N++

The addictive gameplay and stylish design of N+ fit almost perfectly into the tight confines of today's handhelds.

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.

The original N helped kick-start the indie precision platforming movement, and N++ is the same gameplay refined to a polished sheen and expanded to the point of near infinitude. Control and movement are as precise as any platforming fan could ask for, and the number of levels and challenges are truly staggering. Simultaneously, the minimalistic audio and video presentation tends toward monotony, and the lack of meaningful rewards means your primary reason for continuing is progress for the sake of progress.

The level design is actually impeccable and utterly fair - you soon come to realise that every flat surface, every slope, every hazard, has been placed precisely to make your life harder, or easier, depending on whether you've figured it out. There are puzzles here that will find you leaving tiny crescent-shaped teeth marks in your controller, swearing that you hate this game and will never play it again ever. Then you suddenly see the problem from a different angle, realise that you can jump up to there, wall-jump across to there, and hit the switch from up here, dropping down into the exit a...