Tech
Techniques, often simply known as tech, are special moves Madeline can do to improve her mountain-climbing ability. They come in a wide range of uses and difficulty. Many can be used for skips or "exploits" to skip sections of a level without needing to collect or progress through the level first.
If you want to learn more about a tech, or find a more detailed explanation on how to execute it, visit the 'Main article' link below the tech's name.
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Dash Tech
Dash Tech refers to techs that require a dash to use, and tend to be simple yet useful. Most dash techs can be Extended, meaning you regain a dash by touching the ground for longer; or Reversed, meaning you dash in one direction but launch in the other direction. Reversing a tech is a handy way to Extend it without much ground room, and as such, Reversed + Extended tech is only referred to as Reversed, as reversed techs grant the same benefits as extended versions.
Many of the Dash Techs can be fine-tuned with the duration that the Jump button is held. The longer it is held, the higher the tech will go and the longer Madeline will stay in the air. Very short hops are known as Bunnyhops, while holding the button down as long as possible is a Full Jump.
Superdash (Super)
Supers will boost Madeline forward a good amount, going higher and shorter than Hyperdashes.
To do a Super, dash parallel to the ground and press Jump during the dash. This can be shortened by pressing Jump sooner (or immediately) after Dash.
Extended: Wait longer before Jumping after pressing Dash.
Reversed: Dash in one direction, but press the opposite direction (after the Dash) before Jumping. Madeline will be launched in the opposite direction.
Variant - Mid-Air Super: Supers don't need to touch the ground the entire time; you can Dash from any position and Jump off the ground, and still perform it successfully.
Hyperdash (Hyper)
Hypers will launch Madeline farther and lower than Superdashes, but are slightly harder to pull off.
To do a Hyper, Dash diagonally down while touching the ground, then Jump. Again, it can be shortened by pressing Jump sooner.
Extended: Wait longer before Jumping after pressing Dash. This enables Madeline to Dash after performing a Hyper, instead of having to land afterwards.
Reversed: Dash in one direction, but press the opposite direction (after the Dash) before Jumping. Madeline will be launched in the opposite direction.
Variant - Mid-Air Hyper: See Demohyper below.
Wavedash (Wave)
Wavedashes are a simple way to go far and fast, and as a bonus they automatically give your dash back.
To do a Wavedash, dash diagonally down towards the ground and press jump as you hit the ground.
Reversed: After hitting the ground, Jump the opposite direction of the Dash. This is only useful for tight spots, as wavedashes already restore your dash.
Ultradash (Ultra)
Ultras are a tricky and precise tech to pull off, but are very useful for speedrunning applications due to their extreme speed. They work on the principle that dashing diagonally down will add to your speed instead of ending it with the dash. Just like wavedashes, they will restore your dash when hitting the ground.
To perform an Ultra, Dash diagonally down towards the ground and press Jump the moment when you hit the ground, not before or after.
Ultradashes can not be reversed. Reversing them will result in a Wavedash.
Grounded Ultra (Gultra): You can perform a Wave immediately followed by a down-diagonal Dash, which will give you the momentum of an Ultra, but for a very limited time. This is typically used in speedrunning as the fastest means to travel long flat distances.
Variant - Chained Ultra: Similar to normal Ultras, but you want to dash as soon as you leave the ground. The earlier you dash, the more momentum you get from the Chained Ultra.
Demodash (Demo)
Demos are a neat tech that allow the player to dash between hitboxes and get to spots that are normally not accessible, however are rather difficult to learn.
To perform a Demo, press down right before (within 4 frames or 0.07 seconds) - but not during - a left/right Dash. If done correctly, Madeline's hitbox will remain crouched during the Dash, allowing you to slip through spinners, dust bunnies, and other obstacles unharmed.
Variant - Demohyper: Doing a Super (usually a mid-air one) after the Demo will result in a Hyper, because of the crouched state needed for the Demo in the first place. They are slightly faster than normal Hypers because it begins with a horizontal Dash rather than a diagonal one.
