The single player game is fairly straightforward. The player merely advances through each level beating up bad guys until they reach the boss. While it may seem acceptable at first, the extremely bland and awkward fighting mechanics hamper the game play. The interface is simple: one button to attack, one button to jump and a button to sprint that can be used to run on walls.

There is no depth to the combat system, but the player does have the option of using each playable character’s unique special attack called Justus. There is also a very awkward stylus controlled mini-game.  It’s a nuisance to have to continuously scratch on the touch screen when it isn’t even necessary. The lag between button presses doesn’t help the presentation of the game either. It would appear more often than not that losing in the game is attributed to the controls.

One interesting game mechanic is the use of support characters. Sakura, Rock Lee, Neji and more are available for support use. Although the support characters only add one special-ability, such as Sakura’s healing technique, it is still nice to see the game’s attempt at being creative.

The game’s visuals are just as basic as the controls themselves. It’s as if it were pulled straight out of the Gameboy Advance library. Largely unchanged, the only difference here is that the characters received a small face-lift to reflect the Shippuden storyline. Environments are dull and confusing. Some walls allow for the player to run on the wall while other walls completely ignore the ability to do so. The same can be said about the story. There are very few references to the main Shippuden plot, making it easy for fans of the series to get lost.

There isn’t much to see in Ninja Council 4. The multiplayer mode is just a tacked-on fighting game mode that controls the exact same way as the single player game.

It’s a shame that Tomy can pass Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Council 4 off as a new game. Not even the most hardcore Naruto fan will want to spend their hard-earned cash on this game.

Bottom Line: A very lazy sequel created in order to cash in onto the Shipudden name.

Rating: 4 out of 10

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