The past few years have been kind to lovers of the challenging platformer. Back in 2004 a game called N was launched, and it had a basic premise: open the exit and leave. The game also had gold to collect, which was an added challenge. You might think, well, that was over ten years ago. Ten years later, that same game was receiving its 2.0 update – and this was after the release of N+ on consoles back in 2008. And after N+ could only be one thing.

Of course, N++ was the next iteration in the series, first launching in 2015 on PS4. Similar to what I mentioned in my recent SteamWorld Dig review, I had the opportunity to play this entry at GDC. I was familiar with the series and its difficulty, and was pleasantly surprised at just how clean the game looked. If you have played the others, you know just what you’re getting into.

The game starts off simple enough. It teaches you the basic controls and what you’re capable of as the ninja, and progressively becomes more difficult. Simple enough, right? With leaderboards, collectibles, and increasing obstacles per level, it’s hardly simple. I don’t know about your competitive spirit if you think this sounds easy. Are you really going to let your friend best your time? I mean, really? It’s not like Bill has better gear allowing him to be faster – this is all based on skill.

This is the type of game that takes away all the fluff and leaves you with the basics. And when doing that, everything has to be perfect. This isn’t Mario, or even Super Meat Boy. Yes it’s a platformer, but its floaty controls are entirely its own. They may seem weird at first, but soon become something that is beautiful. You’ll find the mere movement of this to be like an elegant dance, and every toe stepped on is a death. Truly, the game is for those that love punishment, as you must learn the intricacies of each obstacle and platform provided.

The game boasts over 4,000 (you read that right) levels, meaning you can sink a lot of time into this. And I mean A LOT of time. The levels are grouped into episodes, and you’ll move onto the next set once you complete all the levels in an episode. This can be frustrating if you’re not able to complete one level but you beat the others and want to move on and come back. I understand that they want you to focus on what they provide, but sometimes moving on helps when you come back. In the event you beat all the levels it provides from the developers, there’s a level editor, which in turn means community created levels. As you might expect, there will be levels that rival even the impossible levels of Super Mario Maker. While you’ll definitely find some gems, you’ll face levels that are too simple or devilishly difficult more often than not.

It may also interest you that not only does the game have leaderboards to challenge your friends, but also a co-op mode to face them head on. I had forgotten that when playing it again on X1, and mentioned it to my wife, which resulted in a quick no. I know full well that she doesn’t like games like this, so I wasn’t able to coax her into playing with me this time around – but from the PS4 experience, I can tell you it’s a great time. There will be lots of yelling and laughing, and it’ll be worth it.

N++ is a game that anyone can understand; get from point a to point b. Even someone that’s never played a game before could figure it out. But beating it will take levels of mastery that only the most dedicated will achieve. It’s because Metanet decided to focus solely on what was necessary that the game doesn’t waste a single frame in gameplay. You know why you screwed up, you know why you died, and you know what you need to do. There’s never a point you will question the game, but you may find yourself swearing at your reflexes.

9 out of 10

Pros

• Clean Vector Graphics
• Unique Physics
• 4,000+ Levels

Cons

• Levels Locked in Episodes

N++ was developed and published by Metanet Software Inc. It was released on PS4 in 2015, PC in 2016, and X1 on October 4th, 2017 for $14.99. The game was provided to us for review on X1. If you’d like to see more of N++, check out the official site.

 

Here at GBG we use a rating method that you are more than likely familiar with – a scale of 1 to 10. For clarification, we intend on using the entire scale: 1-4 is something you should probably avoid paying for; 5-7 is something that is worth playing, but probably not at full price; 8-10 is a great title that you can feel confident about buying. If you have any questions or comments about how we rate a game, please let us know.

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