Controls

Slugcat's controls feature a variety of advanced movements, mostly unexplained in-game. This page exists to detail the variety of moves slugcat can perform, and how to do them.

Buttons and basics

 * Up: Grabs onto poles and climbs up them. Causes slugcat to climb up small ledges and reorient in midair. Also causes slugcat to rise up onto two feet when crawling.
 * Down: Causes slugcat to duck down and crawl on all fours. When on a vertical pole, causes slugcat to crawl down it. When on a horizontal pole or the bottom of a vertical pole, causes slugcat to drop off of it. Also causes slugcat to drop off of corners.
 * Left/Right: The basic horizontal movement of the game. Also used to cause slugcat to grab onto a wall and slide down it.
 * Jump: A basic jump allowing slugcat to climb over obstacles, reach poles and leap across gaps.
 * Grab: Picks up an object or grabs certain creatures. If slugcat's left hand is free, they will always grab objects with that hand first.
 * Throw: Throws held objects, often with considerable force. If slugcat is holding two objects, the object in their left hand will be thrown first. Some objects will have an effect when thrown, and others are thrown a much shorter distance.
 * Map: When tapped, briefly pulls up the HUD showing slugcat's karma level and hunger. When held slightly longer, brings up a timer depicting how soon the next rain will come. When held down for about a second, brings up a map from slugcat's memory. Slugcat cannot move while remembering the map, and this will not pause the game.
 * Pause: Opens up the pause menu.

Object Management

 * Eat: Holding grab will cause slugcat to eat any food they are holding. If slugcat is holding food in both hands, they will eat the food in their left hand first. If slugcat is already full, they will not eat any more food. Certain food, such as popcorn plants, are eaten as soon as they are grabbed.
 * Drop: Pressing down and grab at the same time will cause slugcat to gently drop an item rather than throw it. Like throwing, slugcat will drop the item in their left hand first. This can be very useful when the player wants to grab hold of something else without wasting objects such as spears or explosives, or when attempting to appear nonthreatening around neutral creatures.
 * Swap: Double-tapping grab will cause slugcat to swap the items held in their left and right hands, letting them throw or drop a different item first.
 * Item Storage/Regurgitation: If the player holds down grab, as if to eat, and is unable to eat (due to not holding any food or being full), slugcat will instead swallow an object they're holding. This object can then be regurgitated later on by holding grab again. As long as slugcat is not in a tunnel, the object will be regurgitated into one of slugcat's hands if they have an empty one. If not, the object will be spat on the ground. Food and spears cannot be stored this way.

Movement

 * Longjump: If slugcat is crouching and holds jump for a short time without moving, their back will visibly arc slightly. Releasing jump will then cause slugcat to leap a considerably longer distance than a jump alone would do. Note that slugcat will not jump as high, however.
 * Walljump: If slugcat is pressed up against a wall, pressing the jump button will cause slugcat to jump off of it. By default slugcat cannot walljump up a single wall, but if two walls are close enough to each other, slugcat can gain height by walljumping back and forth. Note that if slugcat is up against a corner, slugcat will instead climb up it.Cornerboost.gif
 * Dash reversal: When slugcat is running in one direction, quickly turning around will cause slugcat to dash the other way, going slightly faster than usual for a short time.
 * Tunnel-dashing: When crawling in a tunnel, slugcat can briefly boost their speed by pressing jump. This will cause slugcat to lose their grip for a short time, and as a result is slower in upwards and horizontal crawling, but lets slugcat quickly descend tunnels and gain a burst of speed when exiting one. This can also be used when exiting a pipe, including pipes between rooms.
 * Corner-boosting: Pressing jump immediately after rounding a corner in a tunnel results in a much greater burst of speed with no slowdown penalty, as slugcat pushes off from the wall behind.
 * Tunnel-turning: If slugcat is crawling backwards in a tunnel, their speed is greatly decreased. This can be fixed by pressing jump and the direction you wish to turn, causing slugcat to take a moment and reorient in that direction.Shelterboost.gif
 * Backflip: If slugcat is running one direction, then turns around and jumps, they will backflip in that direction. The jump will reach slightly higher than a usual jump, but slugcat will be upside down at the apex, making it difficult to grab anything higher than usual.

