N++ (NPLUSPLUS)

N++ is the third entry in the N series and the first new release since 2004. Metanet Software spent twelve years between games refining the ninja's movement physics, and the result is the most precise version of momentum-platforming the studio has shipped. Levels are hand-crafted rather than procedurally generated, and there are 4,690 of them in the box.

The core verb is still the original N's blend of running, jumping, wall-sliding, and edge-grabbing through compact rooms full of inadvertently homicidal robots. You collect gold to extend the timer, find the exit before time runs out, and the leaderboards record your time for every level — including levels you build yourself in the included editor. Custom levels share globally through the in-game system.

Local modes scale to four players for co-op and competitive play. Hardcore Mode is single-player only, with the kind of unforgiving permadeath structure only veteran ninjas tend to clear. 63 tracks by top electronic artists fill the audio, and 125 different color palettes let you customize the entire visual feel. There's no skill ceiling — N++ is designed to be returned to indefinitely.