Some general strategies for the game

Roll where you can Alex rolls twice as fast as he walks but hitting a wall ends the roll. Some rolling sections can be extended much further by jumping through a narrow gap or up a staircase. These tricks are the big time-saves that make or break a run.

Avoid cherries Each cherry you pick up costs 0.08 seconds at the end of the level, which is small but adds up. The score countdown takes time based on the biggest of your cherries, stars, and the level number, which is usually cherries.

Walk right Or, left in level 8. Pause down as little as possible. Most of the time you can just hold the arrow key. However, waiting for crushers can be unavoidable.

Take damage when needed When avoiding enemies would take time, it can be better to just walk through and take damage. The invincibility time can let you pass through multiple enemies. You have 2 hearts of max health and lose 1 when hit. A small detour to collect a 2nd heart can be worth the time.

Buffer jumps If you press jump and hold before landing, you'll jump as soon as you land.

Pre-jump off ledges When you want to land on a spot below a ledge as fast a possible, jump early so you're already moving downward when you reach the edge.

Use generous hitboxes Alex's hitbox doesn't include his long snout, so you can safely cozy right up to enemies, especially crushers. When jumping, you can leave the ground or land even when Alex's feet are a bit off the platform.

Learn enemy cycles Enemies like spikefish or cannons have a consistent repeating pattern. They will always be at the same part of their cycle when you arrive, even if you were slower or faster earlier in the level. Develop a route to avoid them or wait as little as possible.

Kill bosses fast The Spike Truck takes 4 rolls to kill, by rolling all the way through its body. The Ground Pounder boss takes 4 crushes. Each extra cycle is costly.

Some timing math The game runs at 50 frames per second, so each frame is 20ms. Alex goes 1 pixel each frame, and so walking each 16-pixel tile takes 320ms. Rolling is twice as fast, so each extra tile rolled saves 160ms. Each extra cherry costs 4 frames, or 80ms. Use an autosplitter for precise timing.