PR2 Speedrunning Guide

[Master Raiden]

Optimizing Movement - Timesavers

Depending on the level, your opportunities to implement optimizations will vary. While the tips in the Essentials section can be applied to almost any level, there are some specific situations where you can extract even more time out of your runs. In this section, I will be exploring some of these and showing you some tricks you can employ to take your speedrunning to the next level. 

Running Over Gaps
Running over gaps between blocks does not exactly save you any time, but it can be a good practice when speedrunning since it allows you to stay on the ground and jump whenever you want.

Your ability to run over gaps between blocks depends on your speed.

Here's the size of the gaps you can run over with the following speed:
56 – 1 block gap
126 (53 with Speed Burst) – 2 block gap
206 (93 with Speed Burst) – 3 block gap

Head Bumping
Bumping your head on blocks allows you instantly stop your ascent and increase your falling speed. The harder you hit your head, the faster you will fall. Because of this, head bumping is usually done when blocks are not very far above you.

You can also bump blocks that are slightly below head height. This can jolt you downwards which can allow you to descend even more quickly.

To make the most of head bumping, jump as hard as you can and begin holding Down as you bump your head. Holding Up and Down together to perform the head bump can be helpful if you are bumping a very low ceiling since it eliminates the need to time your Down key press.

Head Bumping - Examples

1. Maze race by Firefight (2663352)
The player bumps their head to accelerate their first fall. Then they bump their head again to fall cleanly through two gaps without needing to slow down.

2. Toast by Beta Tester (6286003)
I bump my head into the red basic blocks below head height to descend more quickly. With the right speed, I was able to chain two head bumps together. Bumping the first red block lowered me to the basic block almost immediately which meant I could jump off it and bump into the next red block with almost no delay.

 

Bouncing off Blocks in Water
You can increase your upwards swimming speed and optimize the path you take in water by taking advantage of the blocks at the bottom.

Since your acceleration is reduced in water, touching the blocks at the bottom can save you some time by allowing you to instantly stop your descent and immediately begin swimming upwards.
Additionally, you can gain a small boost as you jump off the blocks. The more Jump you have, the larger your boost will be.

Jumping In and Out of Water
Since jumping out of Water Blocks combines your upwards speed with a portion of your jump, you can vastly increase your upwards speed by jumping in and out of multiple Water Blocks and chaining the effect.

Jumping In and Out of Water - Example

1. Rage! by good job man (6148606)
I jump out of the first column of water prematurely so that I can re-enter it with greater speed and carry more upwards speed as I exit the top Water Block. This allows me to leap all the way up to the platform above without needing to swim up the second column of water.

2. Square by Fresh Cookies (6326984)
The player charges a super jump in the water, then releases it by entering the space beneath the top Water Block. Not only does this mean they can unleash their super jump earlier, but it also allows them to carry more speed into the top Water Block as well as gain another boost as they jump out of it which helps them reach the platform without needing to spend much time charging their super jump.

 

Running Out of Water
When exiting water, you lose all your speed for a brief moment, similar to running into a block, meaning that you will have to accelerate back up to speed as if you had stopped moving. If you have low acceleration, this can be very costly, but there is a way to avoid this.

Keeping your feet on the ground when exiting water allows you to avoid losing your speed. Since running in water is slower than swimming, it is best to touch the ground just as you are about to exit the water to minimize your losses.

Running Out of Water - Example

Starter Steps by kinx (5976844)
I touch the ground just before I reach the end of the water section so that I retain my speed upon exiting the last Water Block.