I first got my taste of Road to Boruto at a Bandai Namco game event, but when I got home and spent some time with it, it was clear CyberConnect2 has seriously put some oomph into this final chapter! Just like their other adaptations in the main Ultimate Ninja series, these guys just get everything: whether it’s the impossible scale of the battles themselves, the finer details that lend that Naruto-verse its coherence, and even the smallest tender moments that define the story’s heart. It’s all there, nothing important skipped.

Recreated scene-for-scene, Road to Boruto retells Boruto: Naruto the Movie in video game form. From the dazzling opening battle in the snow to the glorious final fight in an alien landscape, everything looks and feels AMAZING. The game brings you, the player, right into the film’s biggest moments, even giving you special stage-and-character-specific finishing moves. And just TRY to catch the game padding out its narration with stills from the anime; nothing but 3D character models and rigs in these cut-scenes!

(Speaking of which, the voice acting’s as strong as ever! Props to the cast!)

Unlike the main game’s all-combat-no-breather Story Mode and its lighter Adventure Mode supplement, Road to Boruto takes the epic action and slots in occasional breather periods. Most of these take place within in the Hidden Leaf itself, where a LOT has changed since Naruto’s childhood! Flat screen TV’s deck the market square while skyscrapers crown the Hokage Rock, and even the series’ standard birdhouse save points have evolved into computer terminals. Get ready to spend hours studying every last little detail as you restock your supplies, take on NPC side-quests and/or just hunt down all your favorite characters in their new, adult lives! (I know I did!)

The battles themselves more than uphold the Ultimate Ninja standard, shifting back and forth between the super-powered adult characters and the new ninja in training. Yet it never feels like the game’s cheating you out of an ace when you go from legend to rookie–the design team manages the difficult task of keeping the battles exciting and the moves feeling powerful and weighty no matter who you’re using! (Why yes, I am saying that Boruto, Sarada and Mitsuki are just as viable in PvP fights as any other fighters even without their parents’ street cred.)

While still very much an epilogue to the main storyline, Road to Boruto might as well be its own game. There a true sense of luxury in getting a self-contained, fully fleshed-out extra story after experiencing the entire Naruto Shippuden storyline told through the Ultimate Ninja series! Think of it like getting a fudge-and-caramel banana split piled a foot tall after you’ve just finished a cake with four layers covered with your favorite frosting. (Also, imagine that there are so many explosions going off in the local forest that it’s wonder there are any trees left on the mainland whatsoever.) Hats and headbands off to CyberConnect2 for once again turning in a Naruto game that goes above and beyond. Once again proving their skill as a developer and an eternal Naruto fan!

Hint: Master dodging and blocking early! You'll never use your ultimate Jutsu if you're always reeling!

by Chris Turner