Water
When in water, slugcat will move in the direction the player pushes using up/down/left/right. Diving downwards is significantly slower than going upwards. As slugcat loses breath, slugcat will rush upwards and begin ignoring inputs to go downwards, eventually only allowing the player to lightly steer their ascent. If slugcat runs out of breath, they will eventually begin drifting limply, and will die if they do not resurface immediately after.
 * Water Dash: If the player presses the jump button while slugcat is submerged, they will dash along at an increased speed. Doing so takes off a significant amount of breath, and should generally only be used to evade predators or to quickly move horizontally near the water's surface.
 * Turn Boost: Slugcat accelerates slightly whenever they turn in the water, in order to be able to turn around at a reasonable speed. By wiggling back and forth, the player can swim slightly faster than slugcat's normal speed.

Zero-Gravity
One region features zero-gravity movement, and learning the new moveset can be disorienting. Unlike swimming, slugcat is unable to directly accelerate in zero-gravity using the arrows keys, only able to reorient themselves as they propel around from large leaps. Movement is largely dependent on leaping off of poles or walls, although the player can maintain some slight influence on their momentum through rotation.
 * Pole-grab: Unlike the standard controls, slugcat will grab onto poles by pressing a button parallel to the pole's direction (i.e. up or down for vertical poles, and left or right for horizontal ones). Slugcat will not climb onto or let go of the pole using up/down. Note that some other objects can be grabbed using the up button.
 * Leap: If slugcat is touching a wall or holding onto a pole or other object, pressing the jump button while holding a given direction will cause the player to leap in that direction. The player cannot leap off of a pole in the same direction as they could crawl along it, as slugcat will immediately grab onto the pole again.
 * Crawl: Slugcat can press up against a wall by holding the button towards it and crawl along it. Slugcat can even round corners this way if the player is careful. Their speed will be very low while doing this, however.
 * Throwing: Throwing rocks or spears allow will slightly boost the players speed in the direction thrown. This can be especially useful for avoiding last minute hazards while moving quickly. Note that objects can still only be thrown left or right, regardless of the players orientation.
 * Tail-Boosting: Slugcat can influence their momentum by throwing their tail about via rotation. Though this tends to be a slow and clumsy way of adjusting the player's trajectory, it remains useful, for instance, if slugcat slows to a halt midair. By rotating quickly and then stopping, the player will whip their tail and gain some slight momentum in the direction their tail was moving. Other methods of tail-boosting exist, such as wriggling back and forth.

Advanced Movement

 * Bellyslide: An advanced move performed by pressing down and jump simultaneously while running, causing slugcat to shoot forward along the ground for a short time. A slugcat can jump while in a bellyslide to extend the speed boost.
 * Slidejump: Pressing jump mid-bellyslide converts a bellyslide into a long jump, allowing for rapid forward movement.
 * Dash Hopping: Rapidly jumping after a dash reversal allows slugcat to maintain their momentum, allowing faster movement than usual.
 * Somersaulting: Holding down when falling from a height greater than an average jump will result in slugcat rolling along the ground. Pressing jump during this converts into a long jump, which can be done the moment slugcat hits the ground.
 * Throw Boosting: By throwing an object at the apex of slugcat's jump, the player can extend their jump slightly farther than usual.
 * Wall Pouncing: An advanced move performed by pressing jump just as slugcat long-jumps into a wall while holding forward. This will result in slugcat long-jumping off the wall in the opposite direction. This can allow for the traversal of vertical spaces normally too wide for regular walljumping. The move can be chained from any method of longjumping, such as bellyslides or somersaults.