Info
In a futuristic world of inadvertently homicidal robots, a daring ninja must use deft acrobatic skill and guts of steel to survive. N+ is a peerless action-puzzle platformer with more than 300 levels in which to hone your ninja reflexes, plus a built-in level editor for when youre hungry for more. Featuring unique, physics-based controls, stylish graphics, unlimited lives, competitive and cooperative multiplayer, plenty of gold, and several flavours of sweet, sweet action running, jumping, and dying in an unpleasant-yet-comical manner has never been more fun!
Players 1-4
Released: February 2008
Review
You know a games got a hold of you when you’re left with a dull acing feeling in your thumb when you take it off the joypad. It’s blister territory and N+ is smack bang in the middle of it.
Minimalist yet incredibly catchy in visual style N+, like the best Arcade titles, is a simple concept. Get through each level by first tagging the key to open the exit and then making your way to it. This is done against the clock but time can be extended by collecting the gold blocks scattered around each level. Of course that sounds very simple but your nimble Ninja is faced with a barrage of fiendish level design, obstacles and enemies to get around first. If you manage to avoid dropping to your death there’s also the problem of mines, homing missiles, lasers and perusing robots (or combinations of all these) to content with. Add in to this the fact that your time for each stage carries over to the next, so it’s a fine balance of collecting gold blocks or just escaping as quickly as possible if you don’t want to come unstuck later on.
This is where N+ manages to excel – it’s simple enough to play, but the devious level design will have you cursing that something which should be so straight forward could be just beyond your skills. It’s a clever maintained and finely balanced mixture of frustration and satisfaction that will have you gnashing your teeth and punching the air in success. And still keep you coming back for more.
With the joys of online Co-op, a huge number of levels, a built in level designer and the prospect of more downloadable levels to come, there’s enough running, jumping and dying Ninja based action to keep the most hardened puzzle platforming fan happy.
Misshapen and blistered thumbs have never been so much fun.