N+

• GenrePlatformer
• Release Date11/01/2007
• PublisherAtari
• DeveloperSilverBirch Studios
• ESRBRP - Rating Pending

Originally created as a freeware title for PC, N+ has since become a popular game on Xbox Live Arcade – and for good reason. Now portable owners have their shot at ninjahood with Atari's take on N+ for the Sony PSP.
You play a nameless hero given a simple task – get from point A to point B on each level. At first, it's a snap, jumping around platforms, activating a switch to open a nearby door and then exiting. As you proceed through each one, however, challenging obstacles build. Robotic sentries, missile launches, turret cannons and hundreds of mines scattered along the walls and ceilings vow to end your run. On top of that, you have a time limit working against you. Thankfully, by picking up gold pieces throughout each level you keep time from dwindling away.

Go ninja, go ninja, GO! Click to see more images from the game...

It sounds like a mounting task, but N+ gives you the means to complete each one. Your ninja can bounce off walls, run at high speeds and even make long jumps. He's only human, however – he can't survive contact with enemies, nor huge falls off of ledges. Fortunately, you have limitless lives, so you can go back and try a stage again if you fail it. N+ purely relies on the "trial and error" system, so don't feel bad if you end up dying a dozen times... or beyond that.
N+ features a variety of gloriously designed levels, dozens in which will test your gaming nerves. The graphics are stylish without being complicated, easy to see with the full level displayed on-screen at once. The PSP is lacking what the DS has, with its dual-screen set-up to keep a closer eye on your character, but it's no big deal. The music is fun, in a techno-ish kind of way.
The single-player challenges are terrific, but N+ earns bonus points for multiplayer support and creation tools. You can design your own levels and share them with friends over AdHoc downloading. You can also work with friends in co-op levels or take them on in survival and race competitions, just to see who has the best time. Fresh weekly downloadable levels would've been a great bonus here, but this game has exceptional value as it is – especially since it'll only set you back $20.
Some levels are harder than others, and the presentation never rises above what the freeware game offered back on the PC. With those slight issues in mind, N+ still ranks as one of the better PSP games available. For $20, you can't go wrong with slick gameplay and sharp-thinking design. The best part? You don't have to dress like a ninja to play it. (Though we wouldn't blame you if you did.)