Randomizer Mode is a mode in Axiom Verge that changes where items appear. It was designed by members of the Axiom Verge speedrunning community; Pozzum (original mod developer), NoReset Games, Chris Couture (aka VideoGameRoulette), Dimitrios Lianopoulos (GVirus), Mark Rawls (Willow), Lars Lehmann (Leemyy), and Crowd Controls Matthew Jakubowski (Jaku) before being adopted by Thomas Happ and added to Axiom Verge in January 2021.
It is a derivative of Speedrun Mode, having all of the same options and creating its own save file separate from the main ones in the same way. Likewise, Secret Worlds do not appear[1].
Options[]
A specific seed can be generated one randomly, or the user may input one. Seeds are in the range from 0 to 9,999,999,999 (10 digits). Due to the way pseudorandom number generation works on computers, you will always get the same results with the same seed and "progression" type, of which there are 3:
- Default, which randomizes "using vanilla item progression logic" and "assumes that you will be playing through the game in much the same way that anyone would progress through it".[2]
- Advanced, which randomizes "using speedrun progressional logic" and "assumes that you’ll play through the game the way a speedrunner familiar with exploiting certain glitches may go through it".[2]
- Masochist, which randomizes "using low % speedrun item progression logic" and was included for the "exactly 4 people in the world able to play this mode", including some of its developers.[2]
As it still seems reasonable to complete the higher progression difficulties for non-speedrunners and without using glitches, these phrases likely refer to the potentially much lower number of items that are on an optimal route for a given seed compared to the normal item distribution.
In addition to the timer display and optional boss split display from Speedrun Mode, Randomizer Mode can also display the seed and item and map percentage for each area. If the option is enabled to display the seed on the screen, these progression types show the seed in blue, green, and red text respectively.
Mechanics[]
Randomizer Mode only affects the placement of items — enemies, room layouts, destructible elements, etc. will still be the same. Items cannot appear in any location, instead they will always be found where an item usually appears — but it will almost certainly be a different one.
The item randomization is done in an intelligent fashion to avoid progression softlocks, but this does not mean that the normal progression item is always the one that is found first — any upgrades or sidegrades may appear instead. Nor does it always appear in the usual location — it may appear anywhere in between the start of the game and when it is first required. (In particular, bosses can very often be skipped since they end up guarding optional items.) For a non-exhaustive list of examples:
A screenshot of the Red Coat found very early in Randomizer Mode (in Absu shortly before reaching Zi).
- The first item obtained, where the Axiom Disruptor is usually found, will always be a weapon so that the bubbles on the right side of the initial save room can be destroyed[2].
- A weapon that shoots through walls may be placed anywhere in between the start of the game and where the Kilver is usually acquired[2].
- The Drone may be acquired before the Laser Drill.
- The Red Coat may appear before either the Modified Lab Coat or the Trenchcoat.
- The Address Bomb may appear before either Address Disruptor 1 or Address Disruptor 2.
- It may be that there are additional possible replacements between seemingly unrelated items the Randomizer does not account for[1]. For example, many barriers that usually require an Address Disruptor or a weapon that shoot through walls could be bypassed with the Trench Coat or Red Coat instead.
Considering this, a map of the game will still be useful, or even more useful than usual, as it is possible that "you may have to explore some of the nooks and crannies of the areas... that you might normally only explore later" to obtain a necessary item[2]. On the other hand, if a late-game item is obtained early, it may enable significant out-of-order exploration.
Just in case a softlock occurs anyway (e.g. falling into the room where the Field Disruptor is normally found without having already obtained it), there is a new option in the pause menu to respawn in the first room .
On Default progression, only 4 Notes appear: the two language translation notes, "Proverb", and "English". On Advanced and Masochist, none appear. Notes that are missing are replaced in the pool of items by additional Health Nodes, Power Nodes, Health Node Fragments, Power Node Fragments, Size Nodes, and Range Nodes, and even Secret World weapons[3]! Specifically:
A screenshot of the weapon selector wheel at the end of a 100% Randomizer Mode run, notably including all Secret World weapons.
- On Default, 24 Notes are replaced by...
- 3 additional Health Nodes
- 4 additional Power Nodes
- 12 additional Power Node Fragments
- 1 Size Node
- 1 Range Node
- All 3 Secret World weapons
- On Advanced/Masochist, all 28 Notes are replaced by...
- 1 additional Health Node
- 2 additional Power Nodes
- 10 additional Health Node Fragments
- 12 additional Power Node Fragments
- 3 Secret World weapons
Although Advanced/Masochist replace more Notes with useful items, most of them are Node Fragments. As a result, after 100% collection, a Default playthrough will end with an equal amount of health, 2 additional Power Nodes worth, and one extra Size and one extra Range Node compared to Advanced/Masochist (though these will still have more health/power than a normal playthrough).