Objects
Map Components are what the player has to navigate in order to make it through the level. There are a number of kinds, some which are used as methods of travel while others are intended to kill the player. The layout of these make every level unique and of varying difficulty.
Blocks
Blocks and other surfaces are the most common components and construct the basis of a level. There are many different shapes and sizes. Just about all can be jumped upon and serve as platforms. However, colliding horizontally with a block will kill the player. Diagonal slanted blocks were introduced as of v1.8.
Hazards
Hazards introduce difficulty into a level. They will kill the player if touched in any way. Spikes are the most frequently occurring and are often jumped over. Saws which are first encountered in Clutterfunk are typically larger. There are also flat surfaces which similarly kill the player if touched, even is slid over from another surface.
List of Opsticals
- Spikes
- Ground Spikes
- Wavy ground Spikes
- Wavy ground spike Left side
- Wavy ground Spoke Right side
- Sawblade
- Creeper Ground spikes
- Neon Sawblade
- Icy Spikes
- Invisible Spikes
- Triangular Blades
- Neon Spikes
- Thorny Spiked
- Wavy ground spike Ramp ( Large )
- Wavy ground spike Ramp ( Small )
- Thin Wavy Ground Spikes
- Thin Ground Spikes
- Ground spike ramp ( Large )
- Ground spike ramp ( Small )
- Thorny ground spike Side
- Tower Blade
- Coral Spikes ( Upcoming )
- Gear ( Upcoming )
Pads and circles
Pads and circles influence the direction of travel. Pads only need to be touched to activate their effect, while circles need to be tapped as the player passes over for them to function. There are three variants identical to each.
- Yellow initiates a jump larger than normal, introduced in Back on Track.
- Purple initiates a jump smaller than normal, formally introduced in Theory of Everything.(Also found while getting the last coin in Can't Let Go).
- Blue changes the direction of gravity, formally introduced in xStep.(Also found when getting the first coin in Back On Track. Also found while getting the third coin in Polargeist).
Although these components are often part of completing a level, they can be positioned in such a way that redirects the player into a hazard, needing to be avoided in such instances.
Portals
For the complete article, see Portals.
Portals can modify the way the icon interacts with the level, and can force the cube to assume another form, such as the rocket, gravity ball, or UFO. They can also change its speed, size, or mirror the screen. The 1.8 update introduced portals which created a copy of the player. These objects are often expertly placed in correlation with the background soundtrack. On most occasions, the background and ground color also change with the icon.
Cosmetics and effects
A number of components are purely cosmetic, or may have effects applied to them. The music can be connected to background posts which pulse to the beat. Others may be used as markers to identify routes or hazards. Physical objects can cycle through colours and complete visibility, which may also be distracting to gameplay. In contrast, what may look like physical objects can also be background objects, which may again fool the player.
Background and transition
The background can change colour and sometimes its pattern as a way to create a more vibrant gameplay experience. Other map components can enter and leave the screen, not physically affecting anything, as further visual enhancement, but may reduce the amount of time the player has to react to their entry.