N++ is a gem, a deliciously evil little treat wrapped in moreish gameplay that most developers can only dream of, eliciting cheers and screams in equal measure.
Reviewers are really stupid. That's the main thing I've learned from N++. Just kidding. Only about the second part. Although reviewers don't know what an indie game is and only purchase games for multiplayer functionality, N++ is an outstanding game. Really; I can't believe people can be so blind to the world. Multiplayer was an add-on to the main meat of the game, the single player. And don't take that as a bad thing; the co-op and race levels are ingeniously designed, providing a great couch experience. For everyone who is oblivious to how game development works, Metanet Software couldn't afford online. Instead, they spent their money on an awesome techno soundtrack that helps players such as myself groove along to the gripping, tough-as-nails platforming, as well as everything else I will mention here. The controls of N++ are super smooth, and the way you handle N (and the way N handles edges; I mean, wow!) helps the controller disappear, leaving only the player, and the perfect platformer. The many choices of color theme are beautifully constructed, and they paint the many enemies and obstacles extraordinarily. This game is a **** masterpiece, and if you disagree just because there's no online, then you don't deserve this minimalistic but oh so complex work of art.
This game is platforming boiled down till its minimalist essence and then perfected to the Nth (heh) degree. You are given a single screen with the goal in plain view and its down to you to navigate the landscape while avoiding the enemies that inhabit this world using nothing more than a jump button and the movement keys. And while I feel that the vast vast majority of people will never fully 'complete' this game, there is still more than enough content at an assessable, more casual level that anyone with an interest in platformers will get their $20 dollars worth out of. Personally speaking, at the time of this writing I have over 40 hours invested into this game and I'm still no where near full completion of this game.
The only downside to this game is a lack of online multiplayer (couch only) which is honestly not a huge deal given that as this game is a game that relies on precision, I could only imagine that even the smallest amounts of lag on the best network connections available in this world would still render this game a frustrating experience. If you can get a friend together in the same house the multiplayer stuff that is there just adds to the already extraordinary amount of content that there is.
Are there better platformers available? Possibly, depending on your tastes. But if you are looking for a game that strips away the genre to its bare essentials I find it difficult to imagine there will ever be a game better at that then N++.
I[f] you can get past the cold aesthetic and general lack of character, you will be treated to one of the most addictive and content rich platformers to grace, well, any console...ever.
N++ is a beautiful example of how video games teach players to build relationships with the unseen, turning them into a living connection between the observable world of objects and actions and the invisible simulations of gravity and logic that govern them.
N++ is a further distillation and refinement of what made N and N+ cult classics in the first place. Rather than replacing those games, it expands upon them greatly, with a bafflingly vast array of levels that come to test you mastery of the game’s pure platforming, and the tools to make even more.
N++ is a strange game. You'll love it or you'll hate it and it all depends on whether you are fond of its minimalistic, retro-like very hard puzzles or not.
A beautiful, unique and stylish platformer for all platformer lovers. Amazing gameplay with superb physics, artistic visuals, nice musics and LOTS of levels that take many hours to complete. If you want a challenging experience, you must play this treasure!
I'm close to the platinum trophy in Super Meat Boy. I love a challenge (that's why I picked this up.) But too often, you're being punished for the game's crappy physics engine. Your ninja moves like he's gliding on ice or floating in water, by which I mean you have very little control over him. This isn't twitch. You react, then much, much later, he reacts. It's beyond frustrating. Good level design tho. Just don't do what I did and go from a masterpiece like Meat Boy to this.
How would you feel **** sold you mediocre DLC, then the servers went down indefinitely? That's the vibe you'll get from N++. Fundamentally, there's not much of a difference between N++ and it's predecessor, N+. The game works on the same mechanics, as expected, with a few added features that all seem to fall short.
N++ adds a pretty large amount of new levels with a couple new enemies to spice things up. Unfortunately. the level design just doesn't feel as fun when compared to the previous installment. It feels as if all of the new levels in N++ focus less on fast movements and a fun experience, instead revolving around incredibly tedious and boringly meticulous repetition, consistently having you move slowly to fall ever so precisely between the gap between two bombs. Then grab the key, and do it again. Maybe I've just grown tired of playing N games in general, but I can't help but feel bored by this installment, while I had a lot of fun laying the others. N++ also adds a wide selection of color schemes, though all but one of them are either hideous or obnoxiously bright, leaving only one tolerable choice: "vasquez," which by no surprise is inspired by N+.
Whats more frustrating is how this games lacks two features that were part of what made N+ so enjoyable. Foremost, they scrapped online functionality. I have trouble understanding how someone at Metanet decided that was a good idea, but that's beyond me. I was confused when I couldn't invite a friend to my game, and then found out after a quick google that they took it out. Online functionality isn't just some feature that you can scrap. It's becoming more and more of an essential part of games, especially those with multiplayer, which N++ has. The co-op levels were arguably the most fun part of N+, and I'm sure they're great in N++ too. Unfortunately the only way you can enjoy them is through share play, which is only an inadequate workaround. The other feature they removed was the zooming feature. In short, you were able to adjust the camera in N+ at your discretion, zooming in for more precise areas, or just in general if you felt you were too zoomed out. I always had the camera zoomed in, just because it was a better option versus the full screen mode. In N++ the camera is panned out at all times, which is a very frustrating option.
Now don't just think I'm bashing the game for no reason. I was a huge fan of N+, and preordered N++ because of it. I've since played my way through almost all of N++, with the exception of multiplayer levels for reasons mentioned above. This leads me to one last frustrating point. I figured since I really wasn't all that content with the game, I could just get my platinum trophy and move on, right? Nope. There's one achievement remaining that has been confirmed by the devs to be bugged, with no one in the world unlocking it yet. So after dumping a fair amount of time into this game, I'm currently unable to finish it for good.
Overall, N++ just feels like a soulless reiteration of N+. making it really difficult to stay interested. It's tedious, and lacks a critical component to play fun multiplayer levels. It's a disappointing end to the series, to say the least.
Where's the patch? It's been over a month and the game has yet to patch two major issues. Something involving the level creator corrupts saves, so be sure to stay clear of that. Considering they chose to have level creation and sharing instead of online multiplayer, I would think they would be quick to fix this issue that is a strong deterrent to using it at all.
There's also a bugged achievement, "achieve enlightenment," that they acknowledged. I just wanted to get the platinum and be done with this game, but sadly I cant do that.
The worst thing about it is that there has been absolutely no dev response in nearly a month. Their twitter account is almost entirely devoted to just promoting twitch streams! Why advertise your game further before it's even fixed?
The game itself is the same as N+, but being forced to play it solo really takes a lot away from it. Very disappointing experience.
No multiplayer.... The last one did but this didn't? No wonder the game didn't sell very well. I was looking forward to this but apparently the devs don't want to implement a crucial feature of the game which is very disappointing. 20$ price tag is too high.