Into the Core is the second subchapter of Chapter 8: Core B-Side in Celeste. The subchapter starts the B-Side proper, bringing back the dash limitation and temperature switching gimmicks unique to the chapter.
Gameplay[]
Though a few rooms here can be quite challenging to get down, most of them are not too complicated. Recognizing fire ball/ice ball patterns will be important for the first and fourth rooms of the subchapter. The subchapter doesn't have much design that's confusing to the player, with the player's choice of approach being the challenge.
Strategies[]
Room 1
Although it looks incredibly simple, this room filled with rising fire balls can be hard to map out a path for. Watch the second fire ball from the left; just when it passes Madeline's height, jump right and dash diagonally up-right to make it to a disappearing platform. Stand on this disappearing platform for a bit, then do a small jump right when the fire ball on the right goes high enough and dash straight up into the dash crystal. Fall for a bit, then dash diagonally up-right, then fall for a bit again and dash straight right between two fire balls to then fall onto another disappearing platform. Wait a bit before doing a jump to the right to fall into the dash crystal below. Then, dash up-right twice to land on a disappearing platform, then jump to the other disappearing platform on the right and jump right to climb the wall and reach the end.
Room 2
Jump high off the ledge and wrap yourself back left to grab the launching block above the spikes. Hold on and let it launch you to the conveyor wall to the right. Ride up and let go while holding left to avoid the spikes above, then dash up-right in order to get to the right while avoiding any fire balls. If the timing seems bad, fall back down and try again. Grab the conveyor wall on the right side of the platform and ride up it just a little bit to make it between the magma barriers as you move to the right. Repeat the same process as earlier to get over the next platform with conveyor walls. After riding up the right side and moving to the right, prepare to wrap around and grab the right side of the launching block which will launch you to one last conveyor wall to make it to the end.
Room 3
Jump off the ledge and land on the right side of the launching block below. This will let you get far to the right while usually being able to avoid the fire balls. If not, you can use a dash to change your timing and get to the right safely. You should aim to grab the upper half of the right side of the other launching block, then launch yourself to the right with a dash, if needed, to make it to the ledge. Hit the dash crystal and flip the hot/cold switch, then you'll need to make your way back left. Jump onto the ice balls with large bounces off of them while moving to the left and dash left or up-left when needed. When you make it to the shattering block at the left side, you can touch the dash crystal and dash straight up twice to then climb to the next room.
Room 4
This room will have a constant spike floor with pillars of crystals from the top and bottom of the room and columns of ice balls rising up throughout. It can be pretty tricky to find the right way to beat this room, and some methods are harder than others. Standing at the ledge, watch the closest column of ice balls until an ice ball passes Madeline's height. At this point, jump right and dash diagonally up-right to bounce on it while still moving right, then do a bigger bounce off the next ice ball you touch to make it past first set of crystals. Do a big bounce off the next ice ball and a small bounce off the one after as you continue right, maneuvering yourself if needed slightly to make it past the next set of crystals. Do a big bounce off of the fifth ice ball, then when reaching the sixth one, do a big bounce directly upward on two ice balls, then start moving right when bounce on the third one. From here, you should be aligned to move right continuously while holding down the jump button to make it to the end perfectly.
Room 5
There will be a lot of tight dashes and quick actions needed in this room. You'll need to do a precise straight right dash after jumping off the ledge to grab the shattering block behind a very small gap in a column of crystals. After grabbing it, quickly climb and jump to its right side and do a wall jump to the right off of it before it disappears. Right after, you'll need to do another precise straight right dash and repeat the process. After wall jumping off the next shattering block, grab the next one to the right and jump over it to wall jump off its right side as well, allowing you to touch a dash crystal. After this, you'll have to do another tight dash to the right. You'll be able to grab another shattering block, which you should climb up and jump up from onto another shattering block. From there, jump over and wall jump to the right to then perform one final precise dash to finish the room.
Room 6
Be very careful not to hit the bumpers in this room in the wrong way or you'll be launched into crystals. Jump onto the first bumper and try to bounce a bit to the right to touch the left side of the next bumper. When this happens, hold no inputs at all and you'll be bounced perfectly left, then perfectly right to begin falling and enter the next section. Dash diagonally up-right and then straight up to then grab and jump across the shattering blocks above and eventually jump into another bumper. By holding no inputs when doing this, you'll be launched exactly as far as you need to be, then you can fall while avoiding a few crystals below and dash twice to the right, hitting a hot/cold switch in the process, and grab the conveyor wall which appears to ride it up to the next subchapter.
Gallery[]
