N++ Review

Most significant is the title’s support for sharing user-created levels. Using an expansive but intuitive suite of tools built into the game, players can easily create custom levels and upload them to Metanet’s servers to be browsed and downloaded by others. It’s an absolute joy to see what the community has created in even the short amount of time since the game’s launch. The level browser is easily navigable and facilitates access to everything from ultra-challenging levels to fascinating off-kilter strangeness: levels designed around vector art such as the “doge” meme and the Nine Inch Nails symbol, levels that bend and break the game’s rules in ways only the Internet can, and “don’t do anything” levels.

The latter is perhaps my favorite part of the whole game; they are levels where, without any player input, your ninja is catapulted, twisted, and propelled along complex Rube Goldbergian courses in the most flashy and obtuse way possible. I had only seen this kind of insane attention to detail and tweaking lead to poetically fluid chaos in Trackmania before, and seeing this specific brand of madness play out in a different game is incredibly satisfying. With the support of weekly featured tracks and sorting by player rating, there’s an endless amount of N++ to consume, should one desire to do so.

Whether that desire exists or not is a separate issue. N++ is the successor to the original N, a flash game, and N+, a refinement of that game released last generation. In terms of fundamental gameplay, not very much has changed in this iteration. There are new levels, and a lot of them - but the core gameplay loop remains very much the same. If you didn’t enjoy the fundamental act of playing those releases, there’s no major addition or revolution here to change that. While it doesn’t feel incomplete or lacking, it’s perhaps a disappointment to see no major reworking of mechanics or advancements to gameplay in the franchise’s third iteration. Instead, Metanet has dedicated their entire focus to making N++ the ultimate “N” experience through an overwhelmingly impressive amount of polish in content delivery.

This loving polish is most apparent in N++’s visual and aural aesthetics. Embracing the simplicity of the game’s core loop, Metanet has created a look and feel that could serve as a masterclass in minimalist visual and sound design. Gone are the static greys of previous iterations, being replaced by unlockable and selectable “themes” that change the entire look of the game’s simple 2D graphics. These range from muted pastels to a “retro,” Vib-Ribbon inspired vector graphics style. The easily changed scenery does a lot to freshen up the game, and is complimented by a solid, subtle-yet-driving electronic soundtrack.

Much like its minimalist design aesthetics, N++’s personality operates in subtlety. The “story” of your endlessly respawning avatar is relegated to several paragraphs of setup accessible from the main menu, opening with the frank and accurate proclamation: “You are a ninja.” There’s an expository word or two more that follows explaining your love for gold, your 90 second level timer/lifespan (due to a high metabolism, naturally) and the titular “N,” or Way of the Ninja, but really, N++ says all it wants to say and all you need to know with that single-sentenced opening paragraph. This flippant but understated sense of humor extends to some of the level names, which range from playfully on-the-nose (a tutorial level teaching how to wall slide named The Art of Descent) to cheeky (A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns features a lot of falling from high platforms). In a higher dose, this jocularity could be grating, but is scarce and subdued enough to simply lend levity to the proceedings; it helps minimalist art and sound design which could feel clinical and cold instead feel stylish and humanized.

N++ is a visually striking, well-crafted experience that feels like the ultimate realization of the vision Metanet has had for the franchise for years. Despite the laudable level of polish, however, the game can’t help escape its iterative nature to feel fresh and new; there’s a pervasive sensation of sameness that will be unavoidable for anyone who has played Metanet’s past efforts. For those turned off by the gameplay of the previous N games, there’s nothing new here that’s significant enough to rope players back in. For those who, like your ninja avatar, seek gold and death in abundance, N++ stands as a new standard for value, polish, and presentation and is the definitive “N” experience.