As you may or may not know, N+ — also known as “N Plus” — is an update to the beloved and award winning N flash-game, N+ brings the action-puzzle platformer to the DS (there’s also an N+ version on PSP).
With all the features of the cult favorite and more added (see details below), it faithfully translates the old-school look and fast & fluid action of the online game to the handheld. N+ will have players leaping and avoiding obstacles using the excellent physics and collision detection while they scour each level for as much gold as they can reach before finding the switch and opening the door to the next challenging level.
System: DS, PSP
Genre: Platformer, Action, Puzzle
Release dates: August 26th 2008 (USA/Canada/Mexico/Latin America)
Players: 1-2 simultaneous (Multi-Card)
Developer: Metanet Software & SilverBirch Studios
Publisher: Atari
Origin: America
Rating: E for Everyone with Mild Fantasy Violence
Pricing: $19.99
Your god-like speed, dexterity, jumping- sliding- & climbing powers, and reflexes are all the result of an amazingly fast metabolism; sadly, so is your natural lifespan of 1.5 minutes.
Like all ninjas, you have an unquenchable thirst for gold, a natural propensity for exploring rooms infested by increasingly lethal ninja-killing robots, and a devour belief in N.
N is a highly advanced system of spiritual, cognitive, and physical training. It emphasizes pacifism, humility, and the need to traverse five rooms before the end of your lifetime; a feat known only as ‘beating an episode.’
In accordance with the teachings of N, it is your profound hope that one day you will develop your skills, intelligence, and inexplicable ability to reincarnate, necessary to achieve mastery of all N+ levels.
The gameplay modes are:
* Tutorial: Before you begin Single Player Mode, you can play through the tutorial, which will assist you with sharpening the basic ninja techniques necessary for surviving and developing your N+ skills.
* Single Player Mode: Whether you are racing through an open room avoiding Zap Drones, jumping over Floor Guards, or navigating through a maze scattered with Timed Mines, your objective is clear… SURVIVE!
— Note: Aside from the single player game, that you can continue at any time, there’s the option to choose an episode, access your latest statistics, and look at your saved replays in user data.
* Cooperative Multiplayer: Team up with another cunning ninja in Cooperative Multiplayer Mode. In this mode players assist one another in order to survive an onslaught of enemy attacks. Be careful and remain in tune with your ninja skills. Your partner is counting on you! Work together with your ally in order to survive. Get the exit door open at any cost! Only one ninja must get to the exit, but it won’t be easy.
* Competitive Multiplayer: Now prove there is no other ninja with your level of skill and intelligence. Move with speed and agility, but move with purpose. Don’t let your competitor steal all the gold… that could prove fatal! Accomplish your goal faster than your adversary and stay alive.
— Domination Mode (competitive match type): The goal of this mode is to own as many black switches as you can. The ninja that has activated more switches gains time and the other ninja loses time. Have your ninja grab red colored switches to turn them black. Keep control of the switches and keep your time up!
— Tag Mode (competitive match type): You’re it! The only way to become a Tag Mode master is to make contact with your opponent making them ‘It’, then stay untouched for as long as possible. Whoever is ‘It’ loses time. Lose all your time and it’s game over for you.
— Blitz Mode (competitive match type): A race to the door. Race your ninja to the door as many times as you can in the time provided. The ninja with the most ‘doors’ wins!
Features included in N+ are:
* Hundreds of built in Levels: Conquer over 200 levels in single player or play with friends in over 100 Cooperative and 50 Competitive levels!
* PURE and PLUS modes: Play in PURE mode reminiscent of classic “N”, or try out the new enhanced PLUS mode only in the handheld versions!
* Ninja Techniques: Master stealthy Ninja techniques like wall-climbing and missile dodging to get past deadly laser drones, homing turrets, and other deadly enemies!
* Networked Content: Download new maps and replays from the N server. Design new maps or show off your slick ninja moves.
* Level Editor: Design maps and share them with friends or the world using the integrated level editor and the infrastructure modes of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection on the Nintendo DS (and the PlayStation Portable system).
* Unlockables: N+ offers optional unlockables such as different-colored ninjas, extra music tracks from up-and-coming video game music producer 5 Limbs, extra single and multiplayer level sets and more!
If you haven’t played the flash original N, you might want to watch the following N+ trailer for the platformer and action gameplay described in this review to make sense.
Click on the bottom-right corner arrow to view it fullscreen.
As a conclusion let’s rate N Plus on its fun-basis.
FUN FACTOR – 9.0
I can fully endorse the game for fans of the flash N original, the Xbox Live Arcade N+ game, or simply anyone who want to feel like a badass pixel ninja! Simple button-controls and a cheap $19.99 price make N+ easy to recommend. The best news is that it has 350 all-new levels and a new music soundtrack. The graphics are a perfect fit for this type of game, minimalistic but heavily stylized. You get all the simple-but-fast gameplay you want, and it lets you perform amazing acrobatics that’ll make you feel like you’re on the top of the world, or you’ll die dozens of times in a row and are left nearly pulling the hair from your head! No matter the outcome, your skills will improve over time making this challenging gem of a game crazy addictive.
Graphics – 7.5
You can play with either classic/pure or enhanced/plus visuals. In both settings the graphics come off as minimalistic yet incredibly sharp. The stylized character and level design gives the game a charm of its own.
Audio – 8.0
The fantastic music beats in the many retro-sounding techno tracks drive you forward in the game. The sound effects are pretty standard, meaning the death and other impact sounds are satisfying enough but don’t ‘pop’ like the music does.
Ingenuity – 9.0
The simple pick-up-and-play controls can be summed up like this: Running, jumping, and dying in unpleasant-yet-comical manners has never been more fun. If you happen to be a long-time fan of the N series, then you should know that this portable version has slightly different physics giving the game a bit of a controls-feel learning curve compared to the other versions, but it works great in the end.
Thanks to the DS stylus the level editor is simple to use (compared to the PSP version I tried). The zoomed-in and zoomed-out views of the level displayed on the DS’ dual-screens give a good overview, too bad there are no camera controls though (same story on the PSP where its set to medium view only).
Frustratingly difficult as the level design may be at times, since you’ve got unlimited lives that challenge makes for platforming at its best. The spot-on physics deliver gameplay that almost seems to be there to let you know that, if you die, you’ve got only yourself to blame!
Replay Value – 9.5
You’ll be playing this for many hours in a row. It won’t be easy, but you have all the skills needed to display your ninja mastery. Be clever, cunning, and quick. Unlock all of the level groupings to discover hidden bonuses and features. Once you get hooked, you’ll want to play through all 350 included levels and there are tons more to download for free.
The single player experience is expanded by the game’s support for: wireless multiplayer, unlockables like ninja colors, online community leader boards, local level sharing as well as the ability to upload your created levels that might get included on the levels downloadable content that comes out twice a week, and then the downloadable content in the shape of those user-created levels — only the PSP has unlimited storage for the free weekly levels downloadable content compared to 8 save slots on the DS — but you can browse/rate/download/play countless levels made by others this way. Altogether this gives N+ near-unlimited replayability.