PLEASE NOTE: THIS GUIDE IS NOW DEPRECIATED AS WE HAVE A NEW ROUTE BEING PLANNED THAT SAVES FAR MORE TIME.

I've done well over 100 Iron Lung runs, most of which I end in the first 2 minutes, so I thought I would write my guide for every single split and strategy for Iron Lung.

Terminology: X = Your X coordinate Y = Your Y coordinate A = Your ending angle (you generally end your split once you're here) A: V = The angle is irrelevant since you get attacked by the fish, end your split after you've been moved by the fish P = The angle you need to be at for the picture Set your angle = The final step pretty much every split, this means setting your angle to the A given to you once you have reached the X and Y coordinates you are supposed to.

First off, the setup. I recommend you do a blind playthrough of Iron Lung at night, with the lights off, curtains closed and doors shut. This game is a magnificent experience but you only get one chance to play it slowly, so use it. If you've already done that, I'd recommend downloading my splits in the resources section, it should include the icons I use to know exactly when I'm going to need to take a picture, when I am about to get hit by a fish and when I need to put out the fire, plus it has all the coordinates. If you've done all that, here's my guide from start to finish.

Starting tips: 9/10, you won't need to change your direction drastically. If you're going to slam into a wall, the run is already doomed and I would recommend just slamming into it. Always ignore the proximity sensor, if your angles are within .20 or so of the listed angles, you will not crash. The proximity sensor is super useful in casual play, but it is not your friend in a speedrun. The route taken is well planned, so you can also ignore the map (except if you want to verify you've taken a picture) and camera...except when taking a picture. Once your picture angle is set, take the picture, don't bother waiting for it to load, just get back to the console and check your map.

First off, if you're using my splits (you can get my splits here: https://www.speedrun.com/iron_lung/resources under Splits), press New and hit your start timer key at the exact same time, the timer is set to -1:08. I recommend having your timer key set to the spacebar, since it's where your thumb natural sits and it isn't used at all in the game. Begin mashing your keyboard as much as you want, pretty much until you want to stop, though I generally wait until the cutscene of the sub lowering has started. The "Press Any Key" prompt comes up 15 seconds after hitting New, and if you're mashing, it'll register. The cutscene is a bit tedious when you've done it over 100 times, but that time to take some deep breaths, this run can be stressful.

SPLIT 1: Your starting coordinates are X:182, Y:116 and your angle is 0. Start by moving your angle as close to 10.83 as possible. It's incredibly easy to overshoot/undershoot so you may need to use a bit of time to get the right angle. Do not worry about getting this angle exact, getting it close enough is fine. But it is far better to have an angle that is less than 10.83 than it is to have one over 10.83, a lot of my 10.91 and 11 angles got me killed. Once you've set your angle, end your split and begin moving. Your travel time until the next split will be about 30 seconds.

SPLIT 2 (X:200 Y:210 A:111.8): Your Y will go up absurdly fast, and your X will go up far slower. If you feel the need, very quickly re-adjust your angle to try and get closer to your desired angle. Because of how quickly your Y goes up, you will want to stop at about X 200.25 to get that Y 210. Get your angle to 111.8 with a margin of error of around .10 (you will probably overshoot it rather than undershoot it), you really want this angle to be good, if it's out, you will crash. Set your angle. Your travel time until the next split will be about 5 seconds.

SPLIT 3 (X:225 Y:116 A:98.21): This is, in my opinion, one of the hardest turns in the game. I generally overshoot this one and end up stopping at ~A:96. This game is very much about timing. It's important to be quite accurate this one. End your split once you have the angle and start moving. Your travel time to the next split will be about 45 seconds.

SPLIT 4, FIRST PICTURE (X:322 Y:186 P:33 A:36.02): Your first picture. This is where I need to mention a very, very important fact that is especially helpful for this picture. Most of you probably haven't read the briefing when you played the game, but it reveals that there is a 10 degree margin of error on either side for the pictures. This is relevant here, because it means that since the picture angle is 33 and your ending angle is 36, you do not actually need to go to 33 at all, you can go straight to 36, take the picture, and leave. For this split, I end timing once I've verified that the tick appeared, showing that you got the picture. This is also the first reset point for me. It is incredibly easy to throw out your Y coordinate, and I usually allow a margin of error of about .50 or so. This early on in the run, if I don't get the picture first try, I reset, since correcting your Y here is far more difficult. Take the picture and end your split. Your travel time to the next split will be about 15 seconds.

