Any% Tutorial

#Introduction

This will be a guide to cover all the strats we currently use in the Any% route for this game.
Most of the levels are pretty straightforward and you should be able to figure out the basic route by just watching one of the runs on the leaderboards. 
There are just rather small optimizations throughout the run which I'm going to explain. 

Before starting a run I highly recommend turning the music option OFF. This helps to avoid lag in certain levels/parts.

After you completed a level mash **A** to skip through the text, summary screen and next level screen. There are also two password screens appearing after the Kitchen and Carnival level, just keep mashing and you probably won't even notice them.

Enemies will stun you for a brief moment when hitting you while you're standing on the ground. However when you're in the air while getting hit you do not get stunned (you will take damage though) - so we always want to get hit while being in the air. Keep that in mind.

#The Street  

You can play this level without using the scooters that are scattered throughout the level but actually using them is way faster, so I definitely recommend picking up this strat.
On flat ground the scooter is just as fast as your running speed, while driving up a slope slows you down and driving it down gives you a speedboost.
If you jump while riding down a slope and then jump on the first frame when you're landing it's actually possible to preserve that speedboost. Here's an example of how it looks compared to just doing normal jumps:

[center]**Superjump**
https://i.imgur.com/1ATygmh.gif

**Without Superjump**
https://i.imgur.com/81cYKHi.gif[/center]

It's technically possible to chain more than two superjumps but it's very tricky to do so. Whenever I refer to **superjumps** this is what I mean.

- start running to the right
- jump over the hydrant and release your **B** button before you touch the scooter (otherwise you'd drop it instantly)
- use the black balls (idk what it actually is?) to launch onto the first platform, jump to the second one and instantly do a full jump to land on the first downward slope
- for the rest of the level just drive down the slopes and jump late (but not too late to actually get the boost)
- try to do superjumps after every slope to boost yourself
- when getting to the house area just drive past the enemies (they won't stun you while riding the scooter)
- after getting hit by the last flowerpot press **B** to drop the scooter and do a roll into Jerry to activate him on the earliest moment possible

#The Lounge

Pretty straightforward level where most of the time you just have to dodge the wrecking balls. One thing I have to mention though are the birds which start flying whenever there is a wrecking ball sound (the wrecking ball crashing) playing. Those sounds seem to be on a global timer (which we can't control I guess) so sometimes they will just start flying when you're right next to it. You can consider jumping into their hitbox to definitely get damage while being in the air.

- run right, (jump into the parrot), jump on the 4th step of the staircase and immediately jump again so you don't lose time due to bumping against the wall
- avoid all wrecking balls by jumping through their chain
- jump late after the 2nd wrecking ball to make the jump onto the 2nd step followed by another 2 jumps up the staircase
- when you reach the first couch you wanna jump on it while doing a high jump. The way couches work is that the higher your initial jump was (when jumping on it) the higher your bounce off of it will be:

[center]https://i.imgur.com/8we6Wa8.gif[/center]

- after jumping from the platform try to get hit by the parrot before landing
- do two short jumps to clear the spike pit and climb the staircases
- run down the stairs of the wrecking ball and turn right just when you made it past the first platform to fall underneath it and finally turn left again just before reaching the 5th platform (counting top -> down)
- jump into the parrot and progress further left to climb the platforms after the spike pit
- when reaching the top there is actually a strat to skip the next wrecking by using your i-frames:

[center]https://i.imgur.com/mjRtDd4.gif[/center]

I you go for this strat you have to make sure you don't get slowed down at all while jumping up the staircase. Getting stuck even for just a few frames will most likely result in you colliding with the wrecking ball.

- either do the wrecking ball skip or just wait a little bit for the wrecking ball to get past you, then progress further right, making sure you jump over or into the parrot (alternatively roll under it)
- jump on the tv to make it past the wrecking ball and do two short jumps
- run down the staircase and keep holding right, jump over the wrecking ball with a full jump
- land just between the first and second platform (this is quite precice, it's better to aim at the second platform than on the first one) and immediately hold left to make it to the rail
- when on the rail immediately jump again and try to land in the middle of the gap to not touch any platform (except for the last one)
- jump out of the spike pit and roll into Jerry

#The Lounge Revisited

It is actually possible to skip the textbox in the beginning by jumping over the ghost of Jerry. It only saves around a second but is definitely worth going for since you don't really lose time if you miss it. This is what it looks like:

[center]https://i.imgur.com/X9j8thJ.gif[/center]

When attempting it don't jump too high since this will cost you some time (when bumping into the wall). I try to start my jump just before I reach the line of fish, but you have to kinda time the length of your A press to make it past Jerry.

