Cassette Block

Cassette Blocks
Other names	Alternating Blocks Rhythm Blocks
Found in	1  •  2  •  3 4  •  5  •  6 7  •  8  •  9
List of entities

Cassette Blocks (also known as Rhythm Blocks) are mechanics that appear in all A-Sides, all B-Sides, and Farewell. They appear and disappear every two beats, either accordingly to an 8-bit version of the level's track (found in Madeline's Grab Bag), or 07  •   Final Defiance (in Farewell). Activated blocks behave like any other tile; deactivated blocks appear dimmed and can be phased through. If Madeline is inside the deactivated block, it will remain deactivated and allow her to leave it freely. Cassette Blocks may also have spikes on them, colored identically to the block itself, which act the same as regular spikes.

Cassette blocks in A/B Sides

Both the A-Sides and B-Sides feature only two block colors: blue and pink. They will alternate in a specific rhythm in the same tempo. In A-Sides, the blocks can be found in Cassette Tape rooms, which are usually rather short. Once the player collects the tape, the Rhythm Blocks deactivate for the rest of the chapter.

In B-Sides, Rhythm Blocks appear at the very end of the chapter. Instead of the tape, there is a Crystal Heart at the end of the room, collecting which ends the level. They behave the same as in A-Sides and the design around them is similar as well. In Summit and Core, they also have spikes attached to them.

Every cassette room features an 8-bit remix of the chapter's theme, all of them having the same BPM (beats per minute).

Cassette blocks in Farewell

Farewell's 6th checkpoint, Stubbornness, adds yellow and green block colors. They go through the entire cycle: blue → pink → yellow → green, looping after green. If green isn't available in the level, the cycle ends at the yellow color. This is the only subchapter where they appear.

In Farewell, Cassette Blocks alternate at different speeds, from normal to slower and faster. The music also changes to Final Defiance, and the blocks play an echo-y ticking sound instead of the usual clicking noise, creating a more gloomy atmosphere.

Trivia

• Yellow and green Cassette Blocks were in the game files for a long time, but they remained unused until the release of Farewell.
• The in-game music's ticking noises depend on the blocks' tempo, whereas in Celeste: Farewell OST the tempo depends on the music progression.
• Spikes attached to Cassette Blocks didn't use to be colored depending on the block's color, and they disappeared once the block became inactive. It was changed in version 1.2.5.0.
  • Other types of spikes also change their colors, but in the vanilla game, only the default ones are shown.
• If you stay inside a block through the entire cycle, it will start moving up by a pixel on every beat, allowing the player to mess up its position. This quirk is unintended. It can be easily done in the Forsaken City cassette room.
• If you jump as soon as the block pops up, Madeline will get an extra bounce as she jumps. It's caused by the popping-up animation giving her additional momentum. It can be done from both sides if you stand inside a deactivated block, wait for it to become "solid" and buffer a jump when leaving it.
• Every block color has a unique line pattern (appearing when the block is deactivated) for colorblind accessibility.