Uploaded March 2013 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

---

Planning some strategies for a full game speedrun, so here are a few notable tricks with level four. I use the Laser Rifle and the Chainsaw here, since they seem to both play an important role.

First, you can use the Infinite Dash to keep the tunnels from slowing you down in the first area. Since they hurt you when standing on talls train cars and prevent you from moving forward briefly, dashing past important cars helps speed up this area by several seconds.

Infinite Dash: [ youtube.com/watch?v=Nj7Mevp9LG4 ]

This is pretty hard to do, especially with the uneven terrain -- making a difficult trick even more difficult. Additionally, some Bunnies are positioned in a frustrating manner along the top of the train. I use the Laser Rifle to shoot through multiple simultaneously, but this method is so high-precision that it's guaranteed to have a high failure ratio. Also, this starting part of the level is randomized, though, which means that certain Bunnies will sometimes spawn directly in your path, ruining your chance of dodging the tunnel.


Once you get past the first screen, the Infinite Dash becomes valuable again in the long flat stretch before the Mantis Core. The Laser Rifle again lets you shoot through several Bunnies while the Chainsaw wouldn't cut through them fast enough.

For the actual Mantis Core fight, I use the Laser Rifle so that regardless of the angle I'm shooting it from, it'll take damage. The same isn't true of using the Dual Pistols, although it's possible to kill it faster this way if the pattern serves you well.

When you approach a tunnel, the Mantis Core will slam its body into the ground, and this is a great opportunity to use the Chainsaw. If you stand directly underneath the Mantis Core's head, its body slam won't hit you, which means it's stationary for a long period and it's in close range. The time it spends right next to you lets the Chainsaw deal almost half its health on Normal.

Of note, during this fight, there's a safe spot you can stand in just barely on the inside of the left train car. It lets you avoid every attack except the Core's stabbing one, but it does make it a little more difficult to hit it if you're using Dual Pistols.


For Bunny Rockette, I believe the best method is to use the Laser Rifle punctuated by bullet time to make your shot. This means you fire a shot in slow-mo and almost immediately turn it off (letting the Rifle get its two hits in) so that the Laser Rifle cools down at normal speed. If you use bullet time while waiting for it to recharge, it easily takes twice as long, so carefully going in and out is the best strategy.

Because of this, Dual Pistols aren't nearly as good here. Reducing the firing rate of the Dual Pistols with bullet time defeats the purpose of using them.


Also, I discovered it's possible to die and still beat the stage, if you time it properly!