SPLIT 5, SECOND PICTURE (X:378 Y:263 P:50 A:310.19): This is another difficult picture to take, but a Y:262 often is fine. It is faster to press the left arrow and swing back around to 310 than it is to press the right arrow and go all the way around. Set your angle, end your split. Your travel time to the next split will be about 57 seconds.

SPLIT 6 (X:275 Y:350 A:3440.06): The most common blunder I make here is accidentally hitting the left arrow instead of the right. This is a relatively simple one, so set your angle and end your split. Your travel time to the next angle will be about 55 seconds.

SPLIT 7, THIRD PICTURE (X:259 Y:406 P:296 A:145.49): I have had runs where I get to an awful Y:408 here, but your picture angle is very close so if you think it's worth just correcting your Y, do that instead of resetting. Press the left arrow to swing around instead of the right arrow. Set your angle, end your split. Your travel time to the next split will be about 50 seconds.

SPLIT 8 (X:325 Y:310 A:78.68): An easy enough split. Set your angle and end your split. Your travel time to the next split will be about 35 seconds.

SPLIT 9 (X:400 Y:325 A:106.69): This is a good time to mention that you should sometimes go deliberately a bit over or under on splits like this in order to correct any slight issues you might have. You're just gonna have to get a feel for it. Set your angle and end your split. Your travel time to the next split will be about 55 seconds.

SPLIT 10, FORTH PICTURE (X:560 Y:277 P:43 A:146.47): This is the final split I consider resetting. By now you're about 7 minutes into the game and I think it's generally better to just push on at this point. Take the picture, set your angle and end your split. Your travel time for the next split will be about 55 seconds. At about X:537, your proximity sensor will start to go ballistic, this is a scripted event. I already said this at the start, but you should completely and totally ignore the proximity sensor throughout the run. It is going to keep beeping until about X:546 and then will go away. This is just another method this game uses to scare you, it is the fish, you will not hit the fish, the fish has 0 collision and isn't actually even there. Ignore it, keep swimming.

SPLIT 11, FIFTH PICTURE (X:613 Y:197 P:55 A:64.08): This is another example of a picture that you can skip setting the angle for, if your coordinates are alright, A:64.08 will still register as a picture, so do not bother setting your angle to 55. Take the picture, end your split. Your travel time to the next split will be about 30 seconds.

SPLIT 12 (X:825 Y:300 A:240.76): A good simple split. Enjoy it, by now you're about 9 minutes into the run so I wouldn't bother resetting by this point. Your travel time to the next split will be about 40 seconds.

SPLIT 13, SIXTH PICTURE (X:864 Y:258 P:209 A:317.13): Once again, remember that you have a 10 degree allowance, so swing until you think you can do it and set your angle, end your split. Your travel time to the next split is about 1 minute 30 seconds, this is a good time to slightly adjust your angle slightly.

SPLIT 14 (X:825 Y:300 A:240.76): Start taking deep breaths, because the split after this one will startle you. Set your angle, end your split.

SPLIT 15, FISH ATTACK ONE (X:700, Y:230, A: V): The angle is irrelevant, at about X:722 or so you will be smacked by the fish and set to X:576, Y:355. As soon as you get smacked by the fish, end this split.

SPLIT 16 (X:567, Y:355, A:351.62): Generally you will be at 568 or so. This is a super quick spit in theory, but in practice you will probably be startled. Set your angle, end your split. Your travel time to the next split will be about 40 seconds.

SPLIT 17 (X:562 Y:450 A:41.06): Go up and enjoy yourself, use this time to slightly correct yourself if you think you need to. Set your angle, end your split. Your travel time to the next split will be about 1 minute. While travelling, your proximity sensor will go wild again. Ignore it.

SPLIT 18, SEVENTH PICTURE (X:623 Y:520 P:63 A:271.14): This is a super important split to set your angle well. You're going left the whole time. After you've taken the picture, set your angle and ended your split, use the 1 minute 40 travel time to the next split in order to adjust your angle well. There's only a 5 degree difference between your Y angle and you're not going to crash into the wall, so adjust as needed in order to get your Y coordinates back in sync.

SPLIT 19 (X:370 Y:525 A:0): If your X axis is out of sync, this is your favourite split. Going straight up means only your Y coordinate is going to change. Set your angle, end your split. Your travel time to the next split will be about 1 minute.

