Doing things the hard way
The original N was a fast paced, challenging, but ultimately fun and addicting 2D action platformer that also happened to be a freeware flash game. And while its new sequel, N+, is no longer free, that by no means stops it from being just as fun. And just as damn hard.
But that's okay, because any self respecting gamer likes a good challenge. And that's exactly what the difficulty in N+ stems from- a good challenge. This isn't the kind of game that constantly throws cheap tricks at you, encouraging you to almost "cheat" your way through the game by trial and error, or cheap tactics. N+ is a game that requires a steady hand, quick reflexes, attention to detail, and lots and lots of patience. In fact, I'd guess that what most people will dislike about N+ the most is the sheer amount of patience it requires. Having to try a level a few dozen times can wear you down a bit, but with the added challenge also comes the added reward. When you beat a particularly tough level you feel a strong sense of accomplishment. And that's just awesome, as well as something that any good game should strive to impart on the player. The celebration is usually cut short, however, when the next level is even harder.
Even when you are dying over and over again, N+ still manages to be entertaining. All the running and jumping that your character does looks really sweet, and the rag doll physics effects create strange and entertaining interactions. For example, hitting a mine causes your character to explode, and each body part flies around the level with reckless abandon, perhaps even triggering other mines (which never gets old). The biggest downfall of all of this is that if you've played the original N, you've seen it all before. And I mean everything. The art style, controls, enemies, sound effects, and even the level editor are reused from the original N, making N+ a game that retreads old ground a bit too much for its own good. And since you can still download the original game and all 100 of its episodes for free online, N+ can be kind of a hard sale. The biggest upgrade offered by N+ are the few cooperative levels it offers. And while these levels are great in design, there just aren't enough of them to warrant the game's price tag.
In short, N+ is a great, challenging game. It's simply not a new game. If you've played N before, then there probably isn't much reason to play N+, unless you seriously want some more levels to play. And if you haven't played N, you'd be much better off heading over to Metanet's website and downloading the thing. It's this unfortunate detail that holds N+ back from otherwise being one of the best downloadable games avaliable on any platform.
For additional information on my review style and scoring system, click here.
