It's rarely a surprise to hear about a record-breaking bout of game sales, but more and more it's beginning to seems as though there's a world record for just about everything. One of the most recent examples of this curiosity is Far Cry 4's world record for a game being played at the highest altitude. Odd, sure, but it's impossible to deny the fact that records such as this get people talking. Hearthstone is the most recent game to attain this level of celebrity.
For anyone who has ever played Hearthstone online (check out our review), the feeling of impatience that comes from waiting for an opponent to make their move should be all too familiar. Now, take that feeling and intensify it by an exorbitant value. Rather than being a simple player-based milestone, Hearthstone has found itself at the heart of a Guinness World Record for the longest turn the game has ever seen.
Clocking in officially at one day, 21 hours, 18 minutes and 29 seconds, Twitch user Mamytwink has joined the likes of Beyoncé with his newfound Guinness World Record. According to Eurogamer, the attempt and success came at the hands of a great deal of prior planning and Mamytwink playing against himself, pitting mage against priest in a battle for the ages.
At the heart of this feat, Mamytwink's mage managed to accumulate seven Prophet Velen cards by copying existing ones with Faceless Manipulator. These Prophet Velen cards each serve to double the damage of his spells which also happened to be increased by various other buffs, making his spell of choice, Arcane Missiles, a particularly deadly force when played nine times in a row.
Provided that Arcane Missiles normally only unleashes three missiles per card, the combination of buffs instead led to the release of 28,752 missiles per card and a total of 258,768. Considering the fact that each of these attacks resolve individually, it's no surprise that it took quite a while for the whole process to resolve. Add an Ice Block card into the mix and the opposing player was able to sit cozy and watch the fireworks in safety.
Thankfully, Mamytwink did not stick around to survey the damage his careful calculations caused. Leaving his computer and hoping against a dreaded computer crash, he let the whole process go through its motions. While it's hardly a tournament-ready strategy, it's always interesting to see the creative ways in which players attempt to push the gameplay systems of games like Hearthstone to their limits.
With the game receiving its highly anticipated Blackrock Mountain adventure next month, it's looking like Warcraft and card game fans have quite a lot to get excited about in the coming weeks. Considering the fact that the new expansion will bring with it a slew of new cards, it will likely only be a matter of time before another intrepid Blizzard fan finds a way to best Mamytwink's record. Until then however, players will just have to continue to speculate as to what Hearthstone's future holds.
What has been the most impressive feat you have witnessed in Hearthstone? What would you like to see Blizzard implement in the game in the future?
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is out now for PC and mobile devices. The game's Blackrock Mountain adventure is planned to release sometime in April.