shippuden or create your own team! Players will be able to switch characters during the fight!
- New Features - Enjoy fast-paced fights with the Wall-run!
- Incredible Roster - The most impressive collection in the history of Naruto games will span the Naruto Shippuden story arc and capture the latest character appearances from the anime.
- Original Voiceover Support - Includes the Japanese, American, Mexican and Brazilian voiceover cast!
What critics like
- Anime-style presentation: Review excerpts praise the series’ visual identity and dramatic, spectacular combat.
- Roster and fan service: The large cast and inclusion of earlier downloadable content make the package feel substantial, especially for fans invested in the series.
- Story spectacle and online play: A Metacritic excerpt for DarkStation highlights the story mode’s cinematic sequences and a packed online mode.
The aggregate’s excerpts include a recommendation aimed at people who like Naruto, fighting games, or arena fighters. In practice, the strongest endorsement is for players who already value the franchise’s characters and presentation.
What are the main criticisms?
Accessible combat rather than deep fighting systems
One positive review still describes the mechanics as simple compared with other fighting games. That distinction matters: the appeal is the spectacle and approachable arena combat, not necessarily the layered system mastery players may seek from a more mechanically demanding fighter.
Rank #2
- All Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 Content in One Edition - Includes the Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 game 3 DLC packs from the Season Pass (Gaara's Tale Extra Scenario Pack,
- Shikamaru's Tale Extra Scenario Pack, and the Sound Four Extra Playable Character's Pack), the all new Road to Boruto DLC, and all the previously exclusive worldwide pre-order bonus content
- New Generation Systems - Road to Boruto will take players through an incredible journey of beautifully Anime-rendered fights!
- New Character Roster and Hidden Leaf Village - Additional playable characters including Boruto, Sarada, Hokage Naruto, and Sasuke (Wandering Shinobi) and a new setting of a New Hidden Leaf Village
- New Collection and Challenge Elements that extends gameplay
Adventure sections can drag
DarkStation’s Metacritic excerpt says the adventure modes can feel like a dull grind. The cinematic main story and adventure content are therefore not equally strong parts of the experience; players chiefly seeking tightly paced exploration may be less satisfied than those coming for battles and dramatic scenes.
Switch compromises
Switch-specific review excerpts mention occasional frame drops or hiccups, including in adventure mode. Meristation’s review, updated May 18, 2020, calls the port a good adaptation overall but says some scenes were cut and the presentation is less impressive than on other versions. Meristation still found the gameplay enjoyable. These are review observations, not results from a controlled platform-to-platform performance test. Meristation’s Nintendo Switch review discusses those trade-offs.
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- Rediscover the Naruto Story! Get the first 3 Naruto Storm games in one complete set including all the DLC from Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst.
- Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst now available on PS4
- Begin your journey through Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm with 100 compelling missions and original animated TV series storyline, up to the Sasuke retrieval arc.
- Enjoy the battle system and online mode from Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2
- Prepare to defend Konoha in Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 against the Masked Man and Nine-Tales with the instance awakening.All the DLC content included in Full Burst
Is it a good choice for newcomers?
It is better suited to Naruto fans than to players starting with the franchise. Meristation notes that the story recap gives some context for the late-series arc, but also frames the game as not designed for newcomers. A recap can orient a new player; it does not replace familiarity with the characters and events that give the scenes their emotional weight.
For a prospective buyer, the useful questions are whether the late Shippuden story is already familiar, whether portability is worth possible visual and performance trade-offs, and whether accessible arena fighting is preferable to deeper fighting-game mechanics. The cited reviews support those decision points but do not establish a direct, standardized comparison of every platform edition.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- The Largest Roster of Playable Characters Ever: This game has the largest roster of beloved characters to play than any Ultimate Ninja STORM game in the past. New additions include the brothers who started legendary ninja clans, Ashura and Indra Otsutsuki. Stay tuned for more playable characters!
- The Story of Naruto and Sasuke’s Rivalry Combined into One! For the first time in one game, relive selected scenes from Naruto’s childhood until his final battle with Sasuke through anime scenes and in-game battles. Players of past Ultimate Ninja STORM games can see it all with updated graphics. Plus, experience a new story exclusive to the game.
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