Today the rules denote a requirement to fight the Minotaur and go through stage 5 for good ending. I've been doing some runs to see if going through 5' (sunken city) and it looks like the times are comparable when you skip saving Annette. How do we feel about modifying the rules to allow for this path as well? (You still get the good ending credits doing this alternative path). I guess this would also bring up if bad ending we would open it up to simply not saving Maria/Annette. In the foreseeable future dropping down into 4' would be faster, but I think it would be a nice nod to potential future runners to try their luck at other paths and maybe a wrong warp might just exist in 4 or 5'.

Well. The name of the category is "Good Ending" so as long as you achieve that and get the ending screen showing Richter and Maria, and remembering Annette - then it should be fine in my opinion. Going to the Ice Cavern and skip saving Annette would still achieve that. It would however be extremely similar to Best Ending in that regard, only difference being not going to her room and not fighting Death, right?

I'm open for it if you think it's faster. But I'd wait to hear from @lildingus or @Lucha_Gym and hear what they think.

But yeah, as long as the ending screen is correct, route shouldn't be enforced in my opinion.