THE INVENTORY

Your inventory is divided into three main sections. The first section is shaped like a plus sign and is reserved for Equipment — these are your passive clothing Items such as Headwear, Gloves, Chest/back pieces, Shoes, Trousers, and Trinkets like necklaces. Remember, only one piece of Equipment per type can be worn at a time.

The second section contains your Active Items, which are the most frequently used. This section is always visible and includes three item boxes. You can use the Items by pressing the default keys [1], [2], or [3]. Active Items with cooldowns will show a timer until they're ready again, while consumables will disappear after use, freeing up their slot.

The third section holds your Instruments, with space for up to three. To switch between them, use the scroll wheel or the default keys [Q] and [E]. When viewing the full inventory, you can rearrange Items by dragging them to a new slot or remove them from your inventory by dragging them out into the surrounding empty space.

DEALING AND TAKING DAMAGE

At the start of your journey, you have three hearts. Each enemy hit will cost you one heart, so guard them carefully! To increase your heart count, pick up a max heart. To replenish health, consume Items like cookies. However, beware: if you lose all your hearts, you'll be sent back to your last checkpoint, as long as you have extra lives remaining. Run out of extra lives, and you'll have to start over from the beginning of your run.

Sometimes, you might find a [glass heart]. Think of this as a temporary shield; it can take one hit before shattering. If you avoid taking damage, the [glass heart] will still vanish after a brief period. So make good use of it while it lasts!

Understand the Notes and Shattering system: Enemy projectiles deal varying amounts of damage based on their musical notation. An [8th] note, the smallest projectile, inflicts half a heart of damage. These can be linked together by a beam, forming [2-8ths] or [3-8ths]. When hit by connected notes, the damage you take is cumulative of the number of [8th] notes connected. A [4th] note will damage one heart, a [half] note takes away two hearts, and a [whole] note will deplete four hearts.

Projectiles follow different paths based on their originating instrument. While the lyre and trumpet fire in straight lines, the saxophone arcs its shots, and the violin's notes orbit around. Some weapons don't emit projectiles, offering unique strategies to discover.

Shattering is a defensive technique allowing you to break projectiles. When shattered, they reverse direction and split into two, each inflicting half the original damage. For instance, shatter a [half] note to get two [4th] notes. Shatter connected [8th] notes, and they'll break into individual notes. However, [ghost notes]—like those from a violin—won't cause damage unless shattered. Upon impact with a shattered [ghost note], it transforms into damaging [8th] notes.