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N (video game)

freeware video game developed by Metanet Software

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 14, 2026
Entity authorityQ1890066
Source-derived summary

N (stylized as n) is a freeware video game developed by Metanet Software. It was inspired in part by Lode Runner, Soldat, and other side-scrolling games. It was the first of the N series, followed by N+ and N++. N won the audience choice award in the downloadables category of the 2005 Independent Games Festival.

Gameplay

In N, the player controls a ninja who navigates tile-based levels while simultaneously avoiding hazards, collecting gold, and eventually opening an exit door which completes the level. Gameplay involves four keys—a move-left key (default: left arrow), a move-right key (default: right arrow), jumping (default: shift key, though z key is a common alternative), and suicide (default: k key). Combinations of moving and jumping on various types of terrain allow the ninja to perform a variety of movements, such as jumping from wall to wall, climbing up vertical inclines, and sliding down steep surfaces.

Version 1.4 of N contains 100 episodes (numbered 00 to 99), while version 2.0 contains 120 episodes (due to two bonus columns being unlockable after the completion of the main game episodes). Each episode in all iterations of the game features five levels (numbered 0 to 4). N also supports user-made levels.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “N (video game)” as freeware video game developed by Metanet Software. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around video, game and freeware.

Editorial reviewA sound reference starting point where classification, measurement and the date of the underlying evidence remain visible. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2005—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 2005-05-16. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with video, game and freeware providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “N (video game)”, the useful work is to connect “freeware video game developed by Metanet Software” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1890066. 2 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2005.

Critical limits

Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

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  2. Expand the search: follow N (video game) primary sources, N (video game) archive and video research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from N (video game)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.