Super Cloudbuilt

There is a Maximum of 100 lives obtainable in Story Mode, and every level has 3 of them. You may unlock lives by:

• Beating a level for the first time.
• Collecting a Life Key and beating the level.
• Clearing a Challenge by following the Will-O'-The-Wisp to a previously beaten level.

The Will-O'-The-Wisp challenges, change when beating a different level but it will not lead you back to a level on which you have managed to beat a challenge before. Use this to your advantage, especially with the higher difficulty levels (try to get Beacons on every Skull Rated level, as it is the easiest one by far). The challenges will be one of the following:

Time Trial: Complete the level under a set time limit. Respawns penalize you but you can restart the whole level if you mess up too much.

Fragile: This is the same as Time Trial, except you can't sustain any damage.

Pacifist: Another Time Trial challenge, this time without a gun.

Supercharge: Another Time Trial but your Jetpack has infinite energy while connected to either the ground or a wall. If emptied in the air, it also recharges automatically upon landing. The respawn penalty is lower but the time limit is cut by quite a bit.

Pathfinder: In this challenge, time isn’t important, however you must beat the level while using the Jetpack as little as possible.

Beacons: By far the easiest challenge in story mode, you simply have to collect a few purple foggy objects while progressing through the level.

There are 2 Life Keys that I have found to be particularly well hidden. There is one in "Fear" and one in "Chains". For the "Fear" one, go up to where the first Shield drone is, then turn back to see a small hole in the platform you have previously walked over. The Life Key in inside of that hole. The "Chains" one is located in the Purple area with the sniping turrets. Once you have cleared the area, turn back the way you came and you should find it to your left.

You can claim your lives by opening the lockers at the end of the levels.