History YMMV / PaintTheTownRed

* UnderusedGameMechanic: Blocking. Enemies don't recoil from hitting your block, and even with a weapon in hand blocking merely reduces damage, so trying to block a swing from a katana with a beer bottle will probably kill you regardless. Unless you have a shield, it's almost always a better idea to simply sprint or jump away from incoming attacks. If this game added a parry mechanic where blocking just as an attack connects could break your attacker's guard for free hits, it could add a high-risk high-reward angle to complement the default "run around and whack your opponent when they whiff their swings" gameplay. Alas, blocking is relegated to when you're backed into a corner.

** The [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]]. It will insta-kill most enemies if you aim for their [[OffWithHisHead heads]] or [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe torsos]], and it has remarkable durability to boot. You need to beat the [[ThatOneBoss Katana Boss]] to get it in the main game, though.

** The [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]], easily. It will insta-kill most enemies if you aim for their [[OffWithHisHead heads]] or [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe torsos]], and it has remarkable durability to boot. You need to beat the [[ThatOneBoss Katana Boss]] to get it in the main game, though.

** Out of all the main levels so far, Cutthroat Cove is the hardest. Some of the enemies start with very powerful weapons, and there are environmental hazards like water, which insta-kills you if you accidentally fall in.

** Out of all the main levels so far, Cutthroat Cove is easily the toughest. Some enemies start with very powerful weapons, and there are level hazards like water, which insta-kills you if you accidentally fall in.

* ThatOneAttack: The lunging attack that any enraged Brawler or boss has access to. Not only does it have huge reach, it comes with almost no warning. While your run-of-the-mill Brawler probably won't do too much damage, being at the receiving end of a lunge from the Katana Boss or the Solitary Prisoner can end your run in an instant.

* ComplacentGamingSyndrome: Many players only play as the Brawler in "Beneath", chiefly because of the class's larger starting health pool and damage. While the other classes may move faster and offer some cool and interesting powers, they are also at a high risk of getting one-shotted by enemies like the [[DemonicSpiders Crystal Crab]].

* GoodBadBugs: User-created mobs with extremely high health and no accompanying buffs to dismemberment may occasionally [[https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=832705594 survive being decapitated]]. The sight of a guy you just beheaded with a katana getting back up to continue kicking your ass is either funny or [[OhCrap scary]], depending on whether or not you're expecting it.

** While more common in user-made maps than in the main game, you'll sometimes hear [[LarynxDissonance female brawlers with male voices]] or vice versa. This can lead to some uncomfortable laughs when you take out a [[VideoGamePerversityPotential user-made stripper character]] on a custom level and hear her let out a loud, deep guttural man-growl.

** Out of all the "Boss" enemies, the Katana Boss is easily the toughest and most annoying one to deal with. The guy has the durability of Comicbook/{{Wolverine}}, and hits about as hard. To give an example of how tough he is, it's possible to go into the sandbox mode, take a shotgun, and shoot him until he's down to his goddamn ''skeleton''. Even after that, it'll still take about 2 more shotguns' worth of ammo to take him out. What's more, the Disco level has precious few bladed weapons to use against him, so you better get ready to hurl a ''lot'' of glasses.

* ArchivePanic: There are, as of February 2022, over 8,000 custom levels on Steam Workshop for this game, offering up hundreds if not thousands of hours of additional content. That said, like most games with an internal level editor, [[SturgeonsLaw probably less than a 1,000 of these are worth checking out]].

** The Giant Mages can bombard you with magic missiles and have the ability to rip open space itself to [[EnemySummoner summon more enemies]]. Even getting up close is sketchy, because their melee attacks ''hurt'' and they can knock you away with a magic explosion [[spoiler:(which on Blood and Fire, can end your run in an instant if you get blown into the lava)]]. That alone wouldn't be a huge deal; what really gives them clout as a DemonicSpider is that if any Minions are around, they'll grant the Giant Mage an impenetrable shield, letting the latter attack you with impunity until the Minions are dead. [[NPCRoadblock May the Elder Gods help you if this happens in a hallway, and the Minions are on the other side]]. Your only reprieve is that they don't have a whole lot of health. Kill them quick and save yourself the hassle.