Wallbounce
Wallbounces are aimed vertically rather than horizontally. They are functionally identical to Superdashes, only up. Unlike supers, they will not restore your dash as you aren't touching the ground.
To do a Wallbounce, dash up and parallel to the wall and press Jump.
Variant - Bubble Wallbounce: Wallbounces can be performed directly out of a green bubble without dashing, if the bubble is launched upwards.
Variant - Mid-Air Wallbounce: Wallbounces don't need to touch the wall the entire time; you can do a dash from any position and still kick off the wall.
Dashless Tech
Dashless Tech refers to techs that don't need a dash to use, and tend to be more complex or precise. Unlike the dashing variants, these cannot be extended or reversed.
Bunnyhop (Bhop)
A Bunnyhop is little more than hitting the jump button for as little time as possible.
Variant - Chained Bunnyhop: Repeated bunnyhops is slightly faster than walking.
Cornerkick
Cornerkicks are the use of bottom corners of terrain to kick off, giving a little more distance when it's needed; and are moderately easy to learn.
To cornerkick, aim away from the wall, Jump towards the corner, and press Jump again when you hit the corner.
Crouch Jump/Climb
Crouch Jumps will allow you to get into comfy 1x1 (or 1 tile high) areas. If crouching before a Jump, Madeline will remain crouched while jumping; and can climb while still being crouched.
To do this, hold Crouch, then Jump while holding Crouch. You can throw a Grab into the mix and climbjump at the same time. If you begin falling down, Madeline will uncrouch automatically.
Neutral Jump (Neutral)
Neutrals are one of the most fundamental dashless techs. They allow Madeline to scale flat and uneven walls alike without using any stamina, even with downward wind.
To do a Neutral, jump off of the wall without holding directional keys, then immediately move towards the wall again. Rinse and repeat to keep moving up. The jumps can be delayed to stay in place.
5 Jump
5 Jumps use two climbjumps - one after the other - to clear 5 tiles in a single jump. To do a 5 Jump, climbjump off a wall (straight up), and as you hit/grab onto the wall again, climbjump and move left or right.
Variant - 6 Jump: See Cornerboost below.
Dreadcorner
A Dreadcorner refers to jumping on the corner of terrain with spikes, except for a pixel-perfect spot on the corner where there isn't. This corner is safe to jump or Cornerboost on. To set it up, grab a wall that ends on the same tile, fall down without pressing directional keys, and press Jump at the right time.
Cornerboost (Cboost)
Cornerboosts are easier done with dashes, but can be done dashless. They are arguably an exploit that grants a horizontal speed boost; when climbjumping on the top corner of terrain with horizontal momentum, they give a multiplicative speed boost, similar to Ultradashes. On their own, they can clear about 6 tiles without using a dash.
Variant - 6 Jump: 6 Jumps utilize cornerboosts as a dashless tech, where a 5 jump is done while already having horizontal momentum. To do a 6 Jump, get some horizontal motion to the wall corner and climbjump on it, as if you were doing the second half of a 5 jump. A cornerboost will be done instead, going 6 tiles.
Throwable Backboost (Backboost)
Throwing an object in the opposite direction Madeline is moving gives her a small initial speed boost. Performing an Ultra directly after will utilize this extra speed and launch Madeline even faster.
Entity Tech
Entity Tech refers to using blocks or entities of various kinds (and their respective mechanics) to do specifically useful techs.
Dream Jump
Dream Jumps grant a small upwards (but mostly horizontal) speed boost when exiting Dream Blocks. Simply press Jump as you leave the dream block.
Dream Double-Jump: Spamming the jump button twice right as Madeline makes it out of the dream block allows for a longer jump than a normal dream jump.
Dream Super/Hyper
Instead of simply jumping out of dreamblocks, a Hyper can be done in the few frames right as you leave the dream block. This will give you a much larger horizontal speed boost but does not go as high as a dream jump. Note that unlike the dream jump, this does not give your dash back, as it is used after exiting the dream block and requires a dash.
Core Boost
By jumping off a fire core block a few frames after it breaks, you can gain an additional boost of speed, about 1.2-1.5x.
