Uploaded August 2012 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A very simple video explaining the system to change tilesets for levels and entirely replacing levels with others from the game.
If you go into Tobe's game folder, you can see that the levels, enemies, and sounds are pretty open and accessible in XNA format. (The game folder--installed by Steam and on a 64-bit Windows system--is located in Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/tobe's vertical adventure.)
Under the Levels folder inside Content, each level is given a simple name such as World1Act1. If you want to replace any level, just rename one act (let's say World3Act1) to the same name as the act you wish to replace (World1Act1), move the new act into the appropriate folder (World1), and start the game. So World3Act1 becomes World1Act1, and any time you access World 1 Act 1 from the game's level select menu, you will play the first act of the Phoenix Cave with the tileset of the Mystic Cave.
Of course, since there are many changes between tilesets, some levels can be a mess--invisible blocks, invisible lava, etc. This won't change the enemies from one world's enemy set to another, but it will affect the animals and gems.
Interestingly, where you begin in a level--as in, where you balloon from the top of the screen--is hardcoded to specific levels. So while you may float down to the same map in one world, you could also be on the opposite side with this.
This is a relatively simple system you can unfortunately abuse if you're trying to get the game's speedrun achievements: Super Sonic Speed; Nana, Is That You?; In Time For Goodbye; I Could Use A Plunger Gun; Secret Passage; She Stole My Ride!; Dude, Where's My Magicite?; and No Necklace For The Ducks.
You could find a level you get a consistently good time on and replace every single level in the game with it. Then, repeatedly running this level (which for instance might only take 20 seconds to beat) would guarantee all of the achievements to even the sloppiest, most terrible runner.
A very simple video explaining the system to change tilesets for levels and entirely replacing levels with others from the game.
If you go into Tobe's game folder, you can see that the levels, enemies, and sounds are pretty open and accessible in XNA format. (The game folder--installed by Steam and on a 64-bit Windows system--is located in Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/tobe's vertical adventure.)
Under the Levels folder inside Content, each level is given a simple name such as World1Act1. If you want to replace any level, just rename one act (let's say World3Act1) to the same name as the act you wish to replace (World1Act1), move the new act into the appropriate folder (World1), and start the game. So World3Act1 becomes World1Act1, and any time you access World 1 Act 1 from the game's level select menu, you will play the first act of the Phoenix Cave with the tileset of the Mystic Cave.
Of course, since there are many changes between tilesets, some levels can be a mess--invisible blocks, invisible lava, etc. This won't change the enemies from one world's enemy set to another, but it will affect the animals and gems.
Interestingly, where you begin in a level--as in, where you balloon from the top of the screen--is hardcoded to specific levels. So while you may float down to the same map in one world, you could also be on the opposite side with this.
This is a relatively simple system you can unfortunately abuse if you're trying to get the game's speedrun achievements: Super Sonic Speed; Nana, Is That You?; In Time For Goodbye; I Could Use A Plunger Gun; Secret Passage; She Stole My Ride!; Dude, Where's My Magicite?; and No Necklace For The Ducks.
You could find a level you get a consistently good time on and replace every single level in the game with it. Then, repeatedly running this level (which for instance might only take 20 seconds to beat) would guarantee all of the achievements to even the sloppiest, most terrible runner.
![Floor Assassin [glitch] - Dark Storm VR Missions](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SUTlA6qJOuA/mqdefault.jpg "Floor Assassin [glitch] - Dark Storm VR Missions
Tactical Underground Stealth Action. This crazy-looking glitch lets you drop yourself down into the floor and sneak up on unsuspecting land-based mammals.
On any flat surface, cycle rapidly between crouching and prone. (Sometimes you may need to move a bit as well.) If done correctly, youll sink into the floor and end up in a crouching position with just your head cresting above the tiles. When you stop moving, youll drop back down into the depths from which you inserted yourself. You can also easily perform Physics Crushes while in the ground, since its incredibly confusing for the game.
Physics Crush: [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d3BqWrZqf0 ]
This likely happens because of confused hitboxes, with the crouch position not placing Amber quite right when switching to prone. Repeated switching exacerbates the problem and pushes her into the ground. I believe she doesnt fall straight through because the tiles are actually cube-shaped assets that appear invisible from the inside, feeding into the illusion that Ambers walking on nothing sometimes.
The glitch isnt supremely useful because the ground doesnt act to impair the vision of guards, meaning you get caught out even when they shouldnt be able to see you. Additionally, cover doesnt help you either, because it typically doesnt extend through the floor. The soldiers will see you at the bottom of their cone of vision, underneath any wall or pillar. Still, its a funny glitch thats simple to pull off even if its far too slow for any speedruns or time trials.
Otherwise, its important to point out that you cant do this on stairs and sloped surfaces, at least as I can gather from my testing.
These clips were recorded in Prototype 0.6.7.
Despite the video, I actually enjoy this game a lot even in this pretty glitchy state, and Id love to see it finished. If it looks interesting to you, be sure to check out the Kickstarter or download the demo on Steam and try it yourself.
Kickstarter: [ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1201252455/dark-storm-ascension ]
Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/395150/ ]")