SPLIT 20, FIRE SPLIT (X:370 Y:637 A:281.77): I hope you have a good ear, because this is the split where the sub catches on fire. Luckily, it happens once you've reached Y:637, so you can stop the sub and go put out the fire. It is important you put the fire completely out, the extinguisher isn't very effective, but you can do it in about 5 seconds if you play perfectly. Once the fire is out, set your angle and end your split. Your travel time to the next split will be about 50 seconds.

SPLIT 21 (X:250 Y:662 A:270): A very simple split. Set your angle, end your split. Your travel time to the next split is about 30 seconds, use this time to correct your Y coordinates if you need to. By now you will start to hear the loud noise of the nexus thing, just ignore it, it can't hurt you.

SPLIT 22 (X:200 Y:662 A:201.97) Set your angle, end your split. Your travel time to the next split is about 1 minute.

SPLIT 23 (X:180 Y:614 A:180): This used to be a split I didn't track, instead just relying on the simple fact that once you reach 180 your Y is still not slow enough so you go straight down to correct that, but I want the splits I have uploaded here to be as beginner friendly as possible, so I have added the splits here. Since you're going straight down, use this time to correct your X coordinates. Set your angle, end your split. Travel time to next split is about 13 seconds. Ignore the weird noises and warping effect.

SPLIT 24, EIGHTH PICTURE (X:180 Y:576 P:184 A:348.24): Take the picture, simple as that. By now the console will be warping pretty hard, just try to ignore it, it's just a visual effect. In theory, you don't need to set the angle and can instead just end the split once you've taken the picture but I do set my angle just to be sure, travel time is about 11 seconds or so provided you don't fuck it up majorly like I did.

SPLIT 25, FISH ATTACK TWO (X:175 Y:600 A: V): In my world record run, this is probably the split that confused me the most, for some dumb reason this split lead to a split with the coordinates X:200 Y:662 A: V indicating that the fish attack was the next split, but that split never happened. I have the correct split uploaded, this is the split where you will be fished again. I choked really hard in my world record run of here because I had the wrong splits, but you have the right splits, so use them. Once you get fished, end this split.

SPLIT 26 (X:276 Y:635 A:24.24): You just got fished, so your coordinates are already set, just set your angle and end your split, try not to panic. Your travel time is about 1 minute.

SPLIT 26, NINTH PICTURE (X:325 Y:741 P:18 A:107.74): A relatively relaxing split to calm you down after the panic of getting fished. Remember that you have a 10 degree allowance either side for pictures, so you don't actually need to set your picture angle. Take the picture, end your split. Your travel time to the next split is about 1 minute 20 seconds. At about X:456, your proximity sensor will begin flashing horrifically in front of you for the rest of the run. Ignore it. This is where you are supposed to take a picture and see the fish's eye to scare you, but if you don't take the picture, it will stick around for the rest of the run in front of you. As I said from the start, ignore the proximity sensor, it is useless.

SPLIT 27 (X:500 Y:685 A:73.3): The fish is still in front of you, but it's not actually, it's just a static .png of the eye. Set your angle, end the split. Your travel time to the next split will be about 1 minute.

SPLIT 28 (X:550 Y:700 A:51.34): Get to your destination, set your angle, and end your split. You are in a large open area at this point and your only potential crash is above you, so I do really recommend getting to A:51.34, but since this is the last split where you move any direction other than straight up, once you get to X:675 (the next split's X coordinate), you can ignore your Y coordinate and go straight up. Your travel time to the next split will be about 1 minute assuming you reach Y:700.

SPLIT 29 (X:675 Y:800 A:0): As I said before, the previous split is just putting you on track to go up at this point, so your X is basically irrelevant. Once you hit X:675, you are going straight up for the rest of the run. Set your angle (if you haven't already), end your split. The travel time to your next split will be about 20 seconds.

SPLIT 30, FINAL SPLIT (X:675 Y:828 P:295): If you've done everything right, you can ignore the picture angle. No matter what, once you're at those coordinates and you've taken 9 pictures, you will get fished regardless of your angle. Run to the back of the sub as though you are going to take a picture, get jumpscared by the fish, and end your split once the words IRON LUNG appear on your screen. You have successfully completed an Iron Lung speedrun.

Thank you for taking the time to read this guide, I sincerely hope that it helps you in running this very enjoyable but skill intensive game. I have provided the links to the blank splits I have created up above and I do genuinely believe these are the best splits the game has available. I recommend watching some speedruns of the game if you want to get a feel for what you will be going, and not to shill, but as of the 17th of May I have the world record with my Australian accent giving live commentary, which you can watch here:

Thanks for reading, and happy speedrunning!