Despite its age, I still have fond memories of playing the original N on Flash websites more than 20 years ago. So, when Metanet reached out about giving their newest game, the curiously named N Plus Infinity Times Two, at Summer Game Fest, I didn’t hesitate in the slightest. Having gone hands-on with a handful of multiplayer modes, I can confidently say my instincts were spot on.
For the purists out there, let me alleviate your concerns right off the bat. N Plus Infinity Times Two features the same finely-tuned, momentum-based platforming you’ve grown accustomed to, which is still present and accounted for. Everything from wall jumps, preserving momentum on sloped surfaces, and every hazard known to man (from homing rockets to laser traps) is still at the core of Metanet’s latest, but this time around, there are several multiplayer and co-operative modes to go alongside the collection of single-player focused levels.
Race is a free-for-all type mode that tasks you (and whoever you’re playing against) with making it to the finish line while also collecting gold scattered throughout the stage. There are some fun nuances to figure out here; taking time to collect gold will boost your score and put you ahead of the pack, but the first person to reach the stage’s end will trigger an end phase, where the remaining players’ score will begin decreasing with every second that passes. Whoever makes it to the goal can also fire off and manually control a single rocket, which means that you can choose to finish faster and forgo collecting more gold in the hopes of taking out a rival player, which means they won’t score for the current round.
Team Tag, on the other hand, is more cooperative. For our demo, we split into two teams of two players each, alternating between playing as hunters and as ninjas. Ninjas have one important goal: surviving, with a counter ticking up the longer you stay alive (collecting gold also boosts this counter significantly). On the other hand, Hunters need to eliminate Ninjas as fast as possible, and they can do so by running into them, or turning themselves into a rocket and landing a hit.
We didn’t get a chance to check out any of N Plus Infinity Times Two’s single-player content. Still, from what we’ve seen from its multiplayer, we’re expecting another solid dose of good-old platforming, with the series’ unique take on momentum-based movement fully intact.
N Plus Infinity Times Two is set to launch in 2027 for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
