Rainbowcore Hypernova/System
Movement
Rainbowcore Hypernova has fairly standard 2D fighter movement options, sporting walks, runs or dashes, and various airborne options.
Walk:
Input by holding 6 or 4. Walks are extremely slow, but extremely safe.
Run/Dash:
Input with 66 or Dash. Characters will either have a Dash, which move a standard distance, or a Run, which can be held indefinitely. Runs/Dashes can be cancelled into any action, allowing for advanced movement tech like Wavedashing. Green cannot run.
Backdash:
Input with 44 or 4+Dash. Backdashes are invincible, and can be cancelled into specials or normals, except for Green.
Jump:
Input by pressing any upwards direction (7, 8, or 9). Jumps cover lots of ground, but you can only block in the air with Hyper Guard.
Hop:
Input by tapping any upwards direction. Hops carry the same traits as jumps, but are much faster and more useful for offense.
Airdash:
Input with 66 or Dash while airborne. Airdashes are vulnerable to any strikes, but cover tons of horizontal distance. Green cannot airdash.
Double Jump:
Input by pressing any upwards direction while airborne. Double jumps allow you to vary your air movement, but you can't Hyper Guard while rising from a double jump, making them somewhat risky. Green cannot double jump.
Advanced Movement
Wavedashing:
Done by dashing, immediately crouching, and then dashing again. Oftentimes faster than repeatedly dashing or running.
Airdash Cancelling:
Done by airdashing and then immediately cancelling the airdash with a normal or special. Depending on what you use, this will either fully stall your momentum or multiply it immensely.
Turnaround Run/Dash:
Blue and Indigo can dash/run backwards by inputting Dash and immediately holding backwards. Yellow can do this with their 2B and 236A/B as well.
Attacks, Cancelling, and Meter
Attacking is done with the A and B buttons. Every character universally has standing, crouching, and jumping versions of these buttons, alongside universal 6A, 6B, j.2A, and j.2B command normals. Cancelling into things will often preserve your previous momentum, allowing you to add movement to many options that otherwise wouldn't have it.
Rainbowcore is a motion input game. Each characters special move inputs are unique, however super is always 632146B. Green has a unique second super with 214214B
Chaining
5A will chain into any other attack, and is also jump cancellable. j.A will chain into other air normals. All other normals are only special cancellable, with some exceptions, such as Yellow's 6A.
Chaining in Rainbowcore works as a simple ladder cancelling system, laid out below. Left is the lowest rung of the ladder, and anything on the left can cancel into anything on the right. EX specials are also able to cancel into each other, and into supers as well, allowing you to loop metered options in combos.
5A/j.A > Normals > Specials > EX Specials <> Supers <> Hypernova
Meter
Meter is built in single bars, with a total of 7 bars available to every character. You build meter by landing hits or blocking hits, you cannot build meter by whiffing or by getting hit. Meter can be spent on EX Specials, Supers, Rainbow Cancels, Hyper Guard, Rainbow DI, or Hypernova Mode.
EX Specials are metered versions of specials input with the B button. They cost 1 bar of meter, with a few exceptions costing 2 bars. These often have unique and improved properties over the meterless versions, such as increased damage or safety on block, and are available in the air. EX Specials are important to every character, as everything in their kit can cancel into them, including other EX Specials. This makes them simple and effective ways to spend your meter.
Rainbow Cancel, sometimes called Rainbow Dash or RC, is a dash cancel input as A+B+Dash when an attack connects with the opponent. Grounded Rainbow Cancel costs 2 bars of meter, while airborne Rainbow Cancel only costs 1. These are great for extending combos or pressure.
Supers are much more expensive, costing 4 to 6 bars of meter depending on the character. Supers often come with huge benefits, such as extremely large hitboxes, invincibility, or tons of damage. They are expensive but rewarding, and often used to add massive damage in combos.
Hypernova Mode
Hypernova Mode is a unique install available for 7 bars. It can be used as a burst to escape combos, or as a cancel to extend them. The activation hitbox follows the same rule as a normal cancel, being able to cancel into meterless specials or higher.
While in Hypernova Mode, your meter becomes a timer. During this time, you can repeatedly use metered options without spending meter. Getting hit once will immediately end Hypernova Mode, draining the remaining meter to zero, making it a fairly risky and expensive option should it not work out.
Defense
Blocking
Holding back (4) defends against high and mid attacks. Holding down back (1) defends against low and mid attacks. Rainbowcore does not have chip damage, and blocking builds you meter while getting hit does not.
Hyper Guard (FD)
Hyper Guard is an enhanced block similar to Faultless Defense, which is why it is often shortened to FD. Holding A+B while blocking will activate Hyper Guard, signified by a rainbow circle surrounding your character. This will steadily drain meter, but pushes the opponent further away, allowing you to escape strings when used well.
Hyper Guard is also significant in that it allows you to block in the air. This lets you jump much more safely, as being airborne is otherwise completely vulnerable.
Instant Block (IB)
Instant Block is a block done within 8 frames before a move hits your character. When you successfully instant block, a sound effect is played to signify it. Instant Block decreases blockstun and increases pushback, allowing you to escape or punish strings that would normally be safe.
Perfect Block
Perfect Block is an Instant Block done within a single frame of an attack hitting your character. It causes a blue flash, and decreases blockstun more, while also negating pushback instead of increasing it. However, if one uses both Perfect Block and Hyper Guard at the same time, pushback is significantly increased.
Direction Influence (DI)
Directional Influence is a defensive combo escape mechanic. When getting hit, holding a direction will slightly influence the way the attack sends you, allowing you to escape combos. DI can be done in any direction, and can be held preemptively to the next hit. Longer combos involve multiple DI reads to work, so learning to properly mix up the directions you DI will be a major part of winning your games.
Rainbow Directional Influence (RDI)
Rainbow Direction Influence, often shortened to RDI, is an enhanced version of normal DI. It also allows you to alter your direction mid combo, but is twice as strong in exchange for costing meter. RDI is done by holding A+B while holding any direction for DI.
Combo Mechanics
Wallbounce:
Often caused at higher percents near the corner, whenever the opponent hits the corner wall. A majority of moves will cause a wallbounce, allowing for extensions, but not every move will.
Off The Ground (OTG):
When an opponent is knocked down, there is a short window of time to hit them still. This allows for extensions where one normally wouldn't get them, provided you are close enough. OTG combos scale very heavily, but often build enough meter that going for them is worth it anyway.
Knockback Angles:
As getting the precise angle would be neither easy nor productive, the Rainbowcore Hypernova wiki uses a set of terms to describe general knockback angles.
Knock Away: Sends the opponent away.
Launch: Sends the opponent upwards.
Slam: Sends the opponent downwards, and usually knock down.
Vacuum: Brings the opponent closer.
Stagger: Keeps the opponent in place.
Scaling and Percents
Scaling in Rainbowcore is fairly low, with some exceptions. Hitting an opponent OTG (Off The Ground) will scale your followup combo heavily, as will repeatedly using EX moves back to back. Pushback scales with hit count, and in the corner, this pushback scales much harder.
Percents are a unique mechanic. As health gets lower, percent increases. Percent will increase the hitstun and knockback of your moves the higher it gets, allowing unique combos depending on the opponents remaining health.
