Mechanics

This page contains some info about the core mechanics of the game.

Beat

Most actions performed by the player must be done to the beat of the music. All actions can be performed on either a full beat or a half beat (these are not musical terms - they relate to the rhythm bar). These actions include:

• Firing
• Reloading
• Dodging (Dashing)
• Using abilities

Note that jumping, interacting (opening chests, etc.), and moving do not have to be done to the beat of the song, and do not count as mistakes if not done to the beat of the song.

Enemies also attack to the beat of the music.

Mistakes

The mistake indicator

The following things are considered mistakes and will reset the score multiplier and count against a flawless room clear:

• Attempting to perform an action off-beat (the action will not be performed)
• Attempting to perform two actions on the same beat (neither action will be performed)
• Taking damage

Upon making a mistake (except when taking damage), a red diamond indicator will appear on the rhythm bar.

The following things prevent you from performing an action, but do not count as mistakes:

• Attempting to use an ability on beat while that ability is on cooldown
• Attempting to reload when ammo is already full or infinite
• Attempting to shoot when ammo is empty
• Missing a shot
• Taking damage when room cleared

Coins

Coins are the currency used to purchase items at shops and activate altars.

Rhythm Bar

The Rhythm Bar

The rhythm bar appears in the center of the screen and acts as both a crosshair and an indicator of when to perform actions on beat.

The large chevrons indicate full beats, and the small chevrons indicate half beats. Any action can be performed on either a full or half beat.

Indicators

When fighting certain enemies, the rhythm bar will display special indicators instead of the usual full beat chevrons. These indicators warn the player that an action needs to be taken to avoid an attack.

Directional dodge indicator on Draugr's area attacks.

Directional dodge indicator

• Shown as an ornate, bolded beat chevron on one side of the rhythm bar.
• Indicates that the player should dash in the direction show by the chevron when it reaches the center.
• Unique to Draugr's area attacks.
• This attack can also be avoided by strafing instead of dashing.
  

Dodge indicator on one of Ymir's projectile attacks.

Dodge indicator

• Shown as an ornate, bolded beat chevron on both sides of the rhythm bar.
• Indicates that the player should dash either left or right when it reaches the center.
• Examples include Guardian projectiles and Nidhogg's fireball.
• Some attacks with this indicator can also be avoided by strafing instead of dashing.
  

Jump indicator on one of Draugr's projectile attacks.

Jump indicator

• Shown as a bolded half-chevron on the top half of both sides of the rhythm bar and converges in the center to form an upwards-pointing chevron.
• Indicates that the player should jump when it reaches the center.
• Examples include one of Draugr's projectile attacks and Gullveig's ground attack.
• Timing the jump to the indicator is not necessary since jumps can be performed off-beat. These attacks will miss as long as you aren't on the ground when the indicator reaches the center.
  

Hide/Block indicator on Ymir's beam.

Hide/block Indicator

• Shown as a dotted beat chevron on both sides of the rhythm bar.
• Indicates that the player should hide behind something or Block when it reaches the center. Examples include Ymir's beam and Fire Eater barrage.
• Attacks are usually long-lasting or involve lots of targeted projectiles.
• Some attacks with this indicator can also be avoided by strafing instead of hiding or blocking.
  

Score

Performing actions on beat increases a score multiplier that ranges from x1 up to x4. Making a mistake resets the score multiplier to x1. The score multiplier is not affected while no enemies are in the room. On every beat of the song, an amount of score is lost depending on the amount of time spent in the run.

Start time	End time	Score lost per beat
00:00	9:59	-1
10:00	19:59	-10
20:00	29:59	-100
30:00	39:59	-200
40:00	49:59	-400
50:00	59:59	-1000
60:00+		-2000

Room clears

To clear a room, all enemies in the room must be killed. The room is only counted as "clear" the first time all the enemies in the room are killed (killing enemies that spawn in from a Slotted Chest, Cursed Chest and second /third activated Challenge room after the room has been cleared does not count as clearing the room again).

After a room is cleared, a message is displayed on screen indicating the quality of the clear. The quality of the clear depends on how many mistakes were made while clearing the room:

• "Flawless Clear": Made no mistakes
• "Good Clear": Made 1 mistake
• "Okay Clear": Made 2-4 mistakes
• "Room Cleared": Made 5+ mistakes or Auto Rhythm is enabled.

Upon clearing a room, a chest appears (except for some miniboss rooms or if the zone has the Barren Modifier). A Flawless Chest appears when the room is cleared flawlessly; otherwise a Plain Chest appears. There is a random chance that a more rare chest will appear regardless of the clear quality.