Player Mechanics
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This article is about the player in gameplay. For the lore around the character the player takes the role of, see V1.
See also: Difficulties, Game Mechanics
The player in ULTRAKILL, who takes the role of V1, a blue humanoid machine, possesses many abilities and is directed by many set variables.
Health
| Attack | Healing Amount |
|---|---|
| Punch | 10 |
| Punch (Critical) |
30 |
| Parry (Any) | 999 |
| Knuckleblaster gibbing | 120 |
| Slam gibbing | +120 |
 Idol Kill
|
90 |
| Hitscan Shot | 10 |
| Hitscan Shot (Limb) | 20 |
| Hitscan Shot (Head) | 30 |
| Shotgun Pellet | 3 |
| Nail (Any) | 1 |
| Saw (Any) | 10 |
| Saw (Overheat) | 30 |
Health is the main resource of ULTRAKILL which directs the player's life. If V1's health reaches 0, the player will die and have to either restart the level or, if they previously have captured one, respawn at the last checkpoint. V1 usually has a maximum of 100 health, but may reach up to 200 health if the player collects a 
Red Soul Orb, is playing on Harmless, or has respawned at least 3 times in a row to a checkpoint on Lenient. A central mechanic of the game is the ability to regenerate health by attacking an enemy at close range. This ability does not apply to Sanded enemies. Other ways to regenerate health are by parrying any attack, destroying healing props such as the soul canisters in 6-1, collecting a Red Soul Orb, respawning to a checkpoint, starting another level, or restarting the level.
Parrying provides the player with a full refill of their health, or up to the Hard Damage limit if the player has any, and will also refill the player's Stamina.
Hard Damage
Hard Damage is a mechanic only found on difficulties Standard and up that prevents the player from healing a percentage of their health shortly after receiving damage.
When the player is hit by an enemy's attack, they will be dealt damage and also receive some Hard Damage. The amount of Hard Damage dealt to the player is equal to 35% of the damage the player has received. Hard Damage subtracts itself to the maximum of the player's health bar. In other words, Hard Damage acts as a temporary limit under the usual 100 health. This limit is rounded to the nearest integer. All mechanics related to this gameplay element are ignored if the player has more than 100 health.
Hard Damage passively drains over time. Hard Damage has a hidden timer that uses seconds called "cooldown" that is first set to 1 second when the player is damaged. Additionally, each time the player is hit, this timer will increase by an amount of seconds equivalent to 1/20 of the damage dealt by the attack. If the player is playing on Violent or higher, the timer will increase by 1 additional second every time. When the timer runs out, the player's Hard Damage will start draining at a rate of 15 Hard Damage per second.
Hard Damage can also be inflicted by the 
Whiplash. When reeling in the Whiplash, the player will constantly receive Hard Damage at a rate of 60/s and add some amount on the timer. Hard Damage received this way can only replace currently missing health and cannot add any more Hard Damage if the player already has at least 50 Hard Damage. While underwater, the player does not get any Hard Damage from using the Whiplash.
Hard Damage is also affected by the player's Style Rank.
- If the player is at Anarchic Rank or below, no changes appear. (Hard Damage drains at a rate of 15hd/s.)
- If the player is at the Supreme Rank, the timer will decrease 2 times faster and Hard Damage will drain at a rate of 40hd/s.
- If the player is at the SSadistic Rank, the timer will decrease 2.5 times faster and Hard Damage will drain at a rate of 50hd/s.
- If the player is at the SSShitstorm Rank, the timer will decrease 3 times faster and Hard Damage will drain at a rate of 60hd/s.
- If the player is at the ULTRAKILL Rank, Hard Damage and its timer will be instantly set to 0 and will never increase until the player drops down to a lower Style Rank.
Style
See also: Style
Style is one of the main game mechanics of ULTRAKILL. It directly influences gameplay and rewards the player for mastery of the game. Performing quick, impressive and varied actions in a stylish manner is essential for keeping a high style score. Style is principally indicated by the style meter which is divided into 2 parts: the style rank, and the style info.
