N+

    Do you remember playing Super Mario Bros when you were a wee lad? Do you remember that feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction you felt when you had finally beaten a level, had mastered every jump,  had crushed ever Goomba under your heel? Do you remember that feeling of disappointment and frustration when you just barely missed a jump? Do you remember that untamable rage that arose in you when you missed it again and again? N+ takes both of these feelings to the next level. In fact N+ strips the platformer down to it's most primal roots and focuses solely on these two feelings and one gameplay mechanic. Story? Screw it. Environments? Blue ledges and a few simple robots that try to kill you. Power ups? Chunks of Gold that keep you alive a little bit longer as the timer clicks closer to 0. Characters? You're a stick figure. There's only one thing that has any depth here. And that's the jump and how you use it. Without going into the mechanic too much here, the jump is as simple as the push of a button, but has tons of depth depending on how long you hold it or how short of a button press you use. Expanding on this is walljumping, wallsliding, and using your own momentum to clear certain jumps. Taking a simple mechanic that so many games have used and making it extremely fresh as you try to become an expert in it.  
    As you go through the masterfully crafted levels you start to realize one thing. It's not the game's fault that you keep dying, but rather your own skill that's holding you back. Prompting the controller throwing rage, as you can't blame some dumb A.I that needs help, an overpowered boss, or anything else. But when you do succeed, the greatest  satisfaction  is felt and you press onward until the final levels, which offer the toughest challenges of any platformer. Beating the end of the game is a fulfilling moment, but bittersweet as your left wanting for more challenges. Luckily the game has a level editor and Wifi level sharing to support this. As i look back at memories of Super Mario Bros. and jumping over pits, and stomping on Goombas, i remember the fun and occasional frustration i had experienced. But when i look back at N+ i remember the nerve wracking skillful jumps, the sharp reflexes, the red hot rage when i failed, and the joy and delight i felt when i completed a level, that was simply one of the more satisfying  feelings that any platformer has given me.