No matter the game, speedruns never fail to impress me. Jonathan Blow’s The Witness might not have been with us for long, but already one skillful speedrunner has bested its luscious landscapes and precarious puzzles clocking a time just over 25 minutes.
Plenty of our best PC games have been subject to impressive speedrunnery at one time or other.
Of the speedruns that’ve caught my eye recently, this Spelunky speedrunner who shuns gold and violence to complete the game is probably the most impressive. This particular run requires, grit, patience and one bucket load of perseverance. Having just watched it back again, it’s probably less of a speedrun than it is punishment, if I’m being honest.
This Witness run – from quick-fingered chap Azorae, on the other hand – is completely different yet no less impressive. Given the intricate nature of The Witness’ puzzles, it’s pretty darn remarkable. Sure, Azorae has committed the quickest route to the game’s finish line to memory, but, well, wow! Seriously –wow is the one word that continually pops into my head each time I watch it.
Obvious spoilers ahead, but here’s Azorae making the rest of us feel completely inadequate:
When I first saw this, I reckoned it’d be the kind of thing the game’s at times outspoken creator Jonathan Blow would turn his nose up at. Quite the contrary – he was so impressed by Azorae’s feat that he tweeted the runout to his followers.