The style rank, similarly to a combo meter, defines the overall score of the player. The only direct influence the player's style rank has on gameplay is its effect on Hard Damage. The higher the player's style rank is, the faster any suffered Hard Damage will decay and the shorter will the time be before Hard Damage starts decaying.
The style info is a list of the most recent actions the player has executed and displays various multipliers that affect the final style output. The list of actions that grant score is pre-defined but covers many actions the player can do.
For a more in-depth explanation of Style and its mechanics, see Style.
Movement
| Type | Speed (u/s) |
|---|---|
| Walking | 16.5 |
| Sliding | 24 |
| Dashing | 49.5 |
| Slamming | 100 |
| Whiplash Reeling
|
60 |
| Rocket Riding | 65 |
Movement is a core mechanic of ULTRAKILL's gameplay which allows the player to freely move in space using various methods. Some other mechanics are associated with this system. The speed of everything in the game is calculated in the amount of Unity units, shortened to u, or u/s for the amount traveled in a single second.
Stamina
Stamina is a movement mechanic which affects the player’s ability to perform certain actions. The player has a maximum of 3 stamina, indicated by the player HUD.
Stamina is consumed when the player performs certain actions:
- Dashing consumes 1 stamina.
- Power Slams consume 1 stamina.
- Dash Jumping consumes 2 stamina.
If the player attempts to perform any of these actions without the minimum stamina necessary, they will fail.
Stamina naturally recharges over time at a rate of 1.4/sec on Harmless difficulty, 1.05/sec on Lenient difficulty, and 0.7/sec on Standard difficulty and higher. Stamina cannot recharge while the player is sliding. Performing a parry on an enemy attack will cause the player to instantly regain all stamina.
Water
Water is a part of the environment that changes certain interactions. Most notably, being fully submerged in water makes blood stay fresh for a longer period of time but heal noticeably less. The player and enemies move with less gravity, jumping higher and floating downward much more slowly. Water surfaces can also be skipped on, if the player started the slide on land. The 
Whiplash does not build up Hard Damage when used underwater, and electricity from the 
Jumpstart Nailgun or 
Electric Railcannon conducts between both enemies and the player, dealing 50 self-damage which is fully replaced with Hard Damage upon effect.
Movement Actions
Walking
Walking is the simplest form of movement in ULTRAKILL, controlled using the player's corresponding Forward, Left, Back and Right keys (set to W, A, S and D by default). Walking moves the player along floor surfaces at a constant rate of 16.5 u/s, and allows the ability to traverse slopes and small elevations.
Jumping
Jumping is an action that the player can perform at any time while grounded or against a wall. Jumping is performed using the player's corresponding key (Spacebar by default). Jumping propels the player into the air at a fixed, unchanging rate, and can be done in a certain directions using the movement keys. While in the air, the player will gain a gradually rising style multiplier of up to x3.00. Jumping while reeling in the Whiplash towards a hookpoint or an enemy that is heavy enough to make the player go towards them will make the Whiplash detach, make the player lose some speed, lose all of their vertical momentum, and jump slightly upwards.
Walljump
The player can place themselves against a wall while in the air to slide down it, giving them the ability to perform a Walljump. Walljumps can be performed a maximum of three times before the player must return to the ground to do any more.
Dashing
Dashing is an action that performs a quick burst of speed in any given direction at the cost of 1 Stamina. Dashing is performed using its corresponding key (Left Shift by default). Performing a dash propels the player in a chosen direction using movement keys, or forward by default, at a rate of 49.5 u/s. While dashing, the player is briefly immune to almost all forms of damage, making it a powerful tool for evading attacks. Hitboxes of most of the enemies are also ignored while dashing.
Dashing completely resets player momentum when performed, making it useful for avoiding knockback.
