A Dance of Fire and Ice – Lantern Achievement Guide

A simple guide explaining what is needed for each lantern/achievement, plus a handful of tips.

Introduction

A Dance of Fire and Ice is a rhythm game with a unique twist: Every note is mapped out as a segment on a path that you traverse to the beat! It takes a bit of learning, but it’s totally worth it if you enjoy unconventional gameplay.

Each level in ADOFAI contains three lanterns: A blue one for reaching the end, a yellow one for having good accuracy, and a red one for completing a speed trial. I’ll explain how to get each one in more detail below.

Blue Lantern – Clear

For this lantern, all you need to do is reach the end of the level. This sounds easy, but some of the later levels are extremely difficult. Add the fact that missing a segment completely will result in an instant failure and a system for preventing button mashing, and you’ll probably need a lot of trial and error to get this done. Keep at it!

Yellow Lantern – Accuracy

This lantern is for achieving more than 100% accuracy in each level. This requires an explanation of the accuracy grading system. There are two separate counters, one for base accuracy and one for bonus accuracy. The base accuracy counter starts at 100% and counts down for each button extra button press that didn’t land on a beat. The bonus accuracy counter starts at 0% and counts up depending on how close to perfect timing you get on each beat. Completing a level with no extra button presses is almost certainly enough to get the Yellow Lantern.

Note: If you can manage to get perfect timing on every beat with no extra button presses, it’s called a “Pure Perfect”. Good luck!

Red Lantern – Speed Trial

After completing a level for the first time, you unlock its speed trial. In this mode, the song (and thus the level) will play slightly faster. Each level has a target speed, and completing the level at that speed will award the Red Lantern.

Now that you know how to get each lantern, let’s look at the levels you’ll be facing.

Core Worlds (Worlds 1-6)

Worlds 1-5 are unlocked from the start, and upon completing them all you’ll unlock World 6

World 1 – A Dance Of Fire And Ice

Speed Target: 1.5x

Very simple, meant to introduce players to the mechanics of the game. Should be pretty easy. Look out for the slow down at the end!

World 2 – Offbeats

Speed Target: 1.5x

This level fleshes out the concept of pressing on consecutive offbeats. To simplify, if you’re counting the beat like “1 and 2 and 3 and 4”, you’ll want to hit the button when you say “and”. It’s worth pointing out that going vertically typically involves hitting on an offbeat. Try to stay focused when the camera flips.

World 3 – The Wind-Up

Speed Target: 1.5x

Introduces more advanced patterns, such as snaking back and forth. Probably gonna be tricky for rhythm game novices. Keep in mind you can press any button you want on the beat, so you can use as many fingers as you want!

World 4 – Love Letters

Speed Target: 1.5x

This one introduces several elements, such as switching the direction of your spin, hitting beats that aren’t at right angles, and loops. Luckily it’s nice and slow, so take your time.

World 5 – The Midnight Train

Speed Target: 1.5x

The first swing track. For this one, you’ll need to learn to think in swing-beat. Instead of the off beats being half-way between beats, they’re about 2/3 of the way between. This will most likely take some practice. You’ll almost /need/ to use two fingers for the acute angles.

World 6 – Pulse

Speed Target: 1.1x

To unlock this World, you’ll need to get at least the Blue Lantern on each of the previous levels. This one has a surprisingly funky beat, but try to stay focused. Use what you’ve learned so far. The pattern will change periodically, so don’t get complacent. Look out for the slowdown in the middle. Once you complete this level, pat yourself on the back. You’re doing really well!

Gem Worlds (Worlds 7-12)

To unlock these Worlds, simply complete World 6. If you go to the square just to the left of any of worlds 1-5, there will be a gem below the path. Hop on to reach these worlds.

World 7 – Spin 2 Win

Speed Target: 1.3x

Kinda difficult, but really fun once you know the weird rhythm. Lots of cats in this one. Keep an eye out for the 6 consecutive right angles around the mid point and a couple one-tile slow downs.

World 8 – Jungle City

Speed Target: 1.3x

Another swing rhythm. This one took me a few tries the first time I played it. It’ll take practice, but once it clicks, this song is pretty fun too.

World 9 – Classic Pursuit

Speed Target: 1.3x

This one will take a lot of practice. Try not to get distracted by the visual effects, as cool as they are. Take note that if a pattern is rotated 180 degrees and you’re rotating in the same direction, it’ll be the exact same beat. Also, the zig-zag towards the end will probably fail you at least once.

World 10 – Butterfly Planet

Speed Trial: 1.2x

This one’s another swing track. It’s faster than Jungle City, but it has simpler patterns for the most part. If you struggle, keep in mind you can replay the tutorials to get the patterns down.

