An update to the beloved and award winning flash-game N; N+ brings the action platformer to the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS with all the features of the cult favorite and more. Faithfully translating the old-school look and action of the online game to the DS and PSP, 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.

The question is …. is it fun?

I had the opportunity to test out N + for my PSP today. Seeing that no one else that I know plays the PsP I opted to jump right into the first option on the menu - Single Player.

Let’s start by seeing what they promise:

N+ will have all the features that fans have come to love; hundreds of built in levels, an integrated level editor and downloadable content in the form of new level sets. New features like cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes and level sharing over the ad-hoc PSP and wireless DS connections will expand upon the gameplay possibilities inherent in the original flash game.

FEATURES:
* Hundreds of Built in Levels – The single player game has 200 levels to explore. 100 “co-op” and 50 “versus” levels for exclusive multiplayer gameplay.
* Networked Content – Download new maps from the N server; design new maps and 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 ad-hoc or infrastructure modes of the Sony PSP and the Nintendo Wi-fi connection on the DS.
* Multiplayer and Playlisting – Explore various modes of multiplayer play both coop and competitive. Download or design new multiplayer maps and arenas then switch up the action by creating playlists of your favorite multiplayer levels.
* Price range: $28.99 - $29.99

You are a ninja in N+. Your god-like speed, dexterity, jumping power, 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 and a natural propensity for exploring rooms infested by increasingly lethal Ninja-killing robots. N emphasizes pacifism, humility, and the need to traverse 5 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 platforming skills, intelligence, and inexplicable ability to reincarnate to achieve total mastery of all 300 levels.

Think of Mario meets Prince of Persia. You must navigate through a seemingly endless number of levels, collecting gold and avoiding bombs. The basic gameplay is simple; bounce-glide-slide through your environment to get past the bombs and traps and collect as many gold pieces as possible. Hit a bomb and … well … things get messy.

I had a bit of a big head when I entered the game. Seeing the graphics, I figured this was going to be a simple little mindless adventure. I died 3 times in a row and realized I needed a tutorial. I exited out of the game and headed back to the tutorial to get schooled

As I was playing through the game, I began to realize how reminiscent it is of Lode Runner. It’s a little tougher than the games that inspire it. Although it’s marketed as a casual title, N+ is a VERY challenging game. It took me a few tries and a few times watching the tutorials to get the hang of the game. I started thinking how the DS version would play. Maybe I’ll see if I can get a copy for the DS as well and find out if the stylus comes in handy or if it’s the same type of gameplay as the PSP version.

We have been told that the hand held updates will feature 200 single-player levels (familiar to fans) and 150 new multiplayer stages, specific to each platform. Each game has levels tailored to its respective aspect ratio, whether that’s widescreen or tall screen.
GAMEPLAY: 8/10

Check out this gameplay trailer:

While the graphics are very simplistic, they are clean and easy to understand. I think it is cute that your ninja has a variety of different poses when he unlocks the door at the end of each level. Not really a whole lot to say about the graphics when dealing with a stick figure however, when gameplay is as addicting as N+ is, stick figure ninja’s are just as good. (Click images to enlarge)
GRAPHICS: 7/10

The music is very midi sounding. Simple loops that repeat over and over as you play through the level. It would have been great to have more complex soundtrack in the game to even out the simplistic graphics. With the current soundtrack, I feel like I have been transported back to 1994 and I’m sitting in my brothers room secretly playing his commodore 64. I have to admit, I RARELY pull my headphones out during a game and plug them into my iPod to play along with. That being said, I would have to recommend that for N+. While the music isn’t “bad”; it just comes off as too old school and repeatative to add anything to the game
AUDIO: 4/10

Overall I would give Atari’s N+ a solid 7/10. It’s a very fun game that can get extremely addicting. While the audio is a tad monotonous, the fun stick figure graphics and the incredible complexity of each level makes N+ a definite recommendation for me!

Now, if you will excuse me I have to finish this level!

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