# The Deep Dive - Player Guide

## About

**The Deep Dive** is a vertical Metroidvania platformer. Control a glowing blue character through a minimalist industrial world, climbing walls and grappling between surfaces as you descend into the abyss.

This is a unfinished prototype, I'd appreciate your comments. I'm further polishing the control and will add more enemies.

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## Controls

**Keyboard:**

- **W / ↑** - Climb up

- **S / ↓** - Climb down

- **A / ←** - Move left

- **D / →** - Move right

- **Space** - Jump / Wall jump

- **J** - Attack (shoot downward)

**Touch:**

- D-pad (bottom-left) for movement

- Large button (bottom-right) for jump

- Medium button (right-side) for attack

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## Core Mechanics

### Wall Climbing

Attach to vertical walls automatically on contact. Press W/↑ to climb up, S/↓ to descend. Reach the top edge to flip onto horizontal surfaces.

### Wall Jump

Press Space to leap away from walls. You'll launch in the opposite direction. Use ↑/↓ in mid-air for fine vertical adjustments.

### Grapple Hook

The game's signature mechanic — automatically fly toward nearby walls after jumping.

- **Auto-grapple**: Targets the nearest wall on either side

- **Manual control**: Hold ←/→ to choose direction

- **Occlusion**: Grapple lines can't pass through walls

- **Cancel**: Use attack to break auto-grapple and free-fall

### Dive Attack

Press J to shoot downward and gain upward recoil.

- Tap J for small boosts

- Spam J to fly upward continuously

- Repeated attacks trigger dive mode (faster falling)

- Crashing while diving deals damage

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## Unlockable Abilities

Collect glowing pickups to unlock new moves:

**Double Jump** 🟣 - Air jump (vertical boost only, once per wall contact)  

**Edge Climb** 🔵 - Flip onto wall tops and walk horizontally  

**Upward Dash** 🟡 - Hold ↑ + Space for powerful launch  

**Ground Slam** 🟠 - Dive attack that breaks weak walls  

**Break Walls** 🔴 - Destroy breakable barriers to open new paths

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## Tips

- Chain moves: Wall jump → Grapple → Attach → Repeat

- Use attack recoil to extend airtime or cancel grapples

- Orange edges = non-attachable, find alternate routes

- Explore both up and down for hidden abilities

- Combo: Double jump + Upward dash + Attack spam = maximum height

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## Enemies

- **Patrol** (red core): Moves on fixed paths, damages on contact

- **Ranged** (stationary): Shoots bullets when you're in range

- **Flying** (airborne): Tracks and chases your position

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## Visual Style

Minimalist industrial aesthetic:

- **Walls**: Pure black silhouettes

- **Player**: Glowing cyan, stands out in darkness

- **Background**: Depth-based gradients (shallow orange → mid purple → deep toxic green)

- **Particles**: Simple geometric shapes

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🌊 **The Deep Dive** — Master the art of vertical space