- run past Jerry by either doing the skip or just mashing the textbox
- either do a roll into both clowns or jump over their heads
- get hit by the skateboard while jumping up the stairs and use those invincibility frames to run through the soldier
- when you reach the couch after the second soldier you jump on the ground beneath it and do a fulljump onto the couch, but there is also a strat to land on the couch while not being in the constant bounce animation that you're normally in after jumping on a couch:

[center]https://i.imgur.com/x1KtzHl.gif[/center]

That makes it possible to immediately jump again onto the next platform, saving around a second.
Try to jump on the couch with Toms feet being barely above flat part of the couch. If you jump too high you will end up in the "bouncing state" (losing time because you need to do several small jumps to gain height), if you jump too low you will end up in front of the couch (go on like you normally would by just doing a fulljump to gain enough height)
- get hit by the next skateboard and run through the wrecking ball
- do a fulljump after the spike pit and land past the window (background graphics)
- hold left and jump over the wrecking ball
- jump down right in the middle of the gap in order to not land on any of the platforms
- either do a very late jump from the TV directly onto the platform **or** do one additional jump onto the rail followed by another jump onto the platform
- jump over the last wrecking ball and roll into Jerry to trigger him the earliest moment possible

#The Alley

First Jerry level! Ladders in this level work similiar to platforms where every rung acts as a single platform to jump off. Also the first level to feature water. While being in the water pressing **B** does __not__ make you swim faster and pressing **A** will make you swim up. When running through shallow water however you will receive a small speedboost that saves some frames.

- start running to the right and stop when above the gap in order to fall down
- immediately hold A when you're in the first body of water to instantly jump when reaching the surface
- run through the shallow water and the spikes to receive a speedboost
- damageboost past the fish in the water
- keep holding **A** after the underwater spike section
- do small hops when crossing the water gaps, making sure to not bump your head
- jump up the next 2 ladders
- do a very high jump up onto the 3rd ladder followed by another fulljump in order to make it up the ladder within 2 jumps
- kill the clown with a roll attack and fall down the gap hugging the right wall (so you don't accidentely get stuck on the ladder)
- progress up and left until you fall down again for the last time and jump right into the acid in order to get hit (if you just run you will get hit on the ground)
- fall further down and jump up the 3 ladders to make it to the boss (collect the star to refill health if needed)
- the boss will always do the same movement, depending on where you stand. This is how it looks like when done correctly:

[center]https://i.imgur.com/5yjmUfF.gif[/center]

Sometimes, when standing too far to the left after the fight the screen won't scroll properly and you might run into an instant death tile which is somehow present when the camera hasn't scrolled properly. You can avoid this by __not__ hugging the left side of the screen after the fight.

#The Kitchen

One of the two autoscroller levels in this game where you can't save a lot of time. You can however try to avoid lag as much as possible by not having too many sprites on the screen at the same time. This might be important for the falling plates since they seem to create a lot of lag, especially when crashing. Try to kill all soldiers asap.

When you get to the part where the paths split I recommend taking the upper one so you don't have to deal with the dog.

Just don't die :)

#The Library

First out of three levels in which you have to collect certain things in order to complete the level. Other than that the level is pretty straightforward.

- go right and kill the clown with a roll, followed by a jump onto the table and the piano
- climb your way up and make sure to  either stand on the very left edge or right half of the bookcase so you don't get hit by the book while standing
- when reaching the 2nd bookcase jump from the second to last (bottom -> top) level to reach the platform without having to do an additional short jump onto the last level. Also make sure to not go too far to the right since you will load the telegram (the item you have to collect) + some enemies which you wanna avoid due to lag
- progress further by rolling into enemies and using the slides
- the room with the telegram is very laggy so make sure to not get stunned on the ground by one of the enemies and rather take damage from the flying book after you collected the telegram to use the i-frames
- progress further until you reach Aunt Figg

#Dr. Applecheeks Basement

Very short, maze-like level. It features on/off switches for the lights which can be triggered by Dr. Applecheek (off) and by Jerry (on). Because of the way stairs are built in this level you can actually press the opposite direction already on the **3rd step (bottom -> top)** to cut the turn much tighter, clipping through the steps:

[center]https://i.imgur.com/IlP3QoN.gif[/center]

Try to use this on every staircase except for the last one of course.

- immediately kill the doctor so he doesn't turn off the lights and progress down the stairs
- when going down the 2nd staircase it's better to turn late than too early because you have to make sure to reach the second doctor before he turns off the lights again (you can play this level with lights out but you really have to know where to go)
- jump late after crossing the spike pit to make it onto the wooden crates and do another late fulljump
- make your way down the staircases and roll into the two soldiers and Tom

#The Attic

This level features a spring that Tom has to use in order to gain height. The spring mechanic can be a bit tricky when first learning this game but it's actually not too hard to master. Now there are two ways to get a high spring jump:

1.) Equip the spring by pressing **B**, stand still and wait until Tom does the first small hop (this will trigger automatically whenever you equip the spring while standing on the ground). Then press **A** and hold it when you touch the ground again __after__ the first small hop. It's very important to stand still while doing the second jump (full jump) in order to actually gain enough height. If you are moving while trying to do it, you might not reach the desired height.