Dash Jump
If a player dashes while grounded and immediately jumps, they will perform a Dash Jump at the cost of 2 Stamina. Dash Jumps will fling the player forward at a very high speed, allowing for powerful movement capabilities.
Sliding
Sliding is an action that the player can perform at any time while grounded, by holding down the corresponding key (Left Control by default). Sliding causes the player to move low to the ground at a rate of 24 u/s in any chosen direction. Sliding does not allow very much movement control, and when mid-slide the player can only slightly change direction, angling themself to the left or right. If the player had a speed faster than 24 u/s before initiating a slide, they will keep their previous speed but will progressively lose their momentum until they reach a speed of 24 u/s again. While sliding, the player will gain a gradually rising style multiplier of up to x3.00. Stamina cannot be regained while sliding. Sliding into liquid surfaces such as water or acid will cause the player to skip along their surface. Hitboxes of most of the enemies are also ignored while sliding.
Slide Jump
If a player slides and then immediately jumps, they will perform a Slide Jump. Slide Jumps provide similar momentum to that of a normal slide, but with the ability to preserve momentum when chained directly after other movement such as Dash Jumps.
Slide Walljump
While sliding in the air against a wall, the player can jump to execute a Slide Walljump. This action consumes 1 walljump and gives the player a slight boost in elevation and will make the player slide in the direction mirroring the one they are currently sliding in perpendicularly to the wall the player is sliding on.
Slamming
Slamming is an action which can be performed at any time while airborne using the corresponding key (Left Control by default). Slamming causes the player to immediately and sharply begin falling straight down to the ground, at a rate of 100 u/s. Slamming gives the player little to no air control, but can be cancelled using a Dash, the Whiplash, or with knockback. Slamming can damage any enemy directly hit by the player during their fall, dealing 2 damage.
Power Slam
If the player holds down the Slam key instead of briefly pressing it, they will perform a Power Slam, causing a small shockwave where the player impacts the ground. The shockwave will not deal damage, but will launch Light/Medium weight enemies into the air, their height being proportional to the time spent Power Slamming. Power Slamming costs 1 Stamina.
Slam Bounce
Jumping immediately after Slamming initiates a Slam Bounce, causing the player to jump high into the air, ending slightly higher than the altitude from which they first slammed. Slam Bounces can be chained to quickly increase height.
Gasoline
Standing on Gasoline lets the player move without their momentum decreasing with friction at the cost of control. When on an inclined surface covered in gasoline, the player will slide down the slope and rapidly gain speed. The acceleration and maximum speed depends on how steep the slope is.
Techniques
Diving
Diving is an action performed by pressing the slide key and the jump key simultaneously or in quick succession, or by sliding up a sloped floor. Diving puts the player in a sliding state while midair, allowing them to maintain their momentum and slide across walls without losing speed.
Rocket Riding
Rocket Riding is a technique which can be initiated by jumping or slamming onto a rocket shot by the player or an enemy, or by using the Whiplash on a rocket while in a falling state. While on a rocket, the player moves at 65 u/s and can steer the rocket using movement keys. Steering is independent of where the player is looking, and is instead based on the direction the rocket is facing. Left and right movement keys correspond to their respective directions, but up and down movement keys are inverted while riding. Due to its ability to freeze rockets in place, the 
Freezeframe Rocket Launcher is an excellent tool for performing this technique.
After riding on a rocket for more than a few seconds, the rocket will begin to sputter out and lose velocity. From this point, the player can jump onto another rocket to stay in the air. This can be done a maximum of three times with full fuel. Subsequent rockets have progressively less fuel. This state resets once the player touches the ground, and rockets can be ridden normally again. Under water, the rocket can be ridden without it losing fuel.
Explosive Boosting
Explosive Boosting is a general term to describe the act of using explosive tools, most often those of the player's own weapon arsenal, to move around at higher speeds. Explosive boosting provides a range of different speed boosts depending on the explosive used, often at the cost of great self-damage depending on whether the explosion used was a harmful one or not. Explosive weapons often used to perform these techniques include the 
Core Eject Shotgun, 
Pump Charge Shotgun, 
Malicious Railcannon, and Rocket Launcher.
