PR2 Speedrunning Guide

[Master Raiden]

Water Block
Like Ice Blocks, Water Blocks can also preserve your speed for longer.
As a result, it is more beneficial to use swords and laser guns while in water.

Like Safety Nets, Water Blocks are also non-solid blocks.
Hats, Alien Eggs and Lasers can pass through water, and players are unable to stand on them.
Its hitbox is also slightly smaller than that of regular, solid blocks.

Despite being non-solid, you are still able to jump off Water Blocks.
Jumping out of a Water Block will result in a jump about 1/4 the height of a standard jump. You can gain extra height by combining the jump with upwards speed.

An interesting property of Water Blocks is that your player is not affected by gravity while swimming (not running) in water.
Being in Water Blocks will cause you to fall slowly, at a rate of 2 pixels/frame (equivalent to 0 speed). This has implications to your vertical swimming speed.

Because of this, your maximum upwards swimming speed will be reduced by 2 pixels/frame while your downwards swimming speed is increased by 2 pixels/frame.
This means that it is not possible to swim upwards if your acceleration is too low.

Item Block
Item Blocks allow you to obtain a new item.

In speedrunning, the primary benefit is that they can be used to instantly recharge items such as Swords and Laser Guns, allowing you to skip the cooldown between uses.

Item Block - Example

Push Puzzle2 by moslof (2452477)
The Item Block is bumped repeatedly, allowing the player to destroy the bricks more quickly while also saving some sword uses for later.

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Arrow Block
Arrow Blocks push you in the direction they point.

Arrow Blocks are capable of taking you to the maximum allowed speed — 28 pixels/frame. They also accelerate you more quickly if they are frozen, or if you are in water.

Bouncing on an Up Arrow Block will take you about 2.3 blocks high (with 1.0 gravity, equivalent to 20 jump)
Jumping on an Up Arrow Block can vastly increase your height.
With 0 jump, you can launch yourself 8 blocks high.
Every additional 8-9 jump will allow you to go one block higher.

Using a Super Jump item while jumping on an Up Arrow Block allows you to make some of the highest jumps possible.
The timing of the Super Jump item is similar to when using it with a super jump. It is best to use the item when your upwards speed is 2 pixels/frame or less.

Normally, the Up Arrow Block will launch you upwards the moment you set foot on it. However, this is not the case when approaching one from a crawl.
In such cases, it takes an extra frame for the Up Arrow to begin hoisting you into the air. This means you are able to jump freely if you jump within the first frame of contact.

Crawling onto Up Arrows - Example

Smog by Kwing (5821108)
The player performs a tiny jump the moment they touch the Up Arrow Block which allows them to avoid three Sad Blocks.

When sticking to Up Arrow Blocks, Water Blocks can help you achieve more height.
When holding Up as you leave an Up Arrow Block, your upwards speed will be combined with your upwards speed from jumping off the Water Block.

          

Rotate Block
Rotate Blocks rotate the level in the direction the arrow points.
Rotation occurs around the feet of the player and takes 1.1 seconds (30 frames) to complete.

Given that blocks are 30 pixels wide, you can pick a point on the Rotate Block to bump so that you resume from a favorable position after the rotate is complete.

Rotate Block - Example

Time's Up by December 2012 (6025049)
By bumping the right edge of the Rotate Block, I rotate directly onto the upper platform, avoiding the need to fall down to the lower platform and jump from there.

An interesting thing about rotation is that if you are stunned or frozen by an Ice Wave, the stun and frozen effect will end when the rotation completes.