Like the previous games, a player can choose two characters to assist the player character in battle. As the game progresses, the player can store items to use in combat. The item system was rearranged, so a player can choose between healing and offensive items. The game has 80 playable characters and seven support characters (81 playable characters and seven support characters in Full Burst) The fighting system has been modified, with the Awakening Mode, giving each character enhanced abilities when their health is low and usable by certain characters during a fight. Sasuke Uchiha facing multiple enemies in a mob battle The game was also released online that year. In 2017, CyberConnect2 re-released it again with the first two Storm games as a trilogy. A sequel, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, was released in 2016. Lack of depth in the fighting mechanics and the under-use of hack and slash were criticized. Reception of story-mode development, based on the number of cutscenes, was mixed. Critics praised the return of boss battles from Storm 2, the Ultimate Decision mechanics and improved graphics and controls. The game had positive reviews and good sales, surpassing its predecessors from the series. Its European version was released over three months later, on January 31, 2014. A re-release ( Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst) was released on October 22 in North America and Japan, respectively.
Its gameplay retains elements of Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 (such as quick time events), adding hack and slash scenarios and options to increase battle difficulty. The story focuses on the conflict between ninjas from all the villages and the terrorist organization known as Akatsuki as a world war starts between the groups. It was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by Namco Bandai Games on Main North America, Main Europe, and Apin Japan. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, known in Japan as Naruto Shippūden: Narutimate Storm 3 ( Japanese: NARUTO ( ナルト ) 疾風伝 ナルティメットストーム3, Hepburn: Naruto Shippūden: Narutimetto Sutōmu 3), the fourth installment of the UltimateStorm series, is a fighting game developed by CyberConnect2 as part of the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja video-game series based on Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto manga.