Core Super / Hyper
Using the same logic of Dream Supers/Hypers, you can get a very large amount of speed and height by inputting one of these techs at the last few frames (coyote frames) of the core block's launch.
Fish / Bumper / Seeker Boost
All of these entities provide a large amount of momentum when used in a certain way (Getting near them, Touching them, and Stunning them, respectively), but share a common mechanic. When holding in the same direction as Madeline is boosted, you will gain an extra boost of speed; about 1.5x to 2x.
Seeker Superbounce
Supers can be done on top of seekers to get a very high speed boost.
Jelly/Theo Regrabs
Throw the throwable in front of you, then updiagonal Dash to pick it up again, giving you a boost. Theo Regrabs are considerably harder than Jelly Regrabs.
Jellyvator / Theovator (-vator)
Elevators rely on the fact that holding down while releasing Grab will simply drop the item Madeline is holding, rather than throwing it. After dropping an item, dash upwards into it and grab the item again. The dash will be cancelled and some of the dash momentum preserved, giving Madeline some more height.
Note: Throwables appear to give more height the later they are grabbed. This is not due to a difference in the amount of momentum preserved from cancelling the dash, but simply due to Madeline being higher up when the dash is actually cancelled. Theo crystals will provide less height than Jellyfish, since holding a jelly lowers Madeline's gravity.
Oshiro / Snowball / Seeker / Fish Jump
Holding jump when landing on top of Oshiro, a snowball, a pufferfish, or a seeker will give Madeline a significant amount of height compared to not pressing jump, and also preserve some of Madeline's horizontal momentum. Madeline's dash and stamina will also be restored whether or not you press jump.
Contacting the top of one of these entities will also cancel Madeline's dash, preserving some of the momentum from the dash. For this reason, dashing horizontally parallel to one of these entities and jumping is sometimes colloquially referred to as a "Fish super", "Snowball super", and so on, despite mechanically not being in any way related to a superdash.
Bubble Super / Hyper
This can only be performed if the bubble is level with the ground Madeline is standing on. Dash right into the bubble, and before you enter the bubble, very quickly input a hyper/super (not extended). The bubble will then launch you with the momentum of either a hyper or a super, depending on which one you used.
Cloud Jump / Spiked Cloud Jump
Rather than jumping with a cloud, Madeline only needs to jump when the cloud is at its highest position. If there are spikes or other hazards under the cloud, Jump quickly to push the cloud down, then Jump again as it comes up.
Cloud Super/Hyper
Just like on the ground, Madeline can do a super or hyper off of clouds; although the timing is a bit more precise.
Just input a super or hyper as you bounce up.
Binoculars Clip (Bino Clip)
In order to reduce strain on the game, when using binoculars, the game will unload spinners that aren't currently visible; allowing Madeline to dash or even walk through them with total safety (at least until they load back in). To do this, look in the binoculars, move them as far away as you can (or enough to unload the spinners), then quickly leave and dash through the spinners.
Jellyfish Boost
Dashing into a jellyfish while holding grab will impart Madeline's speed into the jellyfish, as well as a small speed boost. Works for any direction.
Archie
Tutorial: Flesh117
An "Archie" is entering a bubble with a crouched hitbox (from any direction), which will move the bubble up by two pixels. This is most often performed with a demodash, but can also be done simply using a duck jump.
Obscure Tech
Spike Jump
Spikes and their surface have a short (almost pixel-perfect) window where they can be jumped on, provided there is wind pushing you towards the spikes or the spikes are moving towards you.
In order to jump on them, Madeline needs to be moving away from them (at least aimed away) in the window where you can input a jump. Jumping off of spikes on the ground (not walls) will restore your stamina, but not your dash.
Diagonal Demodash (Diag Demo)
A more advanced version of the Demodash. One of the most obscure techs, it has extremely little or no use in most applications.
On the frame you dash, hold the down direction. In the 4 frames after that, release down, and aim where you want to dash in. This is difficult without binding a Demo button.
Waterboost
When you are on the surface of water, it is possible to jump multiple times with each jump giving +40 speed. Humans can generally only do two or three jumps, while TAS can jump on every single frame, achieving absurd amounts of speed.
