The first real gameplay test in Chapter 5 of Deltarune is a vertical climbing puzzle inside Ralsei’s castle. You scale a marked wall while bars sweep down to knock you off, and clearing it is the only way to reach the mysterious character waiting at the top. The climb uses the same ClaimbClaws system the party picked up earlier, now set against a timing challenge rather than a maze.
Quick answer: Climb upward but stop after each bar sweeps past, then advance into the open gap before the next bar drops. Touching a bar pushes you down and can wipe part or all of your climb, so move in short, controlled bursts instead of holding up the whole time.
Where the climbing puzzle appears
After the morning at Kris’ house and the trip into the Dark World, the party reunites with Ralsei and Lancer and heads toward the castle. The wall puzzle blocks the path forward, so you cannot skip it. Once you reach the top, a strange figure appears and hints that they may help you later if trouble shows up, which confirms you have cleared the section.
This is the same climbing mechanic that runs on marked wall tiles in the overworld. Kris jumps onto a climbable wall by interacting with it, then moves to the adjacent tile in the direction you hold. In Chapter 5, climbing takes place in Castle Town, and this castle wall is the moment it becomes a puzzle you have to solve under pressure.
How the climbing controls work
Movement on the wall is simple, but the charge jump is what gets you across gaps quickly. Holding the CONFIRM button winds up a jump, letting Kris leap across gaps of up to three tiles between climbable sections. A charged jump also briefly raises climbing speed, and longer jumps keep that speed boost going for longer.
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Hold a direction | Moves Kris to the next wall tile that way |
| Hold CONFIRM, then release | Charges and launches a jump across gaps up to three tiles |
| Charged jump | Briefly increases climbing speed; farther jumps extend the boost |
How to clear the descending bars
The bars move on a set pattern, so the puzzle rewards patience over speed. Rushing straight up is the most common reason players keep losing ground.
Why you keep losing progress
Failure here comes down to contact with the bars. When a bar hits Kris, you drop a short distance, and a bigger mistake can reset a major portion of the climb. How much you lose depends on how far you had climbed when you got hit.
- You held up through a bar instead of waiting for the gap.
- You charged a jump under a bar and got knocked off mid-leap.
- You advanced too far in one burst and ran into the next bar before it cleared.
Note: The fix for every one of these is the same. Move in small steps, let each bar pass, and only commit upward when the space directly above you is open.
Once you reach the top and trigger the conversation, the castle opens back up. From there, you can visit the shop, check the recruit café, and continue toward designing Susie’s dress and Ralsei’s room before the chapter moves on to the festival and the new flower shop Dark World.
