Another week in the speedrunning community delivered exactly what you’d expect: new world records, creative glitches, and the kind of technical curiosity that makes the scene so fascinating. From massive RPG milestones to clever tool development, here’s a look at what stood out on r/speedrun this week.
A Major Milestone for Lost Odyssey
One of the biggest achievements this week came from a runner pushing a massive RPG to new limits. A New Game Any% run of Lost Odyssey reached 5:55:32, marking the first sub-6-hour world record for the category.
For a long, story-heavy JRPG, breaking the six-hour barrier is a huge accomplishment. These runs require incredible consistency, routing knowledge, and endurance—especially since a single mistake can cost minutes or even end the attempt entirely.
Creative Chaos in Classic Speedruns
Classic and retro titles continue to show just how deep speedrunning strategies can go.
- A Worms Armageddon Deathmatch world record was set at 1:40:30, showcasing how competitive even unconventional speedrun categories can be.
- The Melee All Events category also saw a new record of 33:14, highlighting the technical skill required to optimize dozens of event challenges in a single run.
- Meanwhile, a Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 All Pro Challenges run clocked in at 32:46 on PS2, with runners suggesting that sub-30 minutes might soon be possible—if someone can fully master the game’s unpredictable physics.
Explaining the “Bonkers” Speedruns
Educational content also gained traction this week. A popular video breakdown of the current speedrun record for Knights of the Old Republic caught attention for explaining just how chaotic and creative high-level runs have become.
These explanatory videos are increasingly important for newcomers. Modern speedruns often rely on extremely specific glitches, route optimizations, and frame-perfect tricks that can look completely incomprehensible without context.
Similarly, another video exploring speedruns in Deep Rock Galactic gave viewers a closer look at how cooperative shooters are being optimized by the community.
When One Game Isn’t Enough
One of the most interesting discussions this week asked about speedruns that require opening a completely different game in the middle of the run.
This bizarre-sounding strategy usually appears in cases involving memory manipulation or console quirks, where loading a different game or application can alter memory states. Runners recalled examples involving older consoles and titles where seemingly unrelated software could influence game behavior.
These types of tricks highlight just how technical speedrunning can become—sometimes extending beyond the game itself and into the hardware or system-level behavior.
Community Questions: The Most Annoying Parts of Speedrunning
Not everything about speedrunning is glamorous. One thread asked runners about the most tedious parts of the hobby, and the responses were relatable:
Common frustrations included:
- Managing and recording splits
- Uploading and submitting runs to leaderboards
- Organizing hundreds of attempts
- Tracking PBs and statistics
- Editing videos or preparing footage for verification
For many runners, the run itself is the fun part—the surrounding logistics can feel like a second job.
New Tools for Streamers
Speaking of logistics, one developer shared a new tool called coreBoard, designed to make input overlay editing much easier.
Input overlays are commonly used in speedruns to show viewers exactly which buttons the player presses. The tool aims to simplify layout editing with features like:
- Built-in editor with undo/redo
- Compatibility with existing NohBoard layouts
- Easy integration with OBS
- Open-source availability on Windows
Tools like this help make speedrunning streams more accessible and professional-looking without hours of manual configuration.
Glitches, Tricks, and Curiosity
No week in speedrunning is complete without new glitch discoveries and curious mechanics.
One clip showed a clever trick where a platforming puzzle can be skipped entirely simply by not jumping on the first platform and moving fast enough, demonstrating how small routing discoveries can shave seconds—or even minutes—off a run.
Meanwhile, players asked deeper mechanical questions, like why Super Mario Sunshine runners spray Piantas before talking to them, likely tied to positioning tricks or faster interaction timing.
These small details are exactly what makes speedrunning so endlessly analyzable.
Looking Ahead
Between new world records, technical discussions, and tools for creators, the speedrunning scene continues to evolve every week. Whether it’s a six-hour RPG milestone or a tiny platforming skip discovered by accident, every improvement pushes the boundaries of what players thought was possible.
And if this week’s discussions are any indication, the community isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
Source: reddit.com