I have been playing this game recently. I really like it a lot, enough to make a guide about it. This guide is a bit spoilerish, so you should probably play it a bit before reading it.

It is a simple and yet complex game. It takes about an hour to complete once you are experienced with it, quite a bit longer on the first play through. The levels and loot are fairly randomized with little that carries over from one game to the next. This is a basic guide for all the mechanics.

You start with a pistol and 3 bombs. The bullets will attract back to you when you are close so they can be reused. The pistol is more like a needle gun so a lot of precision is required. Killing enemies gives coins and possibly items. Items can also be found on tables or purchased from vending machines.

There are 8 levels. The maps, enemies, loot and vending machines are randomized from game to game so things are always fresh and different. The 4th and 8th levels end with a boss fight.
The game is very stingy with health. You start out with three hearts. Any hit costs 1/2 heart except explosions, which cost 1 heart. Upgrades can sometimes be found or purchased, but they are very rare. The first might be cheap, the second and are tremendously expensive. Finishing the game you may have 5 or 6 hearts. More is uncommon.

The game also has poison. It seems to happen more frequently with multiple attacks, so there might be a buildup until a threshold is reached. Poison will never kill, however it will continue to nibble at health until it is healed or goes away. Gold potions and antidotes will always heal poison, red might. There also is serum that may either make you immune – or poison you if that fails. Generally you should not have to worry about poison as long as you are proceeding carefully.

The gun starts out with 6 bullets. More bullets can be bought or they also can be found randomly. Bullets will attract back to you, distance depending on the bullet+ options purchased and or bullet magnet item which will always attract all bullets regardless of distance.

You can also carry up to 9 regular bombs, 3 + 3 for each carry+ option purchased. Bombs can be cooked to be tossed farther by holding down the throw button. (M2).

You can also carry bombs as an inventory item. These are thrown with space. They are better than regular bombs. They can be homing bombs, mines or mega-bombs which provide multiple explosions.

There are also melee weapons. There is a knife, which can be easily found or purchased and also the much more rare pickaxe. This weapon is useful for mining rocks in addition to melee.

Generally I don't like melee. It won't work against snakes and if your timing is off you get hit. You don't have to reload but that is a very small benefit.

You have one inventory slot, however can purchase a backpack to add a second inventory slot. Very recommended as it is a rare option. Each slot can hold 1 to 3 of the same item (consumables). With carry+ purchases this can increase to 3 to 9 items. You switch to backpack by pressing tab key.

Some inventory items are active – they require space to trigger. Others are passive. They need to be equipped in the primary slot to be active. There are exceptions. The blessed stone appears to work from the backpack slot.

Picking up an item will drop whatever you are currently holding. The drops can go behind tables into unreachable locations so you will want to be careful when doing this. Holding down “E” will drop the current item.

There are really only a few useful inventory items. The rest you just sell if a bank machine is nearby, or use until you find something better. Most things sell for 5 coins, however there are ore chunks that sell for 20, 35 or 100 coins. The latter is a huge stone that can be used to block sections. There are also diamonds that sell for 60 coins, and other rare items that sell for 20 or 30 coins.

There are three types of machines. The purchase options are randomized in the Medbay and Bullets machines. The options will in include different inventory and may include upgrade options. The bank machine is always the same. Prices are cheaper in the earlier levels but become more expensive in later levels or when more of the same item is purchased. It is not recommended to max out the upgrade slots at once. It seems like the game has a maximum upgrades allowed and missing upgrades just do not appear in the machines.

Vending machines can be exploded for money. Bank machines will give 10 coins, Bullet machines 5 coins and Medbay machines 3 coins. May accidentally happen with some enemies, also you can use extra bombs.

Bank: This machine is always the same. You can store or withdraw money, sell unwanted items or buy insurance+, discounts or a will. Generally it is best to withdraw about $300 in the beginning of the game and purchase the max discount. You will then have enough left over to purchase upgrades from the other machines. Other options are not worth it IMO. The bank machine will carry money forward from game to game. It also gives a storage option into which you can place inventory. Storage will also carry forward.

Medbay: This is the machine where you can buy healing. Each machine will only heal 3 times. There are also red potions however they are much more expensive and not a good option. The best options are the gold potions which cost 2x the red potions but heal 3 hearts. You can carry 6 red potions per slot and 3 gold potions. Purchase of gold potions is unlimited. Because they are rare it is recommended that you always store some in the bank machine. With the carry++ option you can store 3. Note in later games, if you do not have the carry+ option, when retrieving potions you will only be able to hold one and put one back.

Bullets: Generally a good idea to purchase extra bullets on the first level, when they are cheap. The bombs I don’t bother with. You can find enough in the game areas. Other options are not useful except for upgrades.

Press tab to access the stats screen. From there you can see what upgrades you have and also what the equipped inventory item does.

