N

Although I suppose if you were already in a ninja outfit for some reason, that was entirely unnecessary. Oh well.

With all the ninja-based games out there, I’m quite thankful that the old media assertions about video games altering behavior are pure and utter crap. Otherwise I’d be afraid to walk out the door for fear of being tanto-sliced. And that’s really what comes through in most ninja games, violence and insane ninja flip-outs. N is a game that takes the high road; it sticks to the stealth and speed aspect of ninjas, much to its benefit.

N is a beautifully minimalistic game. The graphics are plain and iconic, and the animation for the little black protagonist is wonderfully fluid. What is more amazing is how fluid the game feels. You feel more invincible – and yet more vulnerable and fidgety – playing N than you do playing any other ninja game there is. Vaulting straight up walls, skidding to a halt right before a fatal floor-slam, slipping away from rockets just before they hit… N is full of moments that feel cinematic, a wonder with the aforementioned minimalist graphics. Add to that an incredible spread of levels, and you’ve got a winning browser game. Perhaps not perfect; the sound is also painfully minimalist, and there’s a bit of disparity in difficulty between some levels, but darn close.