N+ review

A few years back Metanet Software released a free flash game called N. The platformer's simple mechanics (move left, move right, and jump), easily defined goals (get to the exit without dying), and interesting physics (crank the inertia to 11) quickly allowed N to become the darling of the indie games scene, winning awards at both the IGF and Slamdance.

Last month, the game - which so obviously belonged on consoles - finally made it to XBLA (DS and PSP versions are forthcoming). With obligatory graphical and gameplay tweaks and the triumvirate of the finest XBLA features - leaderboards, on- and off-line co-op, and user-created content - N+ is one of the best examples of the console download space's potential to deliver absolutely fantastic games from small developers.

Over the course of the game's 250 levels (and 25 tutorial levels) you control a small, simply-designed ninja. Using your ninja reflexes, you have ninety seconds to make it through a group of five levels (called an episode). Each level has a simple goal: open the exit door by hitting a switch somewhere on the level, then get to that exit. Unfortunately your path is blocked by bombs, missiles, lasers, turrets, trapdoors and a half-dozon more obstacles each deadlier than the last.

The levels are also littered with pieces of gold that each add two seconds to the constantly depleting bar at the top of the screen, and upon completion of each episode your remaining time is uploaded to the leaderboards. Obviously, the more gold you pick up and the more quickly you advance through each level, the better your ranking.

The makers of the game have already announced future DLC for the title, with the hopes that at least one of the packs going out for free. The rest of the levels will be available for 1 Microsoft point per level, available only in packs of 200.

The game does a great job of easing you in to the more advanced concepts like wall-jumping and using your momentum to propel your ninja to ridiculous heights. The difficulty cranks up eventually, but the curve is fair. That's not to say you wont die a lot... you will. The games not-so-secret Achievement of dying 1000 times will be unlocked much quicker than you think.

And as off-putting as all this may sound to a casual gamer, it's never really frustrating and the game is incredibly accessible. I've seen first-hand the affect it has on those who haven't picked up a controller in a decade, and it's basically the same as mine:

"Just one more try. Wait, one more... OK. One more. Let me just finish this episode. Wait. I know I can do this one. One more."

All of a sudden, my very adult, non-gamer guests had turned into a mirror image of myself at age ten. Intensely focused on the task at hand, vacillating from bouts of extreme frustration, to intense elation. No matter how hard a new challenge seems though, I always seemed to find myself thinking "Well, I figured out the last one... this can't be much harder."

And it usually never is, which got me thinking that this game could be trying to teach us a couple of things:

* Life is full of an insane number of obstacles, each more treacherous than the last, and just when you've completed one of life's "objectives" prepare to be immediately confronted with a entirely new set of problems.

* At their core each of these problems are essentially the same, as long as you're familiar with the world around you and the limits of your own ability, nothing is insurmountable. Also, quick reflexes help.

Then I realized I should stop being such a pretentious asshole, and just enjoy the game for what it is: a lot of fun.


+ Hundreds of levels; Plenty more coming as DLC packs, one slated to be free; Decent level-editor
- User-created levels can only be traded between friends, no online repository for levels; Hope you like dying

800 MS Points/10 American Dollars
Metanet Software/Slick Entertainment

Verdict: Definitely worth picking up, particularly if you have any affinity toward old-school platforming.