N is an award-winning [1] freeware Macromedia Flash computer game developed by Metanet Software . It is based on Lode Runner, but features a realistic physics engine. The name is derived from the 'The Way of the Ninja', which is described in the background story. N features a ninja, who is the player-controlled character in the game.

Story

You are a ninja.

Your god-like speed, dexterity, jumping power, and reflexes are all a result of an amazingly fast metabolism; sadly, so is your natural lifetime of 1.5 minutes.

Like all ninjas, you have an unquenchable thirst for gold, a natural propensity for exploring rooms infested by increasingly lethal ninja-killing robots, and a devout belief in N.

N, "the way of the ninja", is a highly advanced system of spiritual, cognitive, and physical training. It emphasizes pacifism, humility, and the need to traverse a series of 5 rooms before the end of your lifetime, a feat known only as "beating an episode".

In accordance with the teachings of N, it is your profound hope that one day you will develop the skill, intelligence, and inexplicable ability to reincarnate necessary to achieve mastery of all 90 episodes.

Gameplay

N is composed of episodes, each featuring five levels, numbered 0 through 4. In N 1.3, there are 60 episodes, which equates to 300 levels. N 1.4, the latest version (still in beta stage), adds 30 more episodes (150 more levels), bringing the total up to 450 levels. The goal of each level is to trigger the remote terminal and exit through the door that it opens, before the 90-second time limit is up. Some levels have more than one door and associated remote terminals.

Objects

Along the way, the ninja will encounter various objects.

• Gold adds 2 seconds to the time limit. Time limits are carried over to the next level in the episode
• Launchpads launch the ninja into the air
• One-way platforms
• Bounce blocks
• Doors (regular, locked, trap and exit)

Deaths

There are various ways to die in N:

• Impact from hitting any surface too hard (objects included)
• Electrocution by a zap drone
• Explosion by a mine or rocket
• Assassination by a gun turret or drone
• Pulverization by a rising or falling thwump
• Jumping up walls at such a high speed that hitting the ceiling has the same impact as falling from too high
• Suicide, which kills the ninja with the press of a button. At times the ninja becomes trapped and unable to complete the level, which is known as "undeath"

Each time you die, you are allowed to retry the level immediately. Running out of time is equivalent to dying, meaning you need to restart the level.

Enemies

Various enemies seek to kill the ninja:

• Mines are stationary but will cause the ninja to explode if touched
• Homing turrets fire explosive homing rockets
• Gauss turrets fire an instantaneous shot in a straight line at the ninja
• Laser drones, which move and fire at the ninja if in the line of sight
• Zap drones, which can run various behaviour algorithms
• Chaingun drones, which fire a rapid succession of bullets in the direction of the ninja, if in the line of sight
• Floorchasers, which move along the ground toward the ninja if in the line of sight
• Thwumps will move toward the ninja if in the line of sight

Highscores

Top N players compete to beat levels with the highest time possible. The current highscore leader is trib4lmaniac.

Ned

N comes complete with a full level editor to make your own personal maps. It is accessed by either pressing the tilde (~) or backslash (\) key (depending on keyboard layout) at the main menu. Once completed, maps can be submitted to NUMA for review by the masses.

Community

N has an active community, mainly based around highscores and custom levels, which congregates at the Metanet Forums.

The N User Map Archive, is a collection of levels created by players. At NUMA you can submit, rate, review, and download other levels users have made in Ned.

External links

• Metanet Software - N
• Metanet Forums
• N User Map Archive
• N-Vision
• N Episode Help Site