Some people may remember playing N+ on the computer about a year or two ago under the name of N. This was a Flash based game where you controlled a ninja who had to open a door while dodging deadly obstacles. It shares many of the same characteristics that N had, but this game holds one key feature over the others, portability. It's perfect for traveling or sitting through math lectures (like I did) due to its highly addictive design.
Lets start off with the story, shale we. First there is a switch, and that switch must be pressed. A door then opens which you must go through, for that is what ninjas do. Okay, so maybe there isn't a compelling story, but what you do have is great gameplay which is all that you really need from a handheld game. Although the beginning levels are easy to get through, when you get to the halfway point they start to ramp up in difficulty, becoming nearly impossible towards the end due to the hazards which can kill you if you let them. ranging from mines and electric balls of doom, to guided missiles and electric balls of doom that shoot laser beams at you.
While the main levels in N+ is shorter then desired, it still has a lot of replay ability to it. Each episode consists of 5 levels, which don't always get harder with progression, and there is about 40 episodes in all. If you include the level creator in this equation then are countless maps you can play. Especially since the level creator is so powerful and intuitive to use. Giving you immense control over what you can do with the levels that you can create.
Even though I do like this game there are always some bad mixed in with the good, like the camera to boot. The bottom screen is zoomed in on the player, which is okay for the first couple of levels, but when you are trying to dodge objects that fly in from off screen it just hampers your ability to dodge effectively. While the top screen is an overview of the entire level. Although you can play using this screen, Which I actually prefer, many of the attacks that the hazards use don't show up on it. Thus forcing you to keep one eye on each screen hoping that you don't go cross eyed. There needed to be a happy medium between these two views.
Another big fault is the physics this game uses are broken. To illustrate this point, there are certain platforms that float in the level. When you land on them they bounce around a little depending on how hard you landed on them. Which they then eventually level out and return to their resting position. Many times I would fall though one of these because I fell too fast, and when a level is focused around them, it tends to become a problem if they don't work the way they are supposed to.
Anyway, for a game that is only $20 it's not bad, but there is one catch. You can freely download N for your computer, or you can pay less for the XBLA version that is slightly better. What I'm trying to tell you is that this game should only be bought if you want to play it on the go and don't have a laptop.