2.) Equip the spring when you're just about to drop down (for example right before you collect the backpack) from a high spot and then quickly press and hold **A** when you're about to touch the ground:

[center]https://i.imgur.com/yrHXv3Q.gif[/center]

This level is (at least at some parts) very laggy due to the high amount of enemies. 

- start running right, press any button to cancel Aunt Figgs text, either roll or jump past the book (damage boost if needed)
- cancel Jerrys text by pressing any button, go a bit more to the right (small hops) and do two full spring jumps in order to progress further through the "maze" part
- press **B** to put away the spring after your second spring jump
- jump onto the same level where the book is and roll past it (it will jump and you can roll underneath it)
- do a fulljump, land right before the soldier and progress further right by either jumping over the enemies or rolling into them
- when you get to the next "maze" jump over the first gap (it's a non-solid tile which looks like it's solid) without the spring and the press **B** to activate it again and do one spring jump, press **B** again to put away the spring after your jump, progress further right
- jump past the soldier, then turn and hold left
- roll or jump past the books
- in the 3rd maze section spring jump over the solid left wall, put away your spring, do a short jump over the gap (again, non-solid tile which lets you fall through) and try to do the second spring jump method explained above when collecting the backpack
- go back to the right side of the gap you just jumped over and do two spring jumps to progress further up/left
- roll into the clown, cancel Robyns text with any button and then immediately jump into the ceiling after she disappears. That way you damageboost through the next two enemies.
- do another spring jump and get hit by the spider to damageboost through the next two enemies as well
- either roll or jump past the last book, finally jumping into Aunt Figg

#The Carnival

Another pretty straightforward level featuring a small boss fight (almost similiar to the one in Alley). 

- run right and do fulljump over the first two gaps, followed by another fulljump past the clown
- small jump to the next level (where the balloon is sitting) and do another fulljump
- roll into the clown and do a very late fulljump. If done correctly you will get hit by the next clown before you touch the ground, not stopping you at all
- after getting hit by the clown immediately jump again on top of the moving carts and keep doing small hops to jump to the next one
- land on the ground right before the next clown and do two fulljumps to land in the water
- hold **A** when you're in the water to immediately jump out of it, landing right next to the balloon
- do a fulljump and keep hopping over the carts again, collect the star to refill your health (alternatively just run over the spikes but be aware of your health)
- do the bossfight. If done correctly it will look like this:

[center]https://i.imgur.com/pZMmm3y.gif[/center]

You don't have to stand on the right side of him when doing the 3rd hit but I find it easier to do so. Just be careful to not stand to his right when he's already close to the right side of the screen because he likes to run offscreen, making it impossible for you to hit him.

- after you fought him hug the right side of the screen, do a small hop onto the carousel, keep running right until you fall off of it again and then do a fulljump followed by another fulljump. You have to kinda time your second fulljump in order to land on the platform which means you have to let go of **A** a little bit early:

[center]https://i.imgur.com/vYmF956.gif[/center]

If you don't feel comfortable doing this blind just walk a little bit to the left after the bossfight to make the camera scroll properly.

- jump up the platforms and into the balloon, collecting Robyn's locket
- cancel the text by pressing any button and try to jump over to the small wooden beam. If you don't make it just do any additional jump to move up to Robyn

#The Cabin

Final level! Also a pretty boring one because it's another autoscroller. It's different compared to the other autoscroller though since this time it's scrolling vertically. For some reason the game doesn't restrict you from moving up even if the screen hasn't visibly loaded yet. That means you could technically jump all the way up to the boss fight before the camera catches up if you know how to do it blindly (all platforms etc. are loaded as soon as you enter the level). However, the boss fight won't load until the camera catches up to a certain point. 

- play the level normally until you reach the platform after the last juggler and then jump your way up to the boss before it actually loads it properly:

[center]https://i.imgur.com/GYBliyx.gif[/center]

To understand what is happening in the picture above just memorize the last few jumps you have to make in order to reach the boss. It looks kinda weird because after Tom has reached the top of the screen he will reappear on the bottom of the screen (the game needs to have Tom to be visible but it hasn't loaded the area where he is at yet so it just wraps him to the bottom of the screen while actually being one screen further, vertically speaking)

- after you've done the steps above try to position Tom right in the middle of your IGT display facing left and holding **B**
- once the ingame timer hits 02:17 the boss textbox will appear, cancel it with any button but keep holding **B** all the time
- wait around a second until you see the ground tile appearing on the top of the screen, then quickly do a short roll to your left (let go of down + left to cancel your roll, making it shorter)
- go a few steps back right to your inital position, turn left and repeat the same roll again
- if done correctly you already hit her 2 out of 5 times before she's already fully visible
- hit her 3 more times to finish the game
- after the last hit try to run away from her to make her disappear sooner, triggering the music to end the game

The perfect bossfight should result in a 2:09 IGT

Crankykong

Tom and Jerry: Frantic Antics (Gameboy)