Theo Crystal

Theo Crystal
A Theo Crystal
Other names	Theo
Found in	5A  •  5B
List of entities

A Theo Crystal (often shortened to just Theo) is an entity that appears in Mirror Temple A-Side and Mirror Temple B-Side. As the name suggests, it features Theo trapped inside a pentagon-shaped crystal. Madeline needs to carry it with her to progress: a gold temple gate, blocking her path, will open if and only if a Theo Crystal is near it.

Gameplay

The presence of a Theo Crystal makes gold gates open by themselves

A Theo Crystal can be carried by holding the button used for climbing. While held, it slows Madeline down and makes her unable to dash or grab walls. Madeline can still perform walljumps, including neutral jumps, normally.

Releasing the button used for climbing will throw a Theo Crystal in the direction Madeline faces. To drop a crystal without throwing it (neutral drop), you need to press the down button before releasing the button used for climbing.

Swap blocks and springs give momentum to a Theo Crystal. If a Seeker crashes into the crystal, Madeline may drop it. A Theo Crystal can freely pass through spinners and spikes, however, it dies when crushed or dropped into a pit unless Invincibility is on. This kills Madeline too, but it can be circumvented by mods like Disposable Theo.

It is possible (and sometimes required) to activate yellow-colored dash switches by throwing a Theo Crystal into them. Touch switches can also be triggered by it. Additionally, in the final room of 5A, a Theo Crystal must be thrown into the eye; this will destroy both the crystal and the eye, freeing Theo. In 5B, you can collect a Red Crystal Heart by throwing a Theo Crystal at it instead of dashing into it.

Tech

Theo/Jelly Regrabs

A Jelly Regrab

Grabbing a Theo Crystal or a Jellyfish in a dash state cancels it, which makes you maintain your vertical and horizontal speed. You can do a regrab even if you're already holding a throwable: to do so, throw it and quickly dash and grab into it. This can be useful if a small amount of height or distance is needed. Theo Regrabs are more challenging than Jelly Regrabs.

Theo/Jelly Ultras

You can also use the regrab mechanic to cancel a grounded ultra, cancelling a dash without losing any speed at the end.

Throwable Backboost (Backboost)

Throwing a jellyfish or a Theo Crystal grants Madeline 80 speed in the opposite direction it is thrown. This can be exploited by turning around briefly and throwing the throwable backwards, granting the speed bonus in the forwards direction.

Theovator

Main article: Vators § Theovators

Vators rely on the fact that holding down while releasing Grab will simply drop the throwable Madeline is holding (neutral drop) rather than throwing it. After dropping an item, dash upwards into it and grab it again. The dash will be canceled and its momentum preserved, giving Madeline 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 canceling the dash but simply due to Madeline being higher up when it is actually canceled. Theo Crystals provide less height than jellyfish since holding a jellyfish lowers Madeline's gravity.

Trivia

• Eyes in the background, platforms, and the eye in the end always look at a Theo Crystal.
• This crystal is an expression of Theo's negative psychic energy, as mentioned in dialogues.
• The Extended Variants Mode mod allows to add Theo Crystals everywhere. This was used to prove that 1A dashless, 2A, 4A, etc. can be completed while carrying Theo all along.