Speed: You can wear shoes to go faster, not recommended for the loss of an inventory slot

Reload+ : allows you to reload an extra bullet. Generally you only need 2, since you can then reload the entire gun with 2 reloads. Cost does not increase for successive options.

Bullet Magnet: Your bullets will be attracted to you depending on range. With +2 it will include large areas.

Coin Magnet: Coins are attracted. Makes clearing areas simpler. Note, this will not pick up key cards. They usually hide in debris and you have to run over them to pick them up.

Carry+ : Allows you to carry extra of the same item. Bomb slots go up by 3, red potions/silver hearts by 2, and gold potions by 1. Very recommended.

Discount: 0 / 20% / 40% : Recommended to withdraw money at the start of the game, purchase the 40% discount. It makes things a lot cheaper.

Backpack: Allows for an additional item in inventory. The additional item is *usually* not active but has to be equipped in order for it to have effect. Extremely recommended as inventory management can be difficult.

The levels are randomized, however there are some general areas that will appear in each level.

Each level is split into sections that use barriers. Once you go far enough the preceding sections will turn on lasers that cost 1/2 a heart to go through and the same when you go back. Some sections will connect to adjoining sections with two doors. These are easy to see from the opposite side.

Generally you only want to open one door, go through the rest of the section, and use the other door if you need to go back for something in the preceding section. There is a disruptor item, when found it should always be kept as it will allow you to pass through lasers safely so all prior areas become accessible.

Regular doors can be opened by shooting the controls. This is somewhat safer than standing in front of a door. Shooting a key card door however will make it inaccessible, so not recommended.
Some sections are pockets. You may see two doors going out but only one door on the other side. The pocket section may include vending machines and or enemies.

There are also sections that require key cards. Key cards are sometimes dropped from enemies. You have to run over them to pick them up. You may not have them in the beginning but will probably have plenty in the later levels. There also is a hack tool that may open the doors. Not recommended because of loss of an inventory slot. The key card sections will have a better class of loot but nothing special except perhaps sometimes a zoom lens.

Some areas have grass. Grass is generally safe to walk in. Enemies cannot see through it. You can use it to shoot enemies you can see while in the grass.

There are also hidden walls. These will hide an inventory item. You can see the walls when passing by because the crosshair will change to an E>. Some are hidden behind grass. Some are hidden beside or within key card sections. Some walls will show a visible “x” either high or low. Others will not show anything obvious. There is a “hacked sensor” that will detect secret areas, a good use for an inventory slot.

Rocks are in most sections. You can smash them to get behind them; however with a pickaxe you can mine them for a chance at some coins.

Cursed stone: Bullets turn into explosions. Shooting anything will usually kill it regardless of impact location. Note, dropping it or picking up something else will consume 3 health. It can be “turned off” by switching it into the backpack. It can also be used to explode vending machines for coins when leaving sections.

Disruptor: great for going back in sections.

Blessed Stone: Not recommended. Trades a max health for a life instead of dying.

Teleport device. Once to mark a spot, a second time to teleport back to it. It will not work in the boss chambers so it is somewhat useless. It can teleport behind lasers but you still have to pass them on the way out, so overall just not useful.

Hacked sensor: useful for finding secret walls.

Regular sensor: It beeps when enemies are nearby. Not recommended… as enemies are everywhere.

Silver heart: absorbs damage and breaks when equipped. You can hold 2 per carry

Red heart: adds one heart to the max health

Black heart: adds one heart to the max health and poisons. Still recommended though

Black potion: Restores 3 heart but poisons. Still recommended though.

Pick axe: Useful for mining rocks. Also a great melee weapon, especially for chargers.

Snake boots: Will kill snakes when walking on them. Decent until something better is found.

Enemies will start approaching the character once they have line of sight, and they will not stop until they are dead. This applies to all moving enemies except the bug bombs. They only move during line of sight. Enemies can detect through near walls, and once detected they will come around the walls.

Enemies can usually be killed with 1 hit to the body or to each control box for mechanized enemies.

Turrets will give a split second reaction time before they begin shooting.

Multiple enemies will come in a straight line. The first one will obscure the others which then can lead to getting hit. You should continue shooting if you see multiple enemies in an area.

To start with it is good to bank 200 or 300 coins and withdraw it at the beginning of the game. Also good to bank either gold potions or rare inventory (cursed stone or disruptor only).

With the money you buy the maximul discount and then also purchase bullet magnet, 2x reload, backpack and 2x carry. The other upgrades are less critical.

Clear sections by slowly turning corners, shooting the enemies you see, then moving into areas, shooting turrets if you are fast enough. Back out to shoot bugs that chase you. Clear the rest of the turrets by moving left and right and shooting when the crosshair passes over the control boxes.

That wraps things up. Hope you found something useful here. Have fun enjoying this great game.