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First-person platforming games can take one through deeply thought-out worlds with gripping stories, such as Portal or Mirror's Edge. Sometimes, however, it's nice to settle into a gameplay-oriented experience with no story holding it back. Loneminded's indie platformer, Inertia: Redux, puts gameplay first by giving Nintendo Switch players a fun and challenging platforming experience with fluid, free-running mechanics.
If you've encountered this no-frills indie gem, you've likely experienced many free falls into neon-lighted grids. After all, Inertia; Redux starts straightforward enough but grows into an increasingly challenging experience. Luckily, we've played through all thirty levels and gathered some takeaways that may help you get through those especially tricky stages.
Double Jump To Extend Your Distance
Inertia: Redux has several platforms that look too distant for a single jump. Luckily, while the tutorial does not state this explicitly, you can press the jump button a second time while airborne to perform a double jump. Double jumps exert you forward and extend your jump range, allowing you to reach platforms that are further away.
Still, double jumps require precise timing to achieve desired results. For instance, timing a double jump too early will keep you from reaching the next platform. On the other hand, however, timing a double jump too late could cause you to overshoot the next platform completely.
Land On The Edge Of A Platform To Climb It
Sometimes you'll encounter a platform that seems beyond your reach, even with a double jump. Luckily, there is still hope! As long as your hands touch the edge of the platform, you will grab the edge and climb onto it. This tactic also helps for platforms that are a short distance away. Aiming for the edge in these situations will prevent you from overshooting a platform and falling.
If you feel your hands are just below the edge, press the jump button again to elevate yourself a tad. This technique doesn't always work, but it's a decent last resort option if you notice you do not automatically climb the platform.
Sliding Will Engage A Crouching Position
Inertia: Redux's sliding mechanic is similar to gliding in other platformers, like Spyro. In short, sliding increases your jump's speed, distance, and descent. Therefore, this maneuver is best suited for platforms below you and further away.
However, you'll also encounter conditions when you need to crouch under obstacles to advance through a level. Yet, the game has no crouch button. So, how can you diminish your stature? If you slide to an area, your body will maintain the low sliding position upon landing on the platform. If timed precisely, you'll even slide under the obstacle. However, if you lose momentum, you'll simply crawl.
Once ready to get up from a crouch, press down the left thumbstick to stand.
Different Camera Angles Will Help You Approach Challenging Areas
In a first-person game like Inertia: Redux, sometimes it is frustrating to see where you are going. This obstruction of view gets especially difficult when approaching sharp turns or moving platforms. So, what can you do to overcome the hindrances?
Changing your camera angle helps plenty when you need a new perspective on a puzzle. For instance, if you notice a sharp turn between upcoming platforms, face your camera in the direction of the turn before jumping. Or, for the vertical moving platforms, facing the camera downward will help you ensure that you land on the platform rather than fall to your doom.
If you're rather adept with FPS controls, you can move the camera midair if you like. Otherwise, we recommend setting your camera to your preferred view before making your next moves.
Arrows Indicate Most Wall Runs, But Not All Of Them
Wall running is a significant part of Inertia: Redux's levels, especially later in the game. And for the most part, once you've done them a few times, wall runs are reasonably simple to pick up. However, what if we told you that some wall-running opportunities are hiding in plain sight?
We're not sure if this is purposeful or a bug, but a couple of running walls have no arrows in the last handful of levels in the game. We won't tell you when and spoil the puzzle. But, if you run into an obstacle that looks like it would be so much easier with a wall run, it likely has an unmarked one.
Keep Moving To Increase Momentum
Some of Inertia: Redux's puzzles require one to take their time. However, others require quick reflexes and precise timing. You likely understand what we mean if you've played games that utilize realistic physics engines, such as Portal. There are several puzzles you'll come across in Inertia: Redux that require a lot of speed to generate the momentum required to nail a long jump.
Therefore, if you fail a leap from one platform to another due to an extended distance, you'll have to continue running from the prior platforms without stopping. So take the time to think through what movements you need to perform to pull off this feat. Furthermore, be ready to fail a few times before getting your maneuvers right. In this case, practice makes perfect.
On the flip side of this tip, sometimes you need to slow down. For instance, you may feel impatient and rush through simpler parts of a stage you've mastered multiple times. However, if there is a precise jump coming after this section, too much momentum will cause you to jump over a platform entirely. In these cases, it's better to stop, take a breath, then cross to the next platform.
The Intended Path Is Not Always The Best
Mostly, every level in Inertia: Redux is systematic, with platforms and obstacles precisely placed. This precision gives the player an intrinsic understanding of where they must go next to complete a puzzle. However, every once in a while, Inertia: Redux throws in elements that seem helpful but are redundant.
For instance, one puzzle we played required us to jump from a wall-run to a large platform. Then, after landing on the large platform, we needed to jump across three narrow platforms to the end of the stage. However, we were not getting the momentum required to make the final jumps. However, when we wall-jumped to the first narrow platform, skipping the large platform entirely, we finally reached the stage's end.
You'll encounter moments like this occasionally, where you may jump over one platform entirely to reach another. In this case, Inertia: Redux encourages you to make judgment calls on when you can use the surrounding environment to your advantage and when to ignore it.
You Can Reset A Level With The X Button
We've all played puzzle games where we can tell we whiffed the mission before even getting to the end. Maybe the positioning is incorrect, or you're about to miss a jump. Sometimes you don't know what the issue is besides not feeling right. In these instances, you can restart the level from the beginning by pressing the X button.
Manually resetting a level has several uses. First, regarding convenience, resetting can skip a long and tedious fall after failing a level. More importantly, resetting is excellent for moments requiring specific movements or momentum, such as nailing a slide into a crouch.