Cuphead speedruns are extremely difficult. The platforms are tricky, the bosses vicious, and the likelihood of dying, and losing precious seconds, very high. And do you know what else is very high? Mountains. So how about we combine the metaphorical steep challenge of speedrunning Cuphead with the literal steepness of an actual mountain?
Well that’s exactly what EazySpeezy, a YouTuber who regularly speedruns Cuphead, Sonic, and Lego Star Wars, has decided to do, a sort of performance artwork whereby the mental and emotional challenge of speedrunning Cuphead is reflected in the physical challenge of climbing up a mountain.
EazySpeezy uses duct tape to rig a laptop onto the backpack of one of his companions, then walks behind him, speedrunning Cuphead as he goes. In order to avoid tripping – or, you know, falling off the mountain – Eazy’s brother, who accompanies them on the trek, shouts out directions and obstacles on the route ahead. This allows Eazy to keep their eyes locked on the game while also, still, somehow, climbing a mountain.
The mountain in question is Mount Mansfield, the largest in the state of Vermont at an intimidating 4,400 feet – from EazySpeezy’s starting point, the peak is about 2,790 feet away. Some sections involve scrambling over rocks or struggling up slopes, but Eazy simply pauses the game then continues once the ground becomes flat again. By the time Eazy reaches the mountain’s summit, they’re ready to face Rumor Honeybottoms.
Dr. Kahl’s robot presents a bigger challenge, though, as EazySpeezy is trying to fight it during the descent, when it’s a lot harder to choose your footing and keep your balance – especially when you’re in the middle of speedrunning Cuphead via a laptop currently duct taped to your friend’s back.
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The whole run lasts about eight hours, with Eazy having to defeat the climactic devil once they get back to their hotel room (though before taking a post-mountain shower). Given that most Cuphead records are about 28 minutes, this run isn’t going to find itself top of the leaderboards any time soon. But if anyone else wants to try speedrunning Cuphead while climbing a mountain, eight hours seems like a pretty impressive time to beat.