How many Time Keys are there in KUTO: The Lock of Time?

Five — Recall, Dilation, Leap, Fracture, and Stillness. You carry two active at a time and swap your loadout between runs.

Where do the time powers come from?

From Jokoan Kuto's bond with the titan Kronos. Merging with the titan's essence is what lets him bend, slow, and rewind time.

Can you change your Time Keys during a run?

No. You commit to two powers before a run and can only swap them between runs, so each descent is a deliberate build choice.

What does the Key of Recall do?

It rewinds you a few seconds, turning a missed dodge or a bad jump into a second attempt. It is the most forgiving of the five keys.

What does the Key of Dilation do?

Dilation drops the entire world into slow motion — enemies, projectiles, everything. You keep full speed, so fast rooms become readable and tight dodges become manageable.

What does the Key of Leap do?

Leap sends Jokoan forward through time and space in an extended dash. It adds a movement option that can chain into combos and reach ledges that look out of range.

What does the Key of Fracture do?

Fracture breaks gravity and direction — you can walk on walls and ceilings, flipping the arena to find paths the level was not designed to allow.

What does the Key of Stillness do?

Stillness stops time completely while Jokoan keeps moving. You can walk through frozen enemies and past triggered traps; when time restarts, everything you set up resolves at once.

Which two Time Keys work best together?

There is no single best pair. Recall and Dilation suit a careful, precise style; Stillness and Leap reward risk-taking; Fracture pairs well with anything if you want to find routes others miss.

Is the Key of Stillness the most powerful?

It is the most dramatic — freezing time while you move freely is a strong effect. But it is also high-risk, because everything you set up during the freeze happens simultaneously when time resumes.

Does Recall make the game too easy?

It takes the sting out of individual mistakes, but you still have to survive the run overall. It shifts difficulty from punishment for single errors toward sustained performance across the whole descent.

Which Time Key is best for exploration and secrets?

Fracture. Breaking gravity opens routes and angles the normal path never reaches, making it the natural pick for players who want to find what the level is hiding.

Which Time Key is best for beginners?

Recall is the easiest entry point because it forgives mistakes directly. Pairing it with Dilation gives you both a do-over and the ability to slow down fast situations.

Are the Time Keys purely combat tools or do they affect movement too?

Both. Dilation, Leap, Fracture, and Stillness all change how you move through the environment — not just how you fight. Only Recall is purely reactive.

2026-06-11Updated 2026-06-13Andrii Kovalenko3 min read

The Five Time Keys in KUTO: The Lock of Time

A guide to the five Time Keys in KUTO: The Lock of Time — Recall, Dilation, Leap, Fracture, and Stillness — and how to pair them.

In KUTO: The Lock of Time, the time powers are half of every fight. The Scythe of Kronos does the cutting; the powers — granted by your bond with the titan Kronos — decide whether you live long enough to use it. Each one bends a single rule of time, and you carry two at once, so the question isn't "which power is best" but "which pair fits the way you play."

Here are all five, what they do, and how they combine.

Why only two at a time?

You channel Kronos' power, but you don't get all of it at once — the game gives you two active slots, swapped between runs, not mid-fight. You commit to a loadout before you descend. That single constraint is what turns the powers from a toolbox into a set of real decisions.

Key of Recall

Rewinds you a few seconds. Recall is the key everyone learns first, because it turns a mistake into a do-over. Mistimed a jump, walked into a trap, ate a hit you should have dodged? Rewind and try again. It takes the sting out of death and makes the platforming feel generous rather than punishing — the safety net that lets you take risks everywhere else.

Key of Dilation

Drops the whole world into slow motion. Dilation is bullet-time: enemies crawl, projectiles hang in the air, and you get the breathing room to line up a precise jump or thread a dodge through a wall of attacks. It's the key that makes the fastest, deadliest rooms readable.

Key of Leap

Dashes you forward through time and space. Leap is an extended, time-torn dash — an extra movement option that chains into combos and reaches ledges that look impossible. Pair it with a movement-hungry build and the whole map opens up.

Key of Fracture

Breaks gravity and direction. Fracture is the wild one: walk on the ceiling, flip the arena, and tear open routes the level was never meant to allow. It rewards players who like to read a room sideways and find the path nobody else takes.

Key of Stillness

Stops time dead — and you keep moving. Stillness freezes the world while you walk through it: cross falling debris, slip past triggered traps, stroll through enemies caught mid-strike. It's the most dramatic key and the most reckless, because the moment time restarts, everything you set up happens at once.

Building your pair

Because you carry two, every run is a small build decision:

Recall + Dilation — the careful build. Slow everything down, and undo the rare mistake. Forgiving and precise.
Stillness + Leap — the reckless build. Freeze the room, dash through it, and let the consequences land when time snaps back.
Fracture + anything — the explorer's build, for players hunting the paths and secrets a normal route would never reach.

There's no single right answer — the keys are designed so that the "best" pair is the one that matches your instincts.

Wishlist KUTO: The Lock of Time

The time powers are one half of a fight; the Scythe of Kronos is the other. If a time-bending Metroidvania where you survive a war with the gods sounds good, add KUTO: The Lock of Time to your wishlist on Steam — and read more about everything we know so far and why time-rewind mechanics feel so good.

Frequently asked questions

How many Time Keys are there in KUTO: The Lock of Time?: Five — Recall, Dilation, Leap, Fracture, and Stillness. You carry two active at a time and swap your loadout between runs.
Where do the time powers come from?: From Jokoan Kuto's bond with the titan Kronos. Merging with the titan's essence is what lets him bend, slow, and rewind time.
Can you change your Time Keys during a run?: No. You commit to two powers before a run and can only swap them between runs, so each descent is a deliberate build choice.
What does the Key of Recall do?: It rewinds you a few seconds, turning a missed dodge or a bad jump into a second attempt. It is the most forgiving of the five keys.
What does the Key of Dilation do?: Dilation drops the entire world into slow motion — enemies, projectiles, everything. You keep full speed, so fast rooms become readable and tight dodges become manageable.
What does the Key of Leap do?: Leap sends Jokoan forward through time and space in an extended dash. It adds a movement option that can chain into combos and reach ledges that look out of range.
What does the Key of Fracture do?: Fracture breaks gravity and direction — you can walk on walls and ceilings, flipping the arena to find paths the level was not designed to allow.
What does the Key of Stillness do?: Stillness stops time completely while Jokoan keeps moving. You can walk through frozen enemies and past triggered traps; when time restarts, everything you set up resolves at once.
Which two Time Keys work best together?: There is no single best pair. Recall and Dilation suit a careful, precise style; Stillness and Leap reward risk-taking; Fracture pairs well with anything if you want to find routes others miss.
Is the Key of Stillness the most powerful?: It is the most dramatic — freezing time while you move freely is a strong effect. But it is also high-risk, because everything you set up during the freeze happens simultaneously when time resumes.
Does Recall make the game too easy?: It takes the sting out of individual mistakes, but you still have to survive the run overall. It shifts difficulty from punishment for single errors toward sustained performance across the whole descent.
Which Time Key is best for exploration and secrets?: Fracture. Breaking gravity opens routes and angles the normal path never reaches, making it the natural pick for players who want to find what the level is hiding.
Which Time Key is best for beginners?: Recall is the easiest entry point because it forgives mistakes directly. Pairing it with Dilation gives you both a do-over and the ability to slow down fast situations.
Are the Time Keys purely combat tools or do they affect movement too?: Both. Dilation, Leap, Fracture, and Stillness all change how you move through the environment — not just how you fight. Only Recall is purely reactive.

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Jun 12, 2026