Platforming will remain as one of the genres with greatest longevity in my gaming life. I started with nothing less, and I like nothing more to this day than just jumping around. They've evolved over the years, sure, but a spot-on formula for this type of game is always in the quirks that lie within each individual title's framework ... though pixel-perfect accuracy seems to remain one of the simplest ways to ensure a smile on a gamer's face. N+ is a follow-up to its popular predecessor on the PC, N, and is now available as another respectable choice on Xbox Live Arcade. With just a lonely little ninja and a strong pair of legs, does this game have enough to offer for even the more demanding Xbox 360 owner?

A strong centerpiece is important when crafting a game, so if a game has a good focus, you can really enjoy what it's bringing to the table throughout. N+ is about jumping: jumping high, jumping low, jumping far. The game offers a wide array of ways to jump, so you'll never be let down by committing to the seemingly same jump over and over. So N+ has a strong foundation. The capper to this fact is that the foundation itself is very simplistic, which is the best word to describe the entire package. Depth through simplicity is always hard to achieve, but N+ does it with style and grace.

The goal of each episode (which contains five levels each) is to navigate your little ninja through a series of obstacles in hopes of hitting the switch before time runs out and getting to the door safely. You may increase your time by gaining gold, though it's always a secondary option. The choice to extend the time limit to the overall episode across all five levels is neat, as it puts an emphasis on a consistent performance, though you'll get used to a 10-second blitzkrieg every time you want to retry for a better score.

The game offers 50+ episodes, providing an overall 250+ missions to choose from. Like a few other titles on Live Arcade, the game errs on the side of charitable caution by throwing loads of content the player's way in hopes that the casual player will enjoy the first dozen episodes and a more interested party will be able to draw just as much enjoyment by plowing through twice the amount of levels. Most of the episodes are cleverly titled and might suggest a tip as to how to avoid any number of deathtraps or enemies that lie in wait for the sole purpose of ninja disassembly. That said: the game's greatest service lies in the phoenix-like ability the ninja seems to possess for rejuvenation.

If this game wasn't listed as a platformer from the get go, an easy case could be made for classifying it as a death simulation, to test the very limits of variety in ninja resiliency. This game will kill you. A LOT. You will die in several thousand ways depending on how long you take the game for a spin, and somehow, that remains one of the game's most entertaining aspects. With a realistic (for a 2D title) physics engine to marvel at, you'll feel just as pleased with the appropriate gravity given to the spot-on controls as you will watching your shredded remains fly to and fro on the stage long after you've died. I'd say the urge to destroy yourself in a fit of experimentation never comes up too often, as every single object, speed and trap will do you in far more than you'll keep track of. With the inclusion of a self-destruct button (seriously!) in case of mistake, the game is a testament to good old-fashioned game design when living is as fun as dying.

The learning curve is more than fair, as there is a generous amount of tutorial episodes and build-up levels to the really nasty stuff. The spectrum of content provided for the seemingly large range of player skill the game is catering to is astounding. While most people will be able to get a full game's worth of experience out of the first 20 levels alone, pounding through all 50 episodes (to then be greeted with the N+ expert challenge levels) will give the game untold shelf life for anyone who can't get enough. Leaderboards sweeten the deal in a big way, as repeated playthrough will showcase speed running and revive a niche gaming fad I've long since missed. Any game with the gravitas to bring the kind of cultivated skill and patient fun of speed running back as an obvious alternative of play is definitely a game that uses determined wit to entertain anyone who gets their hands on it. The game shifts with the player in short, fun and relaxing to fast and competitive; the game maintains both in a smart way.

The theme of simplicity continues into the visual façade of the game as well, as all of the levels are represented in a pale color scheme of white on grey, with ninja boy and enemies represented in bright blues and mines in bright reds. It looks stylish and simple but will mess with your head when first looking at a challenge riddled with room traps. The aesthetic is quite pleasing on the eyes, and I much prefer the minimalistic approach to complement the game's strong command of more from less. On the audio side, you'll only be accompanied by one streaming techno track across all episodes, but it's long and calm enough so that it will never be a distraction. I guess if you aren't a fan of techno or end up not liking that one song, you're going to be out of luck — besides playing a custom CD on your 360, of course. I'm usually so absorbed into the level's challenges, my concentration is blurred to anything else.

You can participate in special co-op levels (or choose to play the entire single-player campaign with a friend) or play directly competing in a race or survival format. All of this would improve the game's already good replayabiliy story, if the online wasn't so laggy. I'm not an expert on latency issues or Internet connection methods for online gaming, but how such a simple design like N+ or 2D fighters seem to be plagued with over-the-top lag and how something like a Call of Duty 4 can run flawlessly eludes me. The multiplayer will be fun, if you bring some tolerance along with your ninja in the pregame lobby.

So much game for such a little download! The only real downfalls of all this content are that some people might not get to see some of the crazier level designs, the level editor output is nontransferable (cannot download or share levels among live users) and the multiplayer needs some fixes in fluid play. The game's focus IS on jumping, though, and that is as entertaining as can be. N+ is an easy choice for an Xbox Live Arcade download and should keep you jovially obliterated for some time.