Advanced Techniques
Slam Storage
Slam Storage can be performed by sliding against a wall, slamming, and then quickly walljumping off. This causes the slam momentum to be "stored," allowing the player to gain incredible vertical momentum if they jump immediately after landing on the ground. Rather than jumping, the player can also chain Slam Storage into a slide jump for great horizontal momentum, or a dive for diagonal upwards momentum.
Dash Storage
Dash Storage is the act of dashing and then immediately sliding while grounded. Doing so allows the player to extend the invulnerability frames given by the dash into the slide, lasting for around a second longer. The duration of the invulnerability is indicated by blue movement particles around the player during the slide.
Super Slide Jump
Super Slide Jumps are a movement technique performed by pressing the jump key three frames or less[?] after a slide, causing the player to gain a large boost of horizontal momentum that is stacked on top of any existing momentum the player may have already retained. Depending on which frame between the three-frame window the player jumps, the speed of the boost will change. First-frame boosts will launch the player at an additional 24.75 u/s, second-frame boosts at an additional 12.375 u/s, and third-frame boosts at an additional 6.1875 u/s.
Freesliding
Freesliding is a form of sliding that can be achieved by explosive boosting while sliding, propelling the player into the air in a sliding state. Once the player once again reaches the ground, they will be able to slide freely in any direction, bypassing the directional restriction of normal sliding.
Parrying
Parrying is a game mechanic in ULTRAKILL that allows the player to deflect enemy projectiles and attacks. The player can parry by punching with the 
Feedbacker with precise timing. The player can also parry melee attacks or enemies in the process of charging some projectile attack with a point-blank shot from the Shotgun and 
Impact Hammer. Enemies will typically flash with a yellow spark and play a sound cue to indicate that their attack can be parried. Conversely, enemies will flash with a blue spark and play a different sound cue to indicate that their attack cannot be parried. Successfully parrying will cause the game to briefly freeze and flash the screen white, before healing the player completely, or up to the Hard Damage limit if applicable, and fully restoring Stamina. Parrying a melee attack may cancel some. Parrying a projectile will most often redirect it towards where the player is aiming, with the exception of 
Swordsmachines' thrown sword, and the 
Hideous Masses' harpoon.
Projectile Boosting
The player can parry their own projectiles from the Shotgun primary fire, the 
Sawed-On Shotgun, 
Screwdriver Railcannon, or 
S.R.S. Cannon Rocket Launcher after shooting them, a technique known as "Projectile Boosting" or "Projectile Parrying". This produces the same visual effect as an enemy parry but does not restore health or stamina. Instead, the projectile the player launched will become powered up and gain an effect depending on the projectile. Shotgun pellets will become highly accurate and explode on contact with a surface or enemy. The chainsaw of the Sawed-On Shotgun will be propelled forward and remain attached to the player by its cable, allowing it to be juggled. Alternatively, the chainsaw can be punched with the 
Knuckleblaster to break it off the cable, flinging it forward. The Screwdriver can only be punched while it is inside of an enemy, in which case it will detach and fly in the direction it was punched towards, as well as dealing all of its remaining damage to the enemy it was punched out of. The S.R.S. Cannon's cannonball can be punched immediately after firing or after hitting an enemy, causing it to pierce through any enemies it kills, as well as dealing 7 damage rather than 5.
Certain other player projectiles can also be punched, including coins from the 
Marksman Revolver and sawblades from the 
Sawblade Launcher, but these do not produce the same visual effects as parries. Punching Marksman coins will cause them to hit the nearest enemy and then bounce upward in a reset state, increasing in damage for every time the same coin is punched. If there is no enemy they will bounce where the player has aimed the punch. Punching sawblades will cause them to bounce in the direction they were punched towards, and their damage will ramp up for every punch until the next time they interact with a magnet.