N++ (NPLUSPLUS)
I played this game for over 60 hours on PS4, getting every achievement (currently the same achievements on both platforms).
Skip this first paragraph if you want to get straight to pros, cons, and opinion
N++ is a simple in concept minimalistic 2d platformer. Guide your character, the ninja, avoiding various traps, obstactles, and fall damage in search of riches. (gold coins scattered throughout levels). The ninja can wall jump and move in any direction. Every level has at least one door switch that opens a door to the end of the level. Navigate to that open door to finish a level. There are between 2000 and 2500 total official levels in three modes called Co-op, race, and solo mode ranging from easy/tutorial scaling up to the extremely challenging. All of these modes consist of episodes that have a pack of 5 levels together. As time passes in a level the score counts down. When that score hits 0 the ninja explodes and must start the level over. The time is additive in every episode. Collecting gold adds time. After beating an episode, it is possible to select levels individually. There are global leaderboards for every individual level and episode as well as friend leaderboards and replays for every best personal score. There is an in-game editor where players can make and play community made levels.
– Real player with 491.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Precision Platformer Local Multiplayer Games.
N has been a series I’ve followed since around 2006, where I would secretly play it during class. The game was pretty special back then since it was made in flash, yet it was so well made and content rich that it could of passed as a AAA title at the time. Flash forward to 2016 with the release of N++ and it still holds strong as being one of the best platformers out there.
N++ is the best version of N, being the most polished and content rich of the series, but what makes this game truely special is something that has existed since the first version of N, that being its very well executed movement mechanics. N was a game that focused purely on platforming, there’s basically no story, no abilities, no player gimmicks, no killing enemies (they’re are plenty of enemies to kill you however). It’s just you and your ability to run, jump and wall jump.
– Real player with 420.1 hrs in game
Moustache Mountain
A short and succint platforming game. Lovely pixel art and that is to be commended on. You are navigating a character that is burly + presumably has muscular legs that can propel him very far, but runs a 15 min mile. He is faster jumping/hopping than running…
Things that may aggravate you 1) having to restart from the very beginning after 3 mustaches are lost. Perhaps at say level 6, a check point, then level 12 another one? 2) Smoother/more reactive wall jumping. The concept of wall jumping is great as it offers more flexibility and variable game play into a platforming game. But when you wall jump in this game, you almost have to button mash to jump off the wall before you slide off the wall (because you slide very fast - gravity!) and into your most likely death. So it becomes less focusing on how to wall jump to a specific location, but more button mash and hope you make it after that. Although, enough gameplay, this should be remedied. 3) No way to replenish a lost mustache. I finished it with only one lost at the last level, but for the less capable gamer, having a way to replenish a lot life due to a learning mistake or mis-jump later on in the game would be nice. Granted, continuously play throughs will get you used to each map and you will be able to finish the game easily in the end.
– Real player with 9.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best Precision Platformer Difficult Games.
I love to support indie developers, and so I pick up a lot of their games. Moustache Mountain is an example of this, and I tried really hard to like it. I really did. But even at a low price, the flaws in this game far outweigh the positives.
Now, let me be fair up front and say that I’m not a big platformer guy. I know, that spells bias right there, but I can get on board if there are some interesting mechanics. And that’s the problem here – the mechanics are just boring. One can argue that this is intended to be an NES-throwback, retro experience, but I more get the feel that the game is being limited by either the developer’s experience level or a game builder platform used to create it. In any case, while the levels are “randomized” (they’re not randomly generated, but merely picked at random from a pre-selected set), none of them are very interesting, and you beat the game if you get past level 15. I found a lot of the challenges to be cheaply frustrating, like having to jump around a ledge/overhang while you’re trying to bounce up the wall. Maybe my lack of platforming prowess is what was holding me back, but I usually had to try 10-12 times to complete this manuever, only to die on some spike once I got past it, and then start over from the beginning of the level again.
– Real player with 7.3 hrs in game
Amberial Dreams
In the long gone days of 2007, Amberial landed on the indie Flash gaming scene, and over the course of 4 games accumulated over 2 million players! 15 years later, Amberial Dreams brings the series back with a bang, boasting a brand-new engine, more contraptions than ever before, but the same basic premise: only two buttons to move, no jumping allowed.
The Avatar can only roll left and right, but that does not mean it can’t make impressive feats of traversal! Every surface in the world reacts to you and helps you gain momentum. You can get anywhere you want, as long as you don’t stop rolling.
Amberial Dreams features beautiful and diverse environments where its platforming action unfolds. From bright bubblegum skies to the deepest pits in which you are the only light source, all the way to biomes in which all color has been extinguished.
Do you love a good story filled with secrets, lore and unique characters? We’ve got you covered!
Would you rather focus on speed running your way to the top of the leaderboards? We also have you covered!
From the start, we’ve aimed to offer a good experience to all types of players. If you want to experience a sprawling narrative about the consequences of your dreams, it’s right there, presented by surprising characters with partial voice acting and much to tell you. Uncover lore hidden in the environment and understand the secrets of the galaxy of Dew’s Vision.
You’d rather bounce your way to first place in one of our wickedest levels? No problem, just press the skip button when a cutscene starts and move right along, you won’t be penalized, and the game’s open-ended approach to levels will never leave you lost.
