Posted Fri Feb 28, 2014 at 08:30 AM PST by Brian Hoss
"the ninja moves with an exaggerated sense of inertia and momentum."
Described as coming "soonish," 'N++' looks to bring the legacy of one the most addictively fiendish platformers to the PS4. Born on the PC as 'N,' the game exploded as an early XBLA hit as the multiplayer 'N+.' And now, with the impending sequel coming to the PS4, the developer, Metanet, is attemping to explain the game to the uninitiated.
From Mare Sheppard, co-founder of Metanet, "For those of you who don’t really know what N++ is, today we’re going to delve further into one simple question: "What is N++?'
"The genre that best describes N++ is without a doubt "platformer." You play as a tiny ninja who runs and jumps around a 2D side-view world full of interactive objects and deadly enemies, collecting gold and trying to make it safely to the next level. It’s fast-paced, tense and exciting.
"However, N++ has a unique feel which distinguishes it from other platformers: the ninja moves with an exaggerated sense of inertia and momentum. Gradually learning how to control the ninja — developing an intuition for how it will react and how to harness its momentum — is one of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of the game. Once mastered, the ninja is capable of some fantastically agile acrobatics. There’s nothing like the thrill of pulling off a difficult maneuver to soar untouched through a swarm of enemies."
Mare goes on the explain the explicit nature of each surface in a level, and how the ninja reacts. Of course, the levels' visibility, which shows the entire level in a single screen is explained as allowing players to plan a route, which is more like an attempt. Each level requires that the exit be unlocked, and that the running clock be respected over the course of multiple levels.
The game's precise vector graphics are highlighted as a way to deliver the smoothest action, "so you can feel the ninja's movement across fractions of a pixel."
As for multiplayer, "N++ will also feature several multiplayer modes which let you cooperate or compete with your friends. Co-op sees two ninjas helping each other to reach the exit alive; these levels tend to be fairly devious and often involve traps and tricks which players must figure out together. Race mode is, as the name suggests, a 4-player race to the exit. The rules encourage some risk/reward excitement, and you’ll have to decide whether it’s better to just bolt for the exit, or grab some gold on the way.
"We’re also introducing a new Deathmatch mode, inspired by one of our favourite classic freeware games, Jump n Bump (you can try it here, best with four players). This mode will feature arena-like levels where ninjas battle to survive. We’ll talk more about the multiplayer modes in a later post, but hopefully this is enough to pique your curiosity for now!"
You can find the latest info on 'N++' linked from our Video Game Release Schedule.
Source: PlayStation Blog.
Author: Brian Hoss
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