Dark Deception: Unchecked Limitations/Difficulty Modes

Difficulty Modes are a mechanic introduced in Dark Deception: Unchecked Limitations. They can only be changed in Bierce's Ballroom and change the behaviour and difficulty of the monsters and the levels.

Difficulty Modes also add the Speed Multiplier mechanic, which changes the speed monsters move at. For example, if a monster's speed multiplier is 2x, then the monster would move twice as fast as it originally would.

Casual Mode
Easy mode for beginners. All monsters have a 0.75x speed multiplier (with the exception of boss enemies), the player has an infinite amount of lives but beating a level in casual mode will not allow the player to progress to the next level if the level is not done on normal mode or harder.

Normal Mode
Standard mode, all monsters have their original behaviour and patterns, moving at their original speed. The player has their usual amount of lives and beating levels in normal mode allows the player to progress normally.

Hard Mode
For those who want a challenge or those who just have a death wish. Losing all lives will now have the player restart the Zone and collect the soul shards all over again. Beating all levels within a chapter on hard mode will unlock secret levels. Boss AI is now more aggressive and normal enemies gain a 1.1x speed multiplier.

Infernal Mode
Unlocked by beating at least 5 levels in Hard Mode with a rank of B, A or S. All monsters have a 1.25x speed multiplier and the player has only 2 lives (meaning they will only be able to be killed once and still continue). Along with the original monsters, a single tainted counterpart of the primary enemy of the level will be present in each zone (except for the Clown Gremlins, instead there will be a group of 5 tainted Clown Gremlins to fit with their swarm mechanic). Beating 3 levels in Infernal Mode (regardless of rank), will allow access to Heavenly Upgrades to the player's abilities.

Lunatic Mode
Unlocked by beating at least 3 secret levels in Hard Mode or Infernal Mode with a rank of A or S. Named after the same difficulty option in the Touhou Project series. All monsters have a 1.5x speed multiplier (Including all bosses with the exception of Doom Ducky in the chase sequence, who will only have a 1.1x speed multiplier), an additional 3 primary enemies (with one being in their tainted state) will also spawn per zone and the player will have their usual amount of lives and have reduced cooldown on abilities. Beating all levels in Lunatic Mode will allow access to Cosmic Upgrades to the player's abilities.