It is our belief that you should be able to build any level we can, and why not, do even better! Our fully featured editor incorporates all game pieces, per-piece coloring, per-piece depth sorting, interactable switches, portals, paths for object movement, as well as convenient features such as multi-select, undo and redo. The editor is constantly updated based on community feedback!
Join our official Discord server! Most of our development is done together with our players. You are the ones we are building this for, after all!
Double Jump
This game is fun. I didn’t play with 2 players, but coordinating myself jumping and moving was still a big challenge. Try out the game. It’s good for what it’s worth.
– Real player with 11.0 hrs in game
Fantastic Game 10/10 Have Played Twice
– Real player with 7.2 hrs in game
Escape Game Fort Boyard
This is a big improvement over the last game with more games included. I recommend it. I like the Boyard Party mode and there is nothing i dislike about it.
– Real player with 31.4 hrs in game
Much better than previous version, more challenges, but still there are a lot of bugs to fix. (for example your teammate stays in the Treasure room even when the time is up.)
– Real player with 20.6 hrs in game
COSMOS
EDIT: Since posting my original review, the developer has gone in and addressed some of my issues. I originally did not recommend this game, but I have updated my review to reflect those changes.
Here’s what you do:
You play through vertical scrolling stages, climbing, jumping, and shooting enemies. You can aim freely of your movement with either a mouse cursor or right stick on a controller. There are six world with up to 20 short levels in each (each world varies). There are no boss battles. One hit will kill you, restarting the stage. The goal is to get to the top of each level while taking out all the enemies (and surviving).
– Real player with 4.3 hrs in game
Fun platformer run and gun game. Short, but enjoyable. The only thing I would change, though, is more customizable controls. The aiming is much easier on mouse and keyboard, but I ended up playing on controller because I prefer not using the space bar to jump.
– Real player with 3.8 hrs in game
Super Cable Boy
There’s a lot of decent precision platformers out there, but this one is more than that. It really stands out. It plays good, the music is surprisingly good, and the level design is really top notch. Honestly, everything about this game feels really polished and thought-out. It just clicks.
Super Cable Boy manages to keep your interest by giving you access to additional abilities every once in a while. You can switch between unlocked abilities at any time in any level, and chain them together. Completely optional collectibles either require precise execution or using your abilities in creative ways (or both).
– Real player with 110.6 hrs in game
This game feels very familiar, as it clearly takes inspiration from other popular indie platformers. Out of the games I’ve personally played, I think it matches Celeste most closely with its gameplay loop. I was also reminded of Fez with some of the stylistic choices. Having finished it today, I can confidently recommend the game with flying colors to anyone who is a fan of the 2D platforming genre, even going so far as to say Super Cable Boy can contend with other popular 2D platforming gems on Steam like Celeste, The End is Nigh, Dustforce DX, Super Meat Boy, VVVVVV, and Sonic Mania.
– Real player with 13.8 hrs in game
Rad Rocket
Hear ye, hear ye! Hear the news… and despair! For the robots have acquired rockets!
This is very much a fun, although frustrating game! The style is pretty memorable and reminds me of Borderlands. Controls are somewhat tricky in the beginning though I picked ‘em up quickly enough. The collisions/mouse are sometimes a bit finicky still, though maybe this is more of a ‘git gud’ aspect than an actual complaint :P
I’m definitely failing/falling often, most of the times by attempting to grab the collectible hats (which are very cute!) but the smooth smooth soundtrack helps rein in the frustration… No, seriously, the jazz is smoother than a baby’s bottom. Each time I go up again, though, I get a little bit better, a little bit faster, so I’d say this game also has lots of speed run potential! All in all, a pretty great game for a solid price!
– Real player with 32.3 hrs in game
60 minute review (in-depth review will follow after 10 hours)!
This game! It’s funny, it’s frustrating but mostly it’s frustratingly funny!
First experience:
After 60 minutes all I can say is: “FFFFFFFFFFuuuuudge” since I dropped down again after a brutal climb where I eventualy panicked from making the right move/jump!
And what do you get for it as a reward? A hat and a 300 meter drop back to the start.
Silver lining: Atleast you will develop the needed skills for that first part pretty fast.
– Real player with 1.6 hrs in game
The Mole Men
The Mole Men is a very addictive 2D action game up to 4 players and you should buy it !
Here’s why :
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The rogue lite aspect of the game gives the player many possibilities, as there are many equipments and skills available for the character. There are also many differents missions like rescuing a NPC or finding and destroying computer servers. Some of the missions unlock new classes to the character that change the way they will be played. The replay value is great !
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Its gameplay needs practice first but when mastered, it gives the player the feeling of accomplishment as they will kill group of enemies without taking damage and will successfully avoid lava by using the rope. With this fast-paced gameplay, it has great tools to be a speedrun potential game.
– Real player with 29.0 hrs in game
I love the sound design since I’m “old”, the gameplay is something I didn’t know I was craving since broforce, keep kicking ass Devs, this is a gem!
– Real player with 11.2 hrs in game
Amazing Chicken Adventures 🐔
I love the game, I think it should have tutorials for newbies. Otherwise, the art is cute and game play is good.
– Real player with 0.4 hrs in game