How to Use Power-Ups Effectively

Having an ability is easy. Spending it at the right moment is the actual skill, and most failed crossings are a dash used a third of a second too early rather than a dash that was unavailable.

Dash at the apex

The reliable moment to use a mid-air dash is the top of the jump, when vertical velocity is near zero and the character is momentarily hanging.

Dashing on the way up wastes the height you were still gaining. Dashing on the way down starts the horizontal burst from a lower point than you needed. At the apex you keep all the height and add all the distance, which is why the same input succeeds there and fails half a second either side.

Watch the cooldown, not the obstacle

A cooldown meter turns an invisible value into something you can plan around. Before committing to a crossing that needs the dash, check that the meter is full - arriving at a gap with a dash that is still recharging is the most avoidable failure in the game.

It also means you can plan two crossings ahead. If a section has two dash gaps roughly two seconds apart, you know the second one will be available; if they are half a second apart, you know it will not, and something else must be enabling it.

Read placement as instruction

In a hand-designed level, where a power-up sits tells you about the route. A crystal on the ground is a convenience you may take or leave. A crystal floating in open air over a gap is a different thing entirely.

It says: your route passes through that exact point, you will be airborne when you reach it, and you will need another dash immediately afterwards. Working that out solves the section before you attempt it.

Do not spend an ability on a shortcut

A dash will often let you skip a section of a level. That is usually a mistake, because the skipped section frequently contains the checkpoint, and you arrive at the hard part with no save point behind you.

The same applies to using an ability to grab an optional collectible. If the ability is then unavailable for the crossing that genuinely needs it, you have traded something required for something optional.

Soft power-ups need the same discipline

Invulnerability

Space Cat gives a couple of seconds of immunity after losing a life. Spend it flying to genuinely open space, not on collecting. Coming out of invulnerability in the same trouble is how three lives disappear in ten seconds.

Extra time

Golden fish in Fish Collector add two seconds. Time is the scarcest resource in a timed game, which makes a gold fish worth a detour that an ordinary fish never justifies.

A maxed multiplier

Functionally a temporary power-up, since it changes the value of everything you do next. Treat protecting it the way you would treat protecting an ability.

Practise the timing where it is cheap

Find a safe gap early in a level and practise the dash there ten times. You are learning the apex moment, and that knowledge transfers to every crossing in the game.

Because dying returns you to a checkpoint and there is no life limit, deliberately failing a hard crossing a few times to find the timing is a better strategy than being careful. Careful attempts teach slowly; committed attempts teach quickly.

Key Takeaways

• Dash at the apex of a jump - it is the only moment that keeps all the height and adds all the distance.
• Check the cooldown meter before committing to a crossing that needs the ability.
• A power-up floating in open air marks the route and usually means a second use is needed straight after.
• Do not spend an ability on shortcuts or optional collectibles if a required crossing is coming.
• Practise the timing on a safe gap; the apex moment is the same everywhere.

Frequently Asked Questions

When exactly should I dash?

At the top of the jump, when the character is momentarily hanging. Earlier wastes height; later starts from too low.

Why did my dash not fire?

Either the cooldown was still running, or you had already dashed during that airborne period. One dash per jump unless a crystal refreshes it.

How long is the cooldown?

About two seconds in Magic Cat Adventure, shown by the meter above the cat. A crystal resets it instantly.

Should I use the dash to skip sections?

Usually not. Skipped sections often contain the checkpoint, and arriving at a hard part without one is a bad trade.

What should I do with invulnerability?

Get to open space. It is a recovery window, not a collection opportunity.