Jelly Laddering
Using two jellyfishes, Madeline can grab one after the other to get incrementally small speed boosts and begin to move upwards.
With two jellyfishes, rapidly spam grab.
Lava Neutrals
Lava is technically a wall, and therefore has a pixel-perfect window where you can climb up it with a Neutral Jump. The frame window for this tech can be extended by Jump Buffering. Just don't get too close, as it will still hurt to touch!
Ceiling Pop
When Madeline grabs a wall with downward momentum, she slides down a tiny amount. If she grabs the bottom pixel of a wall while she has a low enough subpixel, she will slide below the wall while still being able to climbjump for one frame. Because there is no wall in the way, this climbjump will give Madeline forwards momentum.
Bubsdrop
The use of a wallkick in order to cancel the upwards momentum gained from going into a vertical screen transition, so that you don't land on a one-way jumpthrough platform and can return to the previous room. Upon re-entering the original room, your spawnpoint will be set to the nearest available spot. In 5B, this trick is used to skip a significant portion of the Central Chamber checkpoint.
Modded Tech
Modded Tech is not found in the base game nor its speedruns, but still exists. It can be used in modded levels where the mapmaker uses in-game elements in a way not found in the vanilla levels.
Dream Redirect
If dash crystals are put inside of dream blocks, Madeline's dash is restored inside the dream block as well as after leaving it. You can dash while inside the dream block and change direction, or dash the same direction for a massive speed boost.
Dream-Bubble Boost
Dream supers and hypers can be done from within a bubble right after a dream block.
Dream Wallbounce
Wallbounces can be inputted in the few frames after leaving a dream block, similar to supers and hypers.
Isa Waterboost
Due to a glitch in the Isa's Helper mod, going in and out of multiple layers of water rapidly will add +40 to your speed (per layer), as long as the proper direction is held.
Mechanics
These "techs" were added primarily to make the game feel smoother and more forgiving to play, but can be taken advantage of.
Screen Transition
When transitioning between two screens, Madeline's dash(es) and stamina are restored.
Fastfalling (Fastfall)
Holding down while in midair will cause Madeline to fall faster after a short acceleration.
Coyote Time/Jump
Madeline is allowed to jump for 4 frames (0.068 seconds) after she last touched the ground. This includes performing super and hyperdashes.
Fastbubbling
Press Dash while inside of a stationary bubble to make it move sooner. Dashing inside a moving red bubble will use your dash and make Madeline dash outside of the bubble, interrupting it.
Directional Spikes
Spikes will not hurt Madeline if she is travelling away from them or in the direction that they point. This is the method behind Spikejumps and one-way gates.
Input Buffering
Attempting to perform an action while it is not currently possible will "buffer" or store the input for the next 5 frames. If the action becomes possible within those 5 frames, Madeline will instantly perform it. For example, you can press jump slightly before you land on the ground, and Madeline will jump on the first possible frame. This is notably used to execute techniques instantly after a screen transition or to turn frame perfect tricks into 5 frame windows, and can be done with any action in the game.
TAS-Only Tech
This is tech that is so absurdly difficult or even impossible for humans to do, and so is usually only available with a TAS software.
Half Stamina Climbing
Trivia
- 1A - Dashless tech is used extensively for 1A's Winged Berry. The Cornerkick named "Coffee Jump" refers to the Cornerkick in the room with the coffee shop in the background.
- 2A - Screen Transitions are used to obtain 2A's Crystal Heart.
- 3A - The Elevator Shaft Demo strategy in 3A requires a Demodash, however there are also other rooms in the game that it's still useful in.
- 5A - The Keyskip strategy in 5A requires a Reverse Super.
- The bird will tell you multiple techs throughout the game. Notably: Dashing, in Prologue; Dream Jumps, in Old Site B; Wallbounces, in Summit B; and Hyperdashes, in Core C. The game will teach Wavedashes to the player in Farewell.
- The Demodash was discovered by the player DemoJameson on October 14, 2018. It was subsequently named after him.