Level looping

This glitch is widely used by speedrunners. There are multiple uses of level looping in the game. Some are used to skip to the exit of the level. Others are used to skip an enemy encounter or an area of the level which is should be completed to progress.

Using the inventory glitch, it is possible to get out of bounds and essentially "fall" to a different location in the level. If you stand on an edge and use the inventory glitch, you are able to jump off the edge and out of bounds, into the darkness. As the inventory is open, you are able to skip the death triggers, which would kill you in normal play.

If you close the inventory while you are falling, you will die instantly and be put back at the spot from which you jumped; however, if you hold and then close the inventory, you will not die. In fact, you will be teleported to the top of the level, where you will be able to use the directional buttons and the analog stick to move about whilst falling, as well as dashing, which is required for some loops to be performed successfully.

The initial fall until the teleportation at the top of the level lasts 13 seconds. From there, to reach a floor again takes another 13 seconds, completing a full level loop in 26 seconds.

Level looping is possible in any level where you can drop out of bounds. The levels where looping is normally used in speedrunning are the following:

• The Enchanted Earth
• Pools Of The Ancient Dead
• The Lake
• The Crystal Caves
• The Haunted Ruins
• The Ghost Ship
• The Time Device

Failing some level loops can result into Dan being stuck out of bounds, requiring the player to reset the level. Such loops are the one in Enchanted Earth, Haunted Ruins, and Ghost Ship.

If you stop moving or release the directional buttons or analog stick while falling, Dan will die.

Looping exception in The Ghost Ship

The level loop in The Ghost Ship is the only loop that does not require the inventory glitch. The reason for this exception is that the invisible death plane that normally is in a level outside of the map bounds, extends only briefly past the ship's sides. Jumping outside of the ship in a specific allows you to get past this plane and safely avoid the death plane.

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Half loop

There's a version of the regular level looping which can be performed in half the time, 13 seconds instead of the usual 26 seconds. Performing it requires the exact same steps, the main difference is that Dan will reach the floor immediately after the initial fall instead of being teleported at the top of the level. Half loops are more difficult to perform than regular loops due to the high movement precision necessary to reach specific coordinates where the half loop happens.

Known half loops are in the following levels:

• The Enchanted Earth
• The Crystal Caves
• The Haunted Ruins

Looping tips

• Moving while falling using the directional buttons instead of the analog stick gives you higher precision and control.
• Initiating a level loop using the analog stick is easier than using the directional buttons.
• You can switch from analog stick to directional buttons while dashing. After a dash, you have about 1 second of time to release the analog stick and press the directional buttons without dying.