N+ review (Xbox 360 Live Arcade)

Ninjas. They definitely have some kind of internet allure, especially when mixed with Pirates. This game however sticks firmly in the former camp, and while it started as a free flash game (still available if you’re bored one day) is now available to download as an Xbox Live Arcade game for the pretty standard price of £6.80, or 800 Microsoft Points.

Essentially, it’s a 2 dimensional platformer that gives you acrobatic wall jumping skills and an objective to open the exit door by touching a switch and reaching said exit. Couldn’t be simpler, unless of course it didn’t have an ever dropping time bar at the top of the screen that you must refill by collecting gold scattered around the level, or if it failed to include the many obstacles and deadly defences that populate each simplistic level.

Standard of practice

Your basic single player mode gives you 50 episodes in blocks of 5, each with 5 levels to overcome. Your time bar spans all five levels and while each level can be retried any number of times, resetting your clock, your progress is only saved at the conclusion of the entire episode. While completing an episode unlocks the next one in the block, you can start at any block if you’re truly stuck on one.

These plentiful levels start simply, often with a quick and harmless first level, perhaps an easily avoidable danger in the second, more tricky challenges in the third, the odd seriously tricky fourth level and a stingy bastard of a finale. This generally works to inspire you to continue when you first reach a new episode and are introduced to a friendly new level, while massaging your persistence when you reach the finale, since you won’t want to have to complete the previous one again if you quit the game. It’s an addictive principle that will result in plenty of hurting fingers and quite possibly thrown joypads.

Blistering thumbs

Due to the design of the game, giving you a higher jump if you hold the A button for longer, and a well realised air manoeuvrability if you press strongly in a specific direction with your left analogue stick, it becomes a habit to press down extremely hard when trying to accomplish certain jumps. Couple this with some enemies (all robotic security systems) that react to your movement, and some that fire homing missiles at you and you’ve got a potential for great frustration. Fortunately, it’s still remarkably fun to play.

My most recent stumper took probably 45 minutes before I finally managed it, and I only put up with it for that long because of the previous level. It was only about 5 minutes into that when I figured out how I was going to do it, but the remaining 40 were tasked with accomplishing it. Needless to say, not many levels are that tough, but this one certainly took its toll on my hands (possibly more than any other game of recent years; is now the time to ask for a pay rise?)

More than a flash game

While still very reminiscent of the original game, they’ve taken a few steps to ensure this is more than a release for those too lazy to find the original. Obviously your standard 200 achievement points are there for the taking, most of which are spaced well, although there is one for completing an episode without dying and one for collecting all the gold, and they are easily won in the first episode when you’re used to the controls.

A great extra is a level editor that could easily have been used to create the game with the freedom that the game designers probably enjoyed themselves. Unfortunately, sharing your levels between users is not supported, which is rumoured to be due to Xbox Live’s policies (perhaps the confirmed PSN version will support this), but having an editor is a welcome addition, especially for the multiplayer aspect of the game.

The Cherry

Undeniably the most exciting feature for existing N players is the ability to play in multiplayer on a variety of different game modes. You can slog through the single player campaign together; a lot easier since only one person needs to reach the exit to complete a level, so one reaches the exit, the other the button. There is a shorter, but still adequate Coop campaign that sometimes gives you levels that can be completed with one person, and sometimes you’ll have separate areas in which each player must perform perfectly to succeed.

There’s also a survival mode, which gives each player a time bar and invites you to simply survive for the longest, generally challenged by a ridiculous amount of enemies or with a slowly recharging gold supply to try to snag to allow you to survive a little longer than your friends. Finally there is a race mode which gives you all a target to reach first, sometimes providing challenging feats to get there. Up to four players can take part locally or over Xbox Live, so in terms of multiplayer, the game delivers very well.

Ninja!

N+ remains a simplistic but feature filled 2D platformer that is well worth a play, but be prepared to work hard and overcome a certain amount of frustration if you want to get through all of the levels on offer. Throw in another player or two and once you’ve introduced them to the controls too, any frustration is lost turning it into a forgivable frantic entertaining party game that is as easy to pick up for a quick go as to spend the best part of an hour attempting to beat a fiendish challenge. Unfortunately in a classic gaming style, the difficulty of some areas does become infuriating.

Having a slight upgrade from the original flash graphics, N+ isn’t exactly a looker; more like an effective visual style to enjoy the gameplay. The music is great in style, and quality however, adding to the experience in a mood setting and enthusing tone. All put together, N+ is definitely recommendable, but the only question you have to ask yourself is whether such budget titles are worth you playing, because while it’s a great game, if you bought your 360 to see high definition graphics and all new gaming experiences, N+ won’t satisfy your modern hunger for High Definition. But if you liked the flash game, rate gameplay over graphics and don’t mind paying just over a fiver for some old fashioned entertainment, buy it… but be prepared to destroy the odd controller at certain difficult levels.