Controls Guide: Keyboard, Gamepad and Touch

Neon Burrow runs in a web browser, which means it might be played on a desktop with a keyboard, a laptop with a controller plugged in, or a phone on a train. We designed the controls so that every input method can play the full game, including all five abilities, without compromise. This guide lists every control, explains how each input method behaves and shares tips for getting the best feel on your device.

Keyboard

The keyboard layout is designed so that your left hand handles movement and your right hand (or left thumb) handles abilities.

• Move: W, A, S, D or the arrow keys
• Phase Shift: 1
• Magnet Burst: 2
• Time Spark: 3
• Decoy Bot: 4
• Overcharge: Space
• Confirm in menus: Enter
• Back in menus: Escape or Backspace
• Pause: P (Escape also pauses during play)

Both WASD and the arrow keys work at the same time, so you can switch between them freely. Players who prefer WASD often find the number keys 1 to 4 within easy reach of the left hand, with Space under the thumb. Arrow-key players may prefer to move with the right hand and press abilities with the left.

Turn buffering

One feature that makes the keyboard feel responsive is turn buffering. If you press a direction before Pip reaches an intersection, the game remembers it and turns Pip the moment the opening becomes available. You do not need frame-perfect timing at corners. Get into the habit of pressing your next direction a tile early, and your movement will feel much smoother.

Gamepad

Neon Burrow supports standard controllers through the browser's Gamepad API. Plug in a controller, press any button, and it will be detected.

• Move: D-pad or left stick
• Phase Shift: A (bottom face button)
• Magnet Burst: B (right face button)
• Time Spark: X (left face button)
• Decoy Bot: Y (top face button)
• Overcharge: RB or RT (right bumper or trigger)
• Pause: Start

The face buttons map to abilities in the same order as the number keys, so moving between keyboard and controller is easy. Overcharge lives on the right shoulder because it is the ability you use most, and the shoulder lets you fire it without taking your thumb off the movement stick.

Touch screens

On phones and tablets, Neon Burrow shows on-screen controls automatically.

• Move: use the on-screen D-pad, or swipe anywhere in the play area in the direction you want to go
• Abilities: each of the five abilities has its own button, showing its cooldown
• Pause: the pause button in the corner of the screen

Swiping and the D-pad work together. Many players swipe for big direction changes and use the D-pad for precise corner work. Turn buffering applies to touch input too, so a swipe slightly before an intersection will still take the corner.

Touch control settings

In Settings you can set touch controls to Auto, On or Off.

• Auto (default) shows touch controls on touch devices and hides them elsewhere.
• On forces them to appear, which is useful on touchscreen laptops where you want to play by touch.
• Off hides them, useful if you have connected a controller to your phone or tablet.

Automatic pause

On every device, Neon Burrow pauses automatically when the browser tab loses focus. If you switch tabs, receive a phone call or lock your screen, you will return to a paused game rather than a lost run.

Settings that affect feel

A few other settings change how the game feels to control:

• Screen shake: adds impact to hits and core activation. Turn it off if you find it distracting.
• Reduced motion: tones down flashing and motion effects. If your operating system requests reduced motion, the game enables this by default.
• Music and sound effects: switched on or off independently. Many experienced players keep sound effects on even with music off, because the enemy alert sound is an important cue.
• Colour-assist labels: adds text labels to enemies and markers to hazards so that colour is never the only way to tell elements apart.

Which input is best?

All three are fully supported, and the best choice depends on your device and preference:

• Keyboard offers the fastest ability access, since every ability has its own key.
• Gamepad offers the most comfortable long sessions and analogue-feeling movement.
• Touch offers the convenience of playing anywhere, with swipe controls that feel natural after a few runs.

Summary

Whatever you play on, Neon Burrow gives you the full game. Learn the ability layout for your input method, practise buffering turns a tile early and check the Settings screen to tune the experience to your taste. Then head to the play page and put it all into practice.