Spelunky is © 2008, 2009 Derek Yu and Mossmouth, LLC, and is used under the [Spelunky User License v1.1b](https://spelunky.ai/LICENSE.txt). spelunky.ai is an unofficial fan project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Mossmouth. The game and its assets may not be sold.

Music by George Buzinkai and Jonathan Perry; sound effects made in SFXR. From Spelunky Classic 1.1, © 2008, 2009 Derek Yu and Mossmouth, LLC.

# Parachutes torn only moving right or down

From the spelunky.ai wiki: <https://spelunky.ai/wiki/parachute-torn-moving-right>. Verified against the spelunky.ai port [v0.1.10](https://github.com/851-labs/spelunky/releases/tag/v0.1.10) on 28 October 2026.

Parachutes torn only moving right or down is a quirk of Spelunky Classic in which an item moving left or straight up passes through an open parachute.

| Quirk     |                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| --------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Status    | GML + Oracle                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| Where     | [`objects/oParachute/collision_oItem.gml:1-5`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/objects/oParachute/collision_oItem#L1-L5)                                                                                                      |
| Pinned by | `fidelity/replays/item-parachute-torn-moving-right.txt`                                                                                                                                                                       |
| Row       | [docs/quirks.md §1, Bugs and leftovers in the 1.1 source](https://github.com/851-labs/spelunky/blob/main/docs/quirks.md#1-bugs-and-leftovers-in-the-11-source): “An item tears the open parachute only moving right or down.” |

The open [Parachute](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/parachute) is torn by items that touch it, but only those moving right or down. The test
looks at the item's speed one way on each axis, so an item crossing it to the left, or straight up, passes
through, and the same item crossing it to the right tears it.

## What happens

Floating down a shaft, the player throws a [Rock](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/rock) up at the wall beside him. It bounces back left
through the canopy, which holds. In the next shaft he throws one at the other wall: it bounces back right
through the canopy, which tears away, and he drops[^1].

**Clip: A parachute tears only for an item moving right or down.** Floating down a shaft, the player throws a rock up at the wall beside him. It bounces back left through the canopy, which holds. In the next shaft he throws one at the other wall: it bounces back right through the canopy, which tears away, and he drops. ([video](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/media/1d3f433106e37ef1/clips/quirks/parachute-torn-moving-right/clip.mp4))

## Why

The open parachute (`oParachute`) follows the player, a dome over his head[^2]. Its collision with an item replaces it with the spent canopy,
`oParaUsed`, which falls away:

```gml objects/oParachute/collision_oItem.gml:1-5
if (other.xVel > 0 or other.yVel > 0)
{
    instance_create(x, y, oParaUsed);
    instance_destroy();
}
```

[`objects/oParachute/collision_oItem.gml:1-5`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/objects/oParachute/collision_oItem#L1-L5), from `spelunky.gmk`, Spelunky Classic 1.1's source, © 2008, 2009 Derek Yu and Mossmouth, LLC ([Spelunky User License v1.1b](https://spelunky.ai/LICENSE.txt)).

`xVel > 0` is moving right and `yVel > 0` is moving down, so an item moving left or straight up, or not
moving, tears nothing. What reaches a dome over his head is an item falling onto it, which always tears it,
or one flying up through it, which tears it only moving right[^3].

## Reproducing it

Open the Parachute in a shaft and throw a Rock up at the wall on the player's right, so it comes back left
through the canopy: it holds. Thrown at the left wall, it comes back right and tears it. Play reaches it with
any item thrown or bounced up through an open parachute. The replay of the clip's staged
scene, on a custom level, does both: the Rock that crosses the canopy moving left and up leaves it whole until
he lands, and the one moving right and up tears it at once[^4].

## In the port

The spelunky.ai port reproduces it exactly: it's in docs/quirks.md's list of the 1.1 source's bugs[^3], and the oracle's fingerprint of the replay pins both crossings. No option turns it off.

## FAQ

### What tears the Parachute in Spelunky Classic?

Any item touching the open [Parachute](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/parachute) while it moves right or down. One falling onto it always tears it; one flying up through it tears it only if it's moving right.

### Can a Rock pass through the Parachute?

Yes, moving left or straight up: a [Rock](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/rock) the player throws up at a wall on his right comes back left through the canopy, and it holds.

### What happens when the Parachute tears?

It's replaced by a spent canopy that falls away, and the player falls freely again. He has no second one.

## See also

- **Related:** [Parachute](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/parachute), [Rock](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/rock)

## References

[^1]: Clip quirks/parachute-torn-moving-right

[^2]: [`objects/oParachute/step.gml:1-5`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/objects/oParachute/step#L1-L5)

[^3]: Quirk 1 (docs/quirks.md)

[^4]: Replay `fidelity/replays/item-parachute-torn-moving-right.txt`

### Source code

- [`objects/oParachute/collision_oItem.gml`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/objects/oParachute/collision_oItem)
- [`objects/oParachute/step.gml`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/objects/oParachute/step)