"Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4" is not going to use the open-world story campaign from previous titles and instead will feature a unique branching story tree that will allow gamers to follow the manga/ anime plotline from the very beginning to its conclusion.
According to a report from GeekSnack, this is one of the first screenshots that shows what the game's story mode would be like. With this change, gamers will simply go from one chapter to the next as they move along the story tree instead of having to explore an open world, converse with NPCs, and fight random ninjas along the way.
The story campaign is also apparently split in two, with one campaign following the story of Naruto while the other focuses on the story of his friend and eventual rival, Sasuke. It is unclear at this point if either will feature branching storylines that will delve into the plotline of side characters not necessarily tied to the main overarching plot.
Fans speculate that the main campaign will focus primarily on the story set by the manga and disregard many of the fillers added into the anime series. However, it is unclear at this point if the storyline of the numerous movies will be considered in the game although screenshots indicate that "The Last: Naruto the Movie" and "Boruto: Naruto the Movie" will be a part of the main storyline.
Accompanying these screenshots are a few images showcasing a battle against Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage. This is expected since the game is meant to encompass the whole history of the "Naruto" franchise, but this is the first time that the legendary ninja is seen in action.
As reported by Gematsu, Bandai Namco has also announced at the Gamescom 2015 that the game will no longer hit its fall 2015 release and has been pushed back to February 2016. It will be released for the Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4 in Japan on Feb. 4 while the European version will be rolled out on Feb. 5. The game will be available in North America starting Feb. 9.
