How To Select Mode (Adventure vs. Sandbox)

[melikepuppy]

I play on steam. I'm not sure how to select which mode. I just learned about the difference between sandbox and adventure and had never noticed before that there were two modes. When I started playing the game I was gaining experience and unlocking characters, so It seems I was in sandbox mode. Now I am no longer seeing the xp bar when I die, so i guess i'm not in sandbox anymore. However, I didn't deliberately change this and I don't see where I can change the mode at all. When I click play from the title screen it shows my save slots, where I can choose an existing file or create a new one. I can change the character and world, but I see no mode option. When I look at the morgue, most of  my games say "survival mode," some "caves." What does this mean exactly?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvRI2Lk1tKQ I watched this youtube video that explains the modes. When this player starts a new save file they are prompted to choose the mode. But my screen doesn't show this. It seems they're playing mobile or playstation version and maybe this accounts for the difference? I feel like I am missing something obvious. Help, please?

[Catweaselcrow]

You start a new world always in "Survival Mode". Most of your deaths will be in this mode, so that's why you see it in the Morgue a lot.

 

If you find a cave entrance (sinkhole) and go into the caves, and then die, the Morgue entry for that death will say "Caves".

 

Similarly, within the caves, you can find another sinkhole down into the Ruins.

 

Somewhere in the Survival Mode world will be a Door ("Maxwells Door") which, when entered, takes you into Adventure Mode - which is a challenge to jump through 5 (difficult) worlds to reach......something (not gonna spoil it for you).

 

If you die whilst in Adventure Mode, your Morgue entry will reflect that, but your character will be kicked back to the Survival Mode world rather then the whole game ending. You can, at that point, go through the Door into Adventure Mode again, starting a new set of 5 worlds.

 

TL;DR - You need to find Maxwells Door in Survival Mode to start Adventure Mode.

 

ETA: thre's only so much XP you need before you unlock all the characters (Except for the two from Adventure Mode). That's why no more XP when you die. All new games are still Survival aka Sandbox mode.

 

[Michi01]

@melikepuppy
Yeah, what you're describing is how it worked when Adventure mode was unfinished.

[melikepuppy]

You start a new world always in "Survival Mode". Most of your deaths will be in this mode, so that's why you see it in the Morgue a lot.

 

If you find a cave entrance (sinkhole) and go into the caves, and then die, the Morgue entry for that death will say "Caves".

 

Similarly, within the caves, you can find another sinkhole down into the Ruins.

 

Somewhere in the Survival Mode world will be a Door ("Maxwells Door") which, when entered, takes you into Adventure Mode - which is a challenge to jump through 5 (difficult) worlds to reach......something (not gonna spoil it for you).

 

If you die whilst in Adventure Mode, your Morgue entry will reflect that, but your character will be kicked back to the Survival Mode world rather then the whole game ending. You can, at that point, go through the Door into Adventure Mode again, starting a new set of 5 worlds.

 

TL;DR - You need to find Maxwells Door in Survival Mode to start Adventure Mode.

 

ETA: thre's only so much XP you need before you unlock all the characters (Except for the two from Adventure Mode). That's why no more XP when you die. All new games are still Survival aka Sandbox mode.

Thank you Catweaselcrow, that explains everything!