For most gamers, the simple act of completing a game is a weighty enough accomplishment. For others, true glory comes from achieving this task in the shortest amount of time possible. Whether this entails full completion of a given game or exploiting every known glitch, there's a subset of speedrunners to match each taste. Arguably the most famous of the bunch is Cosmo who has - among other things - made a name for himself as the premiere Ocarina of Time speedrunner.

Having repeatedly shocked viewers with his skill at breezing through Ocarina of Time, Cosmo's most recent accomplishment was completing the game in a mere 18 minutes and 10 seconds. Sound impossible? With the perfect execution of countless glitches, reflexes of steel, and years of practice, completing this Legend of Zelda classic in record time suddenly becomes a possibility. Even with video evidence, the task can be almost dizzying at times. This is where Cosmo himself steps in.

Following his record-breaking speedrun, Cosmo has released a video explaining exactly how this impressive feat was even possible. Not only does he use a Chinese cartridge and iQue Player for their shorter load times and faster text scrolling, but an accomplishment like this was not completed overnight. Rather, he has attempted over 1200 speedruns of the title prior to setting the latest bar. Take a look at the video below to get a glimpse inside his process.

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While an accomplishment such as this is very much a personal success for Cosmo, it also marks an accomplishment for the speedrunning community as a whole. It is this kind of relentless experimentation and repetition that has led to the discovery of many of the glitches that made this run possible. Even more, successes like this act as further motivation for those within the community.

Focusing on the speedrun itself, it's incredible to see a game that is so familiar to so many played in a way that seems completely foreign. Things that one might have taken for granted like the speed at which Link moves backward suddenly become integral to the game. It may not be as pretty as Link's upcoming adventure, but it's hard to deny that the completion of Ocarina of Time is still a sight to behold.

Success or not, it's unlikely that this will be the last the gaming world hears of Cosmo's involvement with Ocarina of Time. Outside of the world of speedrunning, the game will even be seeing a return in the upcoming Hyrule Warriors which will see some familiar faces returning. Add to this the possibility of multiplayer in the upcoming Wii U Zelda title and it's clear that the next few years will be an exciting time for Link.

Do you think Cosmo or some other speedrunner will be able to complete Ocarina of Time in a faster time than 18 minutes and 10 seconds? Are modern games as capable of supporting speedrunners as classics like this?

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Follow Ryan on Twitter @ThatRyanB.

Source: Cosmo Speedruns, Cosmo Twitch