Dan the Man's tutorial covers the basics, but the game is packed with hidden mechanics and advanced techniques that the tutorial never mentions. These 25 tips are collected from hundreds of hours of gameplay by the community's most dedicated players.
Combat Techniques
- Punch cancel into kick: Input kick immediately as your punch connects to skip recovery frames. This is the foundation of all advanced combos.
- Jump cancel: Input jump immediately after certain attacks connect (Uppercut, Front Kick, Roundhouse) to cancel recovery into an aerial follow-up.
- Wall splat bonus damage: Knocking an enemy into a wall deals 50% bonus damage. Use Front Kick near walls.
- Environmental kills are instant: Kicking an enemy off a ledge or into spikes kills them instantly regardless of health. Prioritize environmental kills in stages with hazards.
- Charged attacks pierce armor: A fully charged punch or kick ignores enemy armor and shields entirely. Essential against late-game armored enemies.
- Downed enemies can be hit: Enemies lying on the ground after a knockdown take reduced but non-zero damage. Finish them with a ground-pound (down + punch) to prevent them from recovering.
- Back attacks deal bonus damage: Attacks that hit an enemy from behind deal 25% more damage. Josie's Wall Jump cross-ups exploit this.
Movement and Positioning
- Dodge roll has invincibility frames: The dodge roll (double-tap direction) provides approximately 0.3 seconds of invincibility. Time it to phase through boss attacks.
- Double jump extends air time: Jump, then jump again at the apex for maximum height and distance. Essential for reaching hidden areas.
- Wall jump with Josie: Jump toward a wall and press jump again to kick off it. Chain wall jumps to stay airborne indefinitely in stages with parallel walls.
- Duck to avoid high attacks: Holding down makes Dan duck. Some enemy attacks (Mech Sentinel arm sweep, archer arrows at long range) can be avoided by ducking, which is faster than jumping.
- Corner pressure: Enemies backed into a corner have fewer escape options. Use wall-carry combos to push enemies into corners, then unleash full damage sequences.
Resource Management
- Combo multiplier affects coins: A 50-hit combo approximately doubles your coin income. A 100-hit combo triples it. Always maintain combos during farming runs.
- Breakable objects extend combos: Hitting a barrel or crate counts as a combo hit and resets the combo timer. Use objects strategically to bridge gaps between enemy groups.
- Health pickups are percentage-based: They restore ~25% of your max HP. This means a larger health pool makes pickups more valuable — another reason to upgrade Max Health early.
- Weapon ammo is preserved: If you pick up a weapon mid-stage and do not use all its ammo, the remaining ammo carries over to the next weapon pickup of the same type.
- Special move meter fills with damage dealt: Dealing damage charges your special faster than taking damage or waiting. Aggressive play gets your special back sooner.
Enemy AI Manipulation
- Enemies attack in sequence: In groups, enemies rarely attack simultaneously. The closest enemy attacks first, then the next, creating a rhythm you can exploit.
- Ranged enemies retreat when approached: Running toward an archer or gunner causes them to back away. Chase them toward a wall to corner them.
- Elite enemies telegraph with a flash: A white flash on an elite enemy indicates their next attack will be a special move. Block or dodge when you see the flash.
- Bosses pause at health thresholds: Most bosses have brief pauses at 75%, 50%, and 25% health. Use these pauses to reposition or start a charged attack.
Quality of Life
- Skip cutscenes: Press the pause button twice rapidly to skip most cutscenes. Saves significant time during replay and farming sessions.
- Mute for focus: The game's sound effects are fun but can be distracting during difficult fights. Mute the game temporarily for boss fights to focus entirely on visual cues.
- Daily login bonus stacks: Logging in every day for 7 consecutive days grants a cumulative coin bonus. Break the streak and the bonus resets.
- Nostalgia Mode: Enter the Konami Code (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right) on the main menu for a Game Boy green color filter. Pure cosmetic fun.
Master One at a Time
Do not try to implement all 25 tips at once. Master one technique per play session until it becomes muscle memory, then add the next. Within two weeks, your gameplay will be unrecognizable from when you started.