N , a new DS game published by Atari and Metanet Software, creates a wonderful balance between excitement, suspense, and frustration. As much as I cursed my constant deaths the payoff when I rejoiced after beating a level on my tenth try was completely worth it. This platform game will have you dodging missiles, avoiding bombs, jumping, running, sliding down walls, and collecting gold, all in the attempt to prove you are an awesome ninja.

The basic concept of the game is that the main character, a ninja, has advanced speed, agility, and abilities which allow him to perform amazing feats. The catch? These abilities come with an advanced metabolism that reduces the character’s life span to one and a half minutes. So what does the character choose to do with his shortened amount of time?

Your goal is to traverse through five mini levels before your life is up. To reach the end of each mini level you must hit a switch to open the exit and then reach the exit, all the while avoiding all sorts of dangers, ranging from missiles and bombs to being crushed or falling to your death. To extend your life you can collect gold pieces that add two seconds each to your lifespan and, luckily, you can die an unlimited amount of times with the only consequence being that you must return to the start of that mini level. If you find yourself in an inescapable scenario- like stuck between two trap doors with no switch in sight- and do not feel like waiting for the timer to run out you can always detonate yourself and start the mini level once again.

At a glance this plot seems rather weak- as there seems to be no real conclusion to the game- but the game was not hurt at all by it’s lack of a ‘definite plot’. This actually seemed to help this game, making it the perfect game to pick up and play for a couple of minutes, such as when waiting for your order at a restaurant to finish or for a doctor’s appointment. The fact that you can typically pick up the game and play through a level in about two or three minutes makes it a great ‘grab’n’go’ game.

On top of that, since this game doesn’t have a progressive plot and each level shares the same scenario, you do not have to worry about putting this game down for a couple of weeks and coming back not knowing what your objective is or what happened last. As a result, this game is great for serious gamers and casual ones alike.

Even better is the range of difficulty offered by this game- some of the levels required repeated tries that bordered on maddening while others seemed to be a breeze. Thankfully, in case one of the levels seems completely unbeatable, completion of all the initial levels is not required in order to unlock the next set. This made the game a lot more fun and more user friendly- if you just wanted to skip a level and move on, it’s possible, significantly lowering the frustration that could come with some of the levels.

The game was certainly long enough for me, offering plenty of levels to play and many bonuses to unlock. Even if you unlock and complete every level the replay value of this game is good enough to offer even more hours of play. And, if the levels provided are not enough for you, the game also allows the player to build their own levels.

That’s right, N allows the player to build and play their own levels. Even better, with the Wi-Fi capabilities, you can then upload your custom levels online for others to enjoy- though it’s suggested in the manual you be courteous and make sure your level can be completed- and download levels created by other N gamers. There are also multiplayer options available so you can play with your friends in either co-op or against them in competitions.

The audio fits the game very well, though the repetitive music did eventually get a little boring. The graphics were appropriate and fun, and despite how annoying it is to die one cannot help but smile as each death contained a bit of humor in how the character ‘falls apart’ as they get blown apart or electrocuted. The dynamic background was probably one of the best ideas as the backdrop changes gradually from blue to red as your run out of time. This was probably most helpful as you are often too busy watching for dangers as you race through the level to keep an eye on the timer.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed  N and would highly recommend it. My only complaints with the game is how little you use the DS touch screen, which is only ever used outside of the actual game play in the level construction mode. Also, because some levels are much more difficult than others, some players may lose patience with the game or become bored with the somewhat ‘repetitive’ nature of the game. Thus, this game is preferable for people who do not mind games in which it feels like you are completing the same task repeatedly or people who have lots of patience. All together I believe this game is a wonderful platform game and a great addition to anyone’s collection, providing hours of fun and a plot that is perfect for either a few minutes or a few hours of play.

Overall Grade: A minus