World 11 – Heracles

Speed Target: 1.2x

Possibly one of the biggest bops in the game, if you can master the odd patterns. Again, feel free to make use of the tutorials for practice. There’s also a checkpoint near the beginning, but it’s the only one. The ending will probably get you at least once, so be ready. The last note happens while the screen whites out, so you’ll have to follow the music.

World 12 – Artificial Chariot

Speed Target: 1.2x

This one’s tricky, but in my opinion it’s also another bop. Introduces right triangles, which almost require two keys. There will be segments that appear as you traverse them, so keep your cool and keep going. Stay focused when the screen effect happens towards the end.

Xtra Worlds (Worlds XF, XC, XH, PA, PR)

These levels are also unlocked by completing World 6. Go back to the starting area, and you should see two gems at the top and bottom. The bottom one leads to customization options, but the top one leads to a bunch of extra worlds!

World XF – Third Wave Flip-Flop

Speed Target: 1.3x

This one is rather interesting from a level design standpoint. Every now and then, the camera will rotate 90 degrees, and the offbeats and on-beats switch. Once you wrap your head around that, the bass solo is the hardest part. After that, all you have to do is not choke.

World XC – Credits

Speed Target: 1.2x

This one introduces some really tricky patterns that might need some practice. I recommend looking up the song outside the game to learn the rhythm. Beyond that, it’s mostly just practice.

World XH – Final Hope

Speed Target: 1.2x

This one has a lot of visual effects, including one section where you end up off-screen for a bit! Luckily the path is straight when that happens, so just hit on every beat and be ready when you get back on screen. There’s a really tricky pattern immediately after that will likely get you at least once. (Side note: Am I the only one who thinks this song would fit in perfectly in Beatmania IIDX?)

World PA – Distance

Speed Target: 1.3x

A collaboration with Project Arrhythmia. This one’s fairly long, but has plenty of checkpoints. You’ll encounter Mid-Spins for the first time, which are notes that you must hit but don’t land on. This’ll take a bit of practice, but luckily the track is nice and slow. Take your time, just aim for the next checkpoint until you pass.

World XR – Rose Garden

Speed Target: 1.3x

Lots of right triangles in this one. You’ll want to look out for the 7 right angles in a row, that one’s tricky to see if you aren’t paying attention. There’s one checkpoint at the half-way point. Once you get to past second blue-and-pink-pastel section, you’re almost home.

Bonus World (World B)

World B – Thanks For Playing My Game

Speed Target: N/A (Red Lantern is unlocked with the Blue Lantern)

To get to this World, collect all lanterns from Worlds 1-6 and head to the right of World 6. This one has some really tricky patterns, and will probably take a lot of tries. You got this!

Crown Worlds (Worlds XO, XT)

To unlock these worlds, collect all lanterns for Worlds 1-6, plus World B. When you boot the game up or return to the center tile in the starting area, there should be a message saying “Game 100% Complete! Crown Island Unlocked”. Head towards the level select, but hop on the gem above the path with the crown etched into it. This is the toughest challenge in the game, not counting Custom Worlds. Good luck!

World XO – One Forgotten Night

Speed Target: 1.0x (No Checkpoints)

This one is really fast, but it’s still doable. There are sections that go really fast, so make sure you’re using two keys. Patterns of note are stars of 45 degree angles and the massive loop at the end. Once you finish that loop, look out, because it slows back down for the outro. You’ll likely need to play with checkpoints a few times to get the patterns down enough to attempt the Red Lantern.

World XT – Options

Speed Target: 0.9x (No Checkpoints)

This one is so tricky that the “Speed Trial” is actually slower because there are no checkpoints! The Red Lantern on this track was the last lantern I needed from the built-in levels. This one will require LOTS of practice. Be ready to bang your head against a wall. The tutorials for this level are much slower than the real thing, so be ready. Take note of the elevators early on. The second quarter and fourth quarter of the first verse are nearly identical. The speedy bits towards the end will be tricky, but once you get past the third speedy section after the last checkpoint, you’re pretty much golden.

What About Achievements?

The achievements for this game are tied to the lanterns for Worlds 1-12 and World B. Unlocking Crown Island should get you about half of them. Levels in the Xtra Worlds and Crown Worlds sections don’t reward achievements, but they may be worth completing for bragging rights. (Or obsessive completionism.)

Volodymyr Azimoff
About Volodymyr Azimoff 8044 Articles
I love games and I live games. Video games are my passion, my hobby and my job. My experience with games started back in 1994 with the Metal Mutant game on ZX Spectrum computer. And since then, I’ve been playing on anything from consoles, to mobile devices. My first official job in the game industry started back in 2005, and I'm still doing what I love to do.

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