NARUTO Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2’s gameplay can be broken down into two genres: firstly, it’s a traditional JRPG adventure story; and secondly, it’s a dynamic 3D fighter. It feels both familiar and obscure.

The JRPG side of things is relatively straightforward: there’s a progressive story, revealed through cut-scenes and dialogue; it’s split into chapters and signposted by boss battles. Away from the main story you can explore the world, partake in side-quests, shop in the local stores, forage the ground for materials and chat to the locals. It’s standard JRPG fare, but good old fashioned fun.

The side-quests are a mixture of treasure hunts and assassination missions, as well as the occasional game of, er, hide-and-seek. The side-quests alone can make up several hours of gaming and they kept us interested long after we completed the lengthy story.

Shopping and foraging are linked to each other. The shops don’t have many items from the beginning, so for them to expand their shelves you have to fulfil the shopkeeper’s order requests. You’re asked to bring back three different ingredients that make up the items you want. These can be found scattered across the world: in containers on street corners, in bushes in the forest, up trees, and on rocks – basically everywhere.

Each screen will usually have at least three different items that can be picked up, and just travelling around and collecting things from the floor is actually a very moreish activity. It’s very satisfying when you find that missing ingredient, that finally makes that much sought after item obtainable.

There are three kinds of items to buy from the stores: recovery items which heal your wounds; bentos which cause status altering effects for the next fight – i.e. better defence; and battle items that can be used mid-fight to cause damage to an enemy or alter their status, or your own.

The side-quests and ingredient hunting parts are extensions to the story. They offer reasons to explore the world rather than just strictly following the arrow, that’s pointing to your next objective, on the map. Yet, as fun as exploring the world is, it’s also one of Storm 2’s biggest let-downs.

Yes, all the locations are there, for NARUTO fans to admire; from the Hidden Leaf, Rain and Sand Villages to Mount Myōboku, home of the Pervy Sage. CyberConnect2 have them looking fantastic and true to Masashi Kishimoto’s original designs. It has to be said, the game’s vibrant anime style is beautiful.

But for all the prettiness, the locations feel empty. You’ll enter the Hidden Sand Village expecting to find lots of entertainment, but all you can do is speak – about nothing in particular – to a few interactive locals. This is a big letdown. It’s made worse by the fact that the Hidden Leaf Village is such a lively place. It has several shops, tens of characters to talk to, and numerous side-quests to partake in. It’s also the place where you begin the game; so you’re being teased with all this depth at the beginning, only to find it’s not representative of the rest of the world. It’s not a major issue; just disappointing.

Ultimately, CyberConnect2 put all their focus into creating an engaging story, and they have succeeded in bringing the feel of the series to the game. There’s lots of snappy dialogue and intense scenes, and the boss battles are grand events. Everything looks and feels authentic, and how it should be.

The story’s focus is on Naruto, a young and boisterous ninja, who inside him is locked a powerful demon called the Nine-Tailed Fox. It was sealed there by the Fourth Hokake (read: respected leader) after the demon devastated the Hidden Leaf Village. The other villagers feared the demon and became suspicious of Naruto, and in the end he left.

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