** The spiders in the Ruins are tiny targets that do little more than lunge at you while screaming.

** Out of all the "Boss" enemies, the Katana Boss is easily the toughest and most annoying one to deal with. The guy practically has the durability of Comicbook/{{Wolverine}}, and hits about as hard. To give an example of how tough he is, its not uncommon to go into the sandbox mode, take a shotgun, and shoot him until he's down to his goddamn ''skeleton''. Even after that, it'll still take about 2 more clips worth of ammo to take him out.
** The Deceiver is the toughest of the Shard Lords, by virtue of its ability to teleport, [[DoppelgangerSpin create copies of itself]], and for being able to do truly ''absurd'' amounts of damage with every attack. Its melee strike alone can kill even a Brawler character with upgraded health in 3 hits or less.
** The Crawler is a giant, beefed up Crystal Crab that can shoot up to five lasers at a time. Unless you get up close or get behind something, getting hit by any one of those lasers is an almost-guaranteed [[OneHitKill instant death]].
** [[spoiler:The Trickster]] is a grueling [[MarathonBoss three phase fight]] considered even harder than the final boss, and just getting to him is a major GuideDangIt. He is capable of [[ConfusionFu switching movesets from the main Scenarios on the fly]], alternating between [[spoiler:dual-wielded Black Katana spin attacks]], [[spoiler:boxing gloves like the Boxer]], and even using probably the most broken weapon combination from the main game, [[spoiler:a riot shield and ''a pump action shotgun'']], ''against you''. And that's just the first phase. In his second phase, he fills the arena with water while shooting you with a cannon from a rock in the center, turning the battle into a brutally unforgiving platforming challenge where a single misstep can instantly kill you. Thankfully, the third phase is more like the first one, but regardless, if you can kill [[spoiler:the Trickster]] you'll have your work cut out for you.

* GameBreaker: The [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]], easily. It will insta-kill most enemies if you aim for their [[OffWithHisHead heads]] or [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe torsos]], and it has remarkable durability to boot. You need to beat the [[ThatOneBoss Katana Boss]] to get it in the main game, though.

* ThatOneBoss: Out of all the "Boss" enemies, the Katana Boss is easily the toughest and most annoying one to deal with. The guy practically has the durability of Comicbook/{{Wolverine}}, and hits about as hard. To give an example of how tough he is, its not uncommon to go into the sandbox mode, take a shotgun, and shoot him until he's down to his goddamn ''skeleton''. Even after that, it'll still take about 2 more clips worth of ammo to take him out.
** The Deceiver is easily the toughest of the Shard Lords, by virtue of its ability to teleport, [[DoppelgangerSpin create copies of itself]], and for being able to do truly ''absurd'' amounts of damage with every attack. Its melee strike alone can kill even a Brawler character with upgraded health in 3 hits or less.

* ThatOneLevel: Out of all the main levels so far, Cutthroat Cove is easily the toughest. Some enemies start with very powerful weapons, and there are level hazards like water, which insta-kills you if you accidentally fall in.

** Hydras qualify chiefly because blunt weapons do jack against them due to their HealingFactor; you'll need a bladed weapon to cut off their heads, or else you'll just have to run away. This is on top of their highly damaging fire breath and hard-to-dodge bite attacks.

* ComplacentGamingSyndrome: Many players only play as the Brawler in "Beneath", chiefly because the class's larger starting health pool. While the other classes may move faster and offer some cool and interesting powers, they are also at a high risk of getting one-shotted by enemies like the [[DemonicSpiders Crystal Crab]].

** The Crystal Crabs have a nasty hitscan laser attack that aims randomly around where you'll be, making dodging it without taking cover a matter of luck more than anything else. Sure, they die quickly if you attack their legs, but the hitboxes for those are kinda iffy and you'll more often than not hit their NighInvulnerable bodies instead if you don't crouch and position yourself correctly. [[SarcasmMode Even better]], it isn't uncommon to walk into a room and have ''four or more'' of them pop up and mow you down with lasers. Forget the eldritch horrors beneath, chances are most of your deaths will be to these things.

* NightmareFuel: "Beneath" may be tense, given its unforgiving RogueLike nature, but you'll absolutely dread the moment you're notified that the Pursuer has arrived. The screen will start turning red, and you'll hear a heartbeat that'll start pumping faster as it approaches. None of this is helped by how the Pursuer gets ''faster'' the longer it chases you, and if it catches you, [[OneHitKill game over]]. Better hope you remember your way to the exit!

** The Islands and [[spoiler:Blood and Fire]] qualify for consisting of lots of small platforms surrounded by BottomlessPits, and for having enemies that are all too happy to knock you off of them.

** While more common in user-made maps than in the main game, you'll sometimes hear [[CrossdressingVoices female brawlers with male voices]] or vice versa. This can lead to some uncomfortable laughs when you take out a [[VideoGamePerversityPotential user-made stripper character]] on a custom level and hear her let out a loud, deep guttural man-growl.

** The Crawler is a giant, beefed up Crystal Crab that can shoot up to five lasers at a time. Unless you're fast or get behind something, getting hit by any one of those lasers is an almost-guaranteed [[OneHitKill instant death]].

** The Crystal Caverns aren't especially difficult in terms of enemies, but the omnipresent monochromatic, shiny blues throughout and the weird jutting angles of the crystals can make the Caverns really difficult to navigate.