↻Flipping Is HardTraining & speedrun hub
Demo Location Route Guide

Storm Drains Route Guide

Storm Drains teaches camera-relative rotation and contains the best place to build a consistent opening split.

Open Route NotebookStart Split Timer
Target Split (Safe)
0:45 – 1:00
Target Split (Speedrun)
0:22 – 0:30
Elevation Delta
+35 Meters
Difficulty Rating
1 / 5 (Beginner)
Major Transitions
Level Entrance → Cannon to Fort
Storm Drains Route Guide In-Game Landmark
🎮 Visual Landmark: Storm Drains Route GuideOfficial Steam Release Screenshot · Elegant Horse Studios

Storm Drains is the introductory proving ground of the Flipping Is Hard demo. Set inside an underground drainage network of rusted metal conduit pipes, slippery grates, and water runoff flumes, this zone teaches the player how rotational torque interacts with curved and cylindrical geometry.

Unlike later stages that feature complex branching paths, Storm Drains is relatively linear. Its primary pedagogical purpose is drilling camera alignment along horizontal pipes and building confidence in basic neutral vibration jumps.

Section-by-Section Walkthrough

Section 01

Initial Outflow Basin to First Riser Pipe

🛡️ Safe Route

Spawn into the concrete basin. Make two short forward rolls onto the primary green drainage conduit. Settle completely flat before initiating your first vibration jump.

⚡ Speedrun Line

Immediately charge a 0.6s vibration jump at spawn, launching directly onto the lip of the riser pipe with a single forward flip.

🎯 Visual Anchor: Align your camera directly parallel to the horizontal weld seam running along the top of the conduit pipe.
Section 02

The Staggered Pipe Array

🛡️ Safe Route

Navigate the three ascending pipes one by one. Stop and stabilize attitude on each pipe crest before charging the subsequent jump.

⚡ Speedrun Line

Utilize momentum bunny-hopping: land on the downslope of pipe 1, convert forward slide into an immediate 0.4s hop onto pipe 2, and slingshot to pipe 3.

🎯 Visual Anchor: Look for the circular corrosion ring on pipe 2; landing directly on this ring provides the optimal friction anchor.
Section 03

The Slanted Flume and Cannon Approach

🛡️ Safe Route

Angle the camera upward 20 degrees. Hop onto the wide drainage grate, take three careful steps, and roll into the launching cannon mouth.

⚡ Speedrun Line

High-arc vibration jump skipping the drainage grate entirely, landing straight into the rim of the cannon trigger.

🎯 Visual Anchor: Aim directly for the yellow caution hazard stripes painted around the cannon rim.

Hazards & Fallback Recovery Perches

⚠️ Curved Pipe Edge Slips

High risk of sliding laterally into the drainage sump if landing on the side radius instead of the top crest.

🛟 Emergency Catch: The wide concrete retention sill directly beneath pipe 2 catches 90% of lateral slips, preventing a full reset.

⚠️ Over-Rotating at the Flume Lip

Excess forward momentum launches the phone past the cannon onto the slippery back wall.

🛟 Emergency Catch: The metal grate platform directly before the cannon provides an ample 2-meter safety runway.

💡 Zone Speedrunner Tips

  • Keep your camera strictly parallel to the pipe you are standing on. Curved geometry punishes diagonal camera angles severely.
  • Storm Drains is the best place to calibrate your mouse sensitivity for the rest of your speedrun session.
  • Listen for the metallic thud when landing flat; a hollow clang indicates an edge contact that requires a stabilization pause.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How fast can Storm Drains be cleared in speedruns?World-class speedrunners clear Storm Drains in approximately 18 to 22 seconds using continuous momentum skips.
What is the biggest beginner mistake in Storm Drains?Trying to rotate while still sliding on the curved pipe surface, which causes the phone to spin sideways off the pipe.
Level names, geometry markers, and structure follow the public Steam demo build v1.0.4. All route walkthroughs, visual cues, and recovery advice are independently researched and maintained by flippingishard.com.