Zelda: Breath of the Wild speedrunning community is excited for a fresh start
Faster than ever
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With only a few days to go untilTheLegend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomreleases, some speedrunners have started to plot their next adventures.
It’s been six long years since Nintendo releasedBreath of the Wild,and so far, a few dedicated speedrunners have managed to whittle down the playtime to only 23 minutes and 50 seconds. One such fan goes by the name of Player 5 and not only is the current Any% world record holder forBreath of the Wild(meaning completion to any percentage) but also managed to beat the game50 times in just one day!
The speedrunner community surrounding Zelda games is almost unlike any other, with some of the most dedicated fans there are. WithBreath of the Wildalmost entirely conquered, many are now looking towardsTears of the Kingdomas the next adventure in breaking games and completing missions in record time.
Same aim, new game
In an interview withIGN, Player 5 discussed his hopes and fears forTears of the Kingdom.After six years of breaking and replaying the same title over and over again, fans are looking forward to doing it all over again with something completely fresh.
“I’m hoping that none of [Breath of the Wild’s speedrunning techniques] get carried over so that we have kind of a brand new set of techniques to use,” Player 5 said. “Because I can just playBreath of the Wildif I want to use those glitches… Getting to figure stuff out at the early stages of the game should be fun before there’s an established route.”
Luckily, these wishes are set to come true withTears of the Kingdom’s impressive sandbox and mechanics looking to outshine its predecessor. Withnew features like Fuse, Ascend, Recall, and Ultrahandabilities shown in thegameplay trailerin March, there seems to be plenty for speedrunners to sink their teeth into.
“Fuse could make the weapon routing for fighting the bosses inTears of the Kingdompretty cool, pretty unique," Player 5 said. “I think Ascend could be pretty interesting. It’ll be interesting to see if we can break that”. Weapon routing is essential to speedrunning a title, allowing players to beat bosses quickly. At a glance, it seems like Fuse could be made just for this feature.
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Not for mere mortals
As someone who takes at least an hour customizing my character, the idea of speedrunning through any title fills me with dread as my brain doesn’t work that quickly. If I’m spending big bucks on a AAA game likeTears of the Kingdom,I want to enjoy every moment of it and get my money’s worth.
Some speedrunners even think the same way; Tallest Thomas talked with IGN and discussed how he plans to start a casual playthrough before any game-breaking begins. It seems like savoring the storyline of this widely anticipatedNintendo Switchtitle is essential to every fan and not just mere mortals like myself.
Elie is a Features Writer for TechRadar Gaming, here to write about anything new or slightly weird. Before writing for TRG, Elie studied for a Masters at Cardiff University JOMEC in International Journalism and Documentaries – spending their free time filming short docs or editing the gaming section for their student publications.
Elie’s first step into gaming was through Pokémon but they’ve taken the natural next step in the horror genre. Any and every game that would keep you up at night is on their list to play - despite the fact that one of Elie’s biggest fears is being chased.
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