N+ Knock Off Ninjascape Hits The App Store
by Mike Lata
May 30, 2011
If you're familiar with the Flash-gaming scene you should recognize the name N or N+. The game is a super fast-paced platformer where you control a black ninja and wall jump your way through many levels. A new App Store knock off called Ninjascape has just hit the iPhone.
During the time I spent playing the game, I could appreciate the similarity of this copy to the real thing -- down to the graphical tiles being identical. However, the controls will take some getting used to for veterans of the Flash game. You have left and right arrows and tap anywhere on the touchscreen to jump.
The problem with this method lies in the physics of the jumps and how small and close to one another the arrows are (as well as how low on the screen they are located). I just wish they were further apart and larger like in League of Evil.
The physics are a bit off, or strange, because once you jump and pull back on the opposite arrow you don't really lose momentum. It's difficult to stop jumps or slow down in midair. Also if you want to wall jump you have to keep holding the arrow toward the wall otherwise the ninja may just fall instead of jumping -- if you tap and press the opposite direction to jump.
The history of the game is quite interesting. N+ had a massive cult following with users creating custom levels for it. It got so insane that when the game was ported to the PSP and Nintendo DS, many of these levels were included. It was the game that brought content creation to platforming-based games, even before Little Big Planet for the Playstation 3 did it.
The game is quite challenging and enjoyable despite the few physics and control issues. I recommend checking it out especially since it may be pulled soon for copyright violation issues. The file size is really small and manageable as well. If the app doesn't get pulled and the developer adds League of Evil style of controls, this could become one of the best flinch (fast-paced) platformers on the App Store.
Ninjascape is currently available on the App Store for $.99.