When I first started out playing this game, it was really annoying to me how it seemed that the game would refuse to make Wayne jump at times. It seemed to me like maybe my keyboard was broken or something. Now I know that it's just a quirk of the arrow keys setup, and I want to share my findings with anyone who was in my position.

NOTE: IF YOU ARE HAVING THE ISSUE WHERE YOU CAN ONLY MOVE IN CARDINAL DIRECTIONS WHILE IN THE AIR, JUMPING, ETC., YOU CAN REBIND THE MOVEMENT KEYS TO WASD AND IT WILL WORK PERFECTLY FINE.

As noted in the beginning area, you move with the arrow keys and jump with the spacebar. In addition to this, you can run with (Z) and roll when on the ground with (C). By default, in order to run you must hold the run button. You can change this in options if you like.

Moving in an ordinal direction is faster than moving in a cardinal direction. This effect is most noticeable in the cave dungeon section, where it is quite a bit faster. This applies to both running and walking.

Interestingly, for a short period after you roll off of a ledge, you can jump in the air with precise timing. As you can see here:

You might be wondering: "Why on earth would I walk? Running is much faster and my goodness does Wayne walk slowly." To that, I would like to say that it's important to know when each is better.

Running

Running is useful for moving quickly both in the overworld map and in locations and building momentum for much further distance when jumping. However, due to the way the game engine works, it can sometimes hinder you as well! While running, moving over any kind of uneven terrain, such as a small hill or descending stairs, can cause you to go airborne momentarily. This can cause issues if you're trying to evade an enemy by rolling, as you could instead air-dash accidentally!

Walking

Walking is useful in circumstances where you need fine-tuned movement, such as the rooftop platforming section where running might cause you to overshoot your landing. Also, when walking, you're much less likely to become airborne unless you walk off of a ledge, which means your rolling will be much more consistent.


Note that holding an Air-dash is faster than running, as you can see here:
Personally, I made it through half of Hylics 2 and without even touching the run button. In fact, I only learned that it existed while making this guide. The entire time I was using airdash! In fact, I still prefer airdash for fast movement and walking when platforming.

Slow descent is performed by holding the jump button down at any point while falling. You can release slow descent and start it again if you so desire, though there is a slight cooldown after releasing slow descent. You can perform a slow descent before and after an airdash, if you wish.

You may air-dash in any direction you desire to. While you may use slow descent at any time, you may only air-dash once in the air. After you air-dash, you cannot do it again until you have landed. While in the initial air-dash animation, you are able to adjust your position to the left or right, as you can see here:

After the initial animation, you are locked into a straight path until you release the dash button.

So concludes the basic movement guide. Thank you for reading and please let me know what you think! If I missed anything let me know and I will add it to the guide. I would consider making a video walkthrough of any platforming section if anyone asks.

GIFs made with Ezgif[ezgif.com]. You can upload a video, and you can crop it, cut it, make a GIF, optimize the GIF, and a lot more. I wouldn't have been able to make the GIFs in this guide without the site. Give it a visit!