If you've played (or tried playing) the first chapter, you'll probably notice some simple gameplay mistakes that will utterly ruin your day. On the other hand, the game itself isn't going to change for you. So how do you improve? You can refer to the cliche, "Try, (fail,) and try again." And again.

OR, you can simply look at the level design and guess at what problems will arise...and go from there.

In the following sections, you'll see an assessment of common issues you'll bump into while playing.

This game employs various methods of travelling to the "exit." Usually, there is only ONE straight-forward path to the exit. However, as you clear chapters (and thus enter more difficult and complex territory), you may notice diverging paths - some leading toward the exit, others into diary pages, and many more will lead to deathtraps.

Here are some basic aspects of level progression:

• switches and levers
  
• moving or stationary platforms
  
• certain numbers of enemies and their blood to enable checkpoint construction
  
• "lockdown"-style arena (battles)
  
• challenge (trap) rooms
  
• some combination of the above

Later chapters will contain extended challenges and fewer opportunities to cast sigils. Some locations will even block your sigils or force you to create a checkpoint in a compromising position. Your patience, sanity, and finger stamina will be tested.

If you really want to go for the leaderboards, you must not save and exit a "dream". Otherwise I strongly recommend taking more than a pause break occasionally. If you save and exit, you will not be opted into the leaderboards, but will still qualify for the "ranked" achievements which are based on "dream" completion stats.

When you complete a "dream", the game will assess your stats related to:

• time
  
• level pickups (loose blood - i.e. "Grim Harvest" - and diary pages)
  
• skill (additional blood collected through combat and total # of deaths)

Sample Chapter Completion Tally:


Relevant Skill Worksheet:

Some stats on this worksheet are influenced by the game itself and not your personal effort (for example: most loose blood is fairly easy to reach, unlike the elusive diary pages).
This is why my "relevant skill" indicators are not simply "high" or "low".

• Usually chapters get harder and longer as you get deeper into the story. If you look at the achievements hub for They Bleed Pixels, you'll get an idea of how fast you should complete Dreams and how many enemies you should slice stylishly.
  
  
• The game mentions style points are related to combat. It's a smart idea to launch enemies into the air and juggle them until they bleed out. You tend to get more points for this than simply kicking them into the nearest spike pit or by jabbing them to death. Another way of farming blood for Sigils is by launching an enemy into the air, followed by yourself. Chop up enemies in the air for style points.
  
  
• If nothing else, make sure to land many hits before finishing a combo or kicking an enemy into a trap. There will be times when you simply need to get things out of your way as fast as you can. If your blood (Sigil) meter fills up before you want to cast your checkpoint, just keep moving.
  
  
• Until you stand still for a few seconds, your checkpoint will not be cast. You can avoid casting sigils by standing on ice or climbing walls... jumping, falling, etc.
  
  
• Note this is often less of a strategy and more of an annoyance in some areas. Buzzsaws and most enemies will also block your Sigils, so be careful to cast your sigils right smack before a challenging area. You may not be able to "save" in some critical locations - leading to frustration.
  
  
• You can still cast a Sigil while enemies, trapdoors, or buzzsaws are around, but this can only happen if they are beyond the sphere needed to cast a sigil. Notice the size of the sphere made when casting a sigil. This is how much space you need to stay away from enemies in order to make a checkpoint. For example, wraiths and squid target you, but can end up quite a long distance away from you due to their attack patterns. You may have a few seconds of freedom to cast a sigil before your enemies launch another attack. Beware as this can create a compromising "revive" position. Your checkpoints do not protect you from enemy attack!

• For the most points, don't die! Collect diary pages and loose blood while stylishly cutting down enemies in one run. If you are worried about simply completing a Dream, don't bother with diary pages - but draw out battles to create a comfortable amount of checkpoints.
  
  
• Tap kick to flip switches and levers on FLAT surfaces and hold kick to activate them on WALLS.
  
  
• You can stabliize yourself on ice by double jumping. Usually the 1st jump will launch you toward whichever direction you are sliding, but the 2nd can be made straight upward. You will land barely sliding at all.
  
  
• Sigils can be cast on thin platforms, trapdoors and between 1-hit deathspikes, but not on moving platforms and ice.
  
  
• You cannot dash on ice...but you can duck-slide past enemies and low ceilings.
  
  
• You can land on 1-hit deathspikes safely if going in from the side.
  
  
• A descending platform will kill you if passing through 1-hit deathspikes.
  
  
• You can jump off walls and change direction mid-air, but cannot always jump again or change direction while falling if you slid or fell off the wall. Sometimes this is caused by colliding with a wall just above the reach of your claws.
  
  
• Try dashing between platforms! Dashing might also give you a small time advantage over normal movement speed, so it's worth a try anywhere (especially in trap challenge rooms).
  
  
• If you charge (dash) or jump at a wall, you will automatically cling to it. This is usually helpful, but sometimes annoying in certain trap-challenges. You can press downward to slide faster. Pressing outward will cause you to fall in that direction - possibly avoiding a saw below and you can fall + cling to a nearby wall.
  
  
• You can jump mid-air at any height if you made your first jump from a flat surface.
  
  
• If you encounter an obstacle or trap mid-air, you can jump again to get around it (or change direction mid-air if you are going downward.

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