N++ Review (Xbox One)

Introduction

N++ is the sequel of N+. These games involved the player being a Ninja and jumping around to reach point B on every level. The game was developed and published by Metanet Software and was released on Xbox One October 4, 2017. The release dates go back a year or two for other platforms. The reason for this is usually for budget and polishing. If you aren't ready to make the jump to another platform it's best to make sure everything is in order first. The game itself still holds up after the two/three years it was released. The Xbox One version comes with the 100+ levels that were released on the other systems already. This game also has 60+ color schemes you can choose from while you listen to their wonderful techno and remix selection. N++ is a great game to play to challenge yourself and be frustrated in a good way– if you never played N+ and aren't sure about this game we will go over everything here.

N++ is available now on Xbox One for 14.99$.

Story

The story for this game is relatively simple. you are a Ninja, you have god-like speed and jumping abilities. Your dexterity and reflexes are unmatched, your metabolism is amazingly fast that eating anything evaporates instantly. Unfortunately, your life doesn't last that long, the longest you might last is 2 minutes and that's being generous. Like all Ninjas, you want treasures and golds to quench your thirst. You have a natural curiosity and propensity to search large rooms. These rooms include and aren't limited to: spikes, dangerous lasers, bombs, rockets that follow you, robots that follow you, lightning, and clones of yourself. Yes, even you want yourself dead, so is this adventure even worth it? Probably not, but you get to have fun and earn gold for it. The "N" in ninja, stands for "the way of the ninja" and if you have this in your title you should be very fast and smart naturally. You hope to one day master the teachings of "N", and to do that you need to complete all the N++ episodes available to you so good luck.

gameplay

The gameplay in this game is straightforward, the A button is used to jump. You have upward and forward momentum and you need to use both of these to survive. If you slide back or forward on the control stick you should slide, this slide will help you stop your momentum if you need it. You can wall jump and press the Y button to retry, any new mechanics you need to learn the game will teach it to you when you need it and teach it well. Your job is to move from Point A to point B in the best way possible. Don't slack though because if you take too long you lose points. You can gain more by grabbing gold in every stage, grabbing all the gold will give you a gold icon showing you completed a stage fully. The levels are broken up into episodes, each episode has around 4-5 stages you have to get through. The solo episodes go into 4 main categories, intro has the intro stages to get you ready for the main levels of the game. Then it goes to N++ which has the main levels for the game and what you should be doing after the intro stages. After all that is where the fun begins, the last two categories are ultimate and legacy. These will not only test your skill, but they will break your will.

If you thought the beginning was hard then this will make you think differently. The game overall has over 100+ levels you can scream and tantrum over. Each level has something new and refreshing to add to the game to make it fun and interesting. The interesting thing about the N+ series is after you beat it (if you ever do) you truly never beat it unless you collect all the gold in each level. Now this is completely optional and players don't need to go that far, but there is a leaderboard system and 1000 gamerscore to be found in this game. Now, if you don't care about the leaderboards or collecting all the gold you don't have to. This game is great fun to be had even if you don't collect everything. You can also create your own levels, a lot of people forget about this option but the developers encourage you to do it!

If you have your own ideas for levels you can make them in the level creator, you can make it as deadly as you desire. You can even bring friends and family over to "test" your deadly designs. But, this feature is completely optional and you can always be the tester and play people's levels instead. The co-op feature in this game has been changed and for some, this can be their reason for not buying the game. The multiplayer has been taken out of the game for financial reasons. In the original N+ you could do local play, Lan play, and multiplayer. But in 2009, Silverbirch studios closed on January 1, the servers since then have been abandoned because multiplayer isn't seen as a priority. For some people that was their favorite feature but keeping servers online and managing the data is costly. N++ has been out for three years now– unless an outside influence helps fund the servers the developers aren't going to risk losing more funding for the game. N++ only has system link and regular co-op this time around. However, if you can find the means of playing with someone else these modes are fun. Most people may not get to try out this mode and that is a shame because playing with another friend is frustrating fun.

Graphics

The graphics for N++ are very colorful and refreshing to the eye. Not all of them though, some of them are very outlandish. But that isn't a bad thing, these colored backgrounds are based off print-based graphic designs. The developers wanted something different that you wouldn't normally see in other games. They added 60 different colored backgrounds and some of these might affect your mood. When you first start off the game you get the standard gray and black background, but after completing some levels you get more colorful levels. This gave the game more interesting visuals when players jumped and dived around. What the developers also wanted was players to see the "visual language" in the levels. Overall the graphics look good and the color schemes work well with the game. It also works with some music in the game as well.

Audio

N++ in terms of the music selection has 3+ hours of Indie music from different artists around the world. You have 60+ songs to choose from and it can be changed in-game or at the main menu. The music in this game can range from a hard techno beat, or to a softer dubstep beat. A lot of the songs add a different atmosphere to the levels, some make you want to go faster while others make you more careful. All of the songs in this game sound nice for each of the levels and there might be something for everyone. However, if you don't want to listen to the music in this game you can mute it and listen to your own. Keep in mind there isn't an option in-game to add your own playlist. The developers stated it would be difficult to add the feature in so they left it out. The music also goes with the different colorful levels in this game, overall it adds a nice touch. At least you get to hear something nice before you die over and over again.

Conclusion

This is an old game, but even now I still enjoy playing it and going through the levels. Everything has been polished for this Xbox One release, so while it may be an old game it still feels new. If you never played a N+ game then this is a great game to try out, you have tons of content to explore and gamerscore to earn. If you aren't used to playing these types of games or you don't like it– I still recommend trying it out at least. N++ is a great game and you can see the developers love for the game, although multiplayer was cut from this release the game is still great nevertheless. I would love to see this game on the Switch and I hope more people play this game overall, but what are your thoughts on N++? I would love to hear your opinions in the comments below.