N+ may sound more like the title of a math game instead of a game featuring ninja. And in some ways, that’s an apt description, as N+ involves a ninja who can’t actually do any of the cool ninja tricks we’ve become used to from movies and video games. There’s no nunchuck, no katana, no shuriken, and no cheesy dialogue – just a little ninja with a massive leap. Using only the mathematics of physics, your little ninja has to leap to a switch and open a door to escape a massive complex whose only existence appears to be finding ways to kill you.

Each room in the complex is a pitfall of chasms, elevators, bombs, electrical traps lasers and missiles. For each level, you have to locate the switch to open the door, negotiate your way past the obstacles, and then find your way to the door before the count down ends. The time doesn’t restart at a new level, either, and your only defence is your leap.

All you do to play the game is press the A button to leap, and move the stick to control the direction of the leap. Holding down A for longer makes you leap further, and you can control your trajectory mid flight. You can also bounce off walls to climb up higher and slide down walls to avoid falling to your death. To aid you in your quest, there are gold coins scattered about which extend your total time. Collect all the coins, and you start the next level with a full time bar.

It began life as a flash game, but became so popular that it was ported to consoles, and has lost nothing in translation in the port. It sounds like it would be boring, but in the tradition of Prince of Persia (the original game, not the 3D remakes) N+ is an amazing time sink that you can get lost in. Although each level has the same objective, the way they’re arranged and the way you approach each level is different. You can spend hours not being able to achieve the goal, becoming more and more frustrated, and then suddenly you’ll figure it out and leap into the next level. One issue though is that next level may be easy as pie, and so the payoff doesn’t feel too great, but it’s only a minority of the stages that feel like this.

If you manage to beat the game, there’s a very simple map editor that is easy to use, plus you can put these online for anyone to play. You can also download other maps to play from other players. The standard is the same with any player created maps – some are good, some are too hard, and some are just stupid.

And if that’s not enough, there’s multiplayer. Multiplayer maps are similar to the single player – one exit that you must make it to, but the rules of play change. Whilst there’s no reason for co-operation, you can have some players act as decoys, blowing up mines or distracting rockets while others head to the exit. It’s an interesting twist, and even simply watching how people get around various obstacles can give you ideas to return to the single player to try.

Conclusion:
There’s a debate amongst the more literate gaming press about complexity verses simplicity, and although it’s often sidetracked by completely moronic commentators who have little knowledge about the psychology and philosophy behind the arguments, it does bare some further examination. Because a game like N+ will come along and although its entire mechanic is simply pressing a button and moving a stick, it is one of the most frustrating and demanding games ever made, thus blowing apart all the pre-conceived notions about complexity people have, and proves that if you have a good game play mechanic, you have a good game.

Pros:
Simple controls mean it’s easy to play but difficult to master.
Hours of fun on offer
The level creator is simple to use and share your maps
Multiplayer allows for different tactics on the same levels.

Cons:
Why pay for it when you can play it on PC for free?
Multiplayer can be laggy
Difficulty is inconsistent throughout the game.

80/100