If there’s one thing that speedrunning requires above all else, it’s precision. The whole idea of speedrunning, after all, is clearing a game as fast as possible. This usually calls for speedrunners to know the cleanest, most optimal way to get through a game, which can make some runs start to feel predictable after a while. So it’s always interesting when a speedrun flips the script and decides to make things intentionally chaotic.
This year’s installment of Awesome Games Done Quick wrapped up today, bringing an end to the week-long speedrun charity marathon that saw dozens of games being played. As always, this latest event saw a few runs that were especially memorable for various reasons, like the BioShock speedrun that trolled 100,000 viewers. However, the best trolling at AGDQ 2020 was arguably when it was directed towards the runners themselves.
Yesterday, speedrunners Andy and Warp World took on the 1991 SNES classic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Or rather a “randomizer” hack of the game that randomly rearranges the locations of items, so players never know where exactly a certain item will show up. While that alone is enough to make for an intentionally messy and unpredictable run, Andy and Warp World brought the one thing that could make it even more so: audience participation.
On top of the randomizer hack, this version of A Link to the Past was hacked even further to allow live Awesome Games Done Quick viewers to interact with the run via Twitch chat. By donating certain amounts of Twitch’s “bit” currency, they were able to either help or hinder Andy and Warp World in various (and random) ways. These included increasing or reducing their consumable items and health, temporarily adding ice physics to their controls, unleashing a swarm of killer chickens on them out of nowhere, and just straight up killing them instantly.
Watch AGDQ 2020 benefiting the Prevent Cancer Foundation - 140 from GamesDoneQuick on www.twitch.tv
This goes on for nearly four whole hours, with the two runners equally aided and harassed by their audience at both the best and worst times, though, being that it was all intentional, everyone took it in stride. Though it's certainly far from the fastest speedrun of A Link to the Past out there, the result is one of the most hilarious and memorable runs of any Games Done Quick event. It’s runs like these that really help Games Done Quick attract millions in donations to charity.