Meccha Chameleon offers several lobby modes that change elimination rules and win conditions. Players search “Increasing Tag”, “Increasing Oni”, or “Reverse Chicken Race” — those names all map to modes below.
This guide covers Normal, Increasing Tag (Increasing Oni), Double, and Reverse Chicken Race (Gyakusan).
1. Game Modes Comparison
| Feature / Rule | Normal | Increasing Tag (Oni) | Double | Reverse Chicken Race |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also searched as | Classic | Increasing Tag / Increasing Oni | Two hunters | Gyakusan / reverse countdown |
| Initial Seekers | 1 (usually) | 1 | Exactly 2 | Mode-specific hunter start |
| Upon Elimination | Spectator | Becomes a Seeker | Spectator | Points / turn rules (v2.4+) |
| Win focus | Survive or clear map | Survive the snowball | Survive dual hunt | Highest points |
| Best player count | 2–6 | 6–10 / streamer lobbies | 5–10 | 4–10 |
2. What is Increasing Tag?
Increasing Tag is the community/Steam search name for Increasing Oni. When a hider is tagged, they immediately join the seeker team. The round snowballs from 1 hunter to many.
Why the two names?
| Name you may see | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Increasing Tag | English search / community wording |
| Increasing Oni | In-game / Japanese-origin label (“oni” ≈ seeker/demon) |
Strategy is identical — only the label differs in guides and lobbies.
3. Normal Mode Strategy
Normal Mode is the classic hide-and-seek experience. When a seeker tags a hider, that hider is out and enters spectator mode.
- Hider Strategy:
- Focus on Longevity: Since you cannot respawn or help your teammates after elimination, prioritize safe, high-tier hiding spots.
- Stay Still: Seekers have limited search resources. If you are painted correctly and your pose matches, you do not need to move.
- Use the Whistle Wisely: Only whistle if you need to draw the seeker away from a teammate who is about to be found.
- Seeker Strategy:
- Systematic Sweeps: Without the pressure of new seekers joining, you have time to perform methodical room clears. Clear room-by-room on maps like Mansion.
- Listen for Sounds: Footstep and rustling audio is highly distinct. Turn down music volume and focus on sound cues.
4. Increasing Tag / Increasing Oni Strategy
“Oni” is the Japanese word for demon or seeker. In this mode, whenever a hider is found and tagged, they immediately respawn as an additional Seeker. The game starts as a 1v9, but can quickly snowball into a 5v5 or a 9v1.
- Hider Strategy:
- Prepare for Chaos: Early game is relatively safe, but as soon as 1 or 2 hiders are tagged, the search pressure doubles.
- Dynamic Relocation: Unlike Normal mode, staying in one spot the entire round is suicide. Once a teammate near you is caught, paint yourself a neutral color and relocate immediately while the new seeker is respawning.
- Shadow Hiding: Seekers will clutter corridors. Hide in dark zones like the pipes in Sewer where flashlights are less effective.
- Seeker Strategy:
- Coordinate the Snowball: When you are the starting Seeker, prioritize tagging the weakest hiders first to get assistance.
- Set up Grid Patrols: Once multiple hiders join the Seeker team, assign players to specific exits or zones to prevent hiders from rotating to cleared areas.
5. Reverse Chicken Race (Gyakusan)
Shipped in v2.4.0; patched in v2.4.1 and v2.5.0.
Goal: Deduce the hidden player’s identity from their body paint, find them first for points; if you are hiding, earn points by staying unnoticed. Highest score wins.
- Hunters: Compare paint memory at reveal phases; use free cam on answer reveal when available.
- Hiders: Paint deliberately so you look like another player’s pattern or a room prop — do not recycle the same bright accent every round.
- Balance note (v2.4.1): Points for discovering the countdown were reduced (1000 → 500); mid-dropout turn bugs were fixed.
If paint or collision feels desynced on older builds, update to v2.7.0 (current live) after the v2.5.0 paint-sync fixes.
6. Double Mode Strategy
Double Mode forces exactly two starting Seekers from the beginning of the match. This mode is designed for medium-to-large lobbies where a single seeker would be overwhelmed by the map scale.
- Hider Strategy:
- Watch for Double Angles: Seekers will often sweep rooms in pairs. A spot that is safe from a front-facing flashlight might cast a shadow that is visible to a seeker entering from a side door.
- Camo for Multi-Angles: Make sure your metallic and roughness paint settings are perfect. With two flashlights scanning, specular anomalies are twice as likely to be noticed.
- Seeker Strategy:
- Crossfire Sweeping: Walk together or enter rooms from opposing doors. Sweep flashlights at cross angles to reveal hider shadows that would otherwise match the wall flatly.
- Split Large Maps: On maps like Indoor Country, split the search. One seeker clears the barn ground floor, while the other sweeps the upper lofts.
7. Host Settings & Customizing Rules
Lobby hosts can combine these game modes with custom lobby variables to balance the experience:
- Timer Limits: Extend match timers to 6 minutes for Double Mode on large maps, or reduce to 3 minutes for Increasing Tag to give hiders a fighting chance.
- Force Whistle Adjustments: By default, hiders must make noise every 45 seconds. For a stealthier match in Normal mode, increase this to 60 or 90 seconds. For faster Increasing Tag matches, keep it at 30 seconds.
- For more setup guides or lobby connection troubleshooting, check out our Play with Friends Guide.
Related live systems
Clones, Hunter TPS, and modded browser servers shipped with v2.0.0. Live build: v2.7.0. See Clone System and Hunter TPS.