Final SGDQ 2021 Highlights

Speedrunning expresses such a high level of love for the chosen game. Marathons like Games Done Quick, bringing together the broader speedrunning community to show off their runs and talents, demonstrate this like nothing else. The positive energy surrounding the event can be felt even now as it comes to an end — not to mention by the end of it, SGDQ 2021 raised nearly 3 MILLION DOLLARS for Doctors Without Borders.

Truly amazing.

Let’s dive into the highlights from the final days of Summer Games Done Quick 2021!

Halo 2

Any%

Ran by Monopoli

Link to run

Similar to Ocarina of Time, you need a university degree to understand Halo 2’s speedrun. Monopoli wastes no time getting into the run executing one glitch after another, doing a fantastic job as a solo commentator explaining the difficult tricks while also performing them. The main highlight is a glitch called Arbitrary Unit Possession which manipulates the games memory to allow you to become nearly anything in the game. Only a few minutes into the run, Monopoli transforms into a Phantom (a VEHICLE by the way) and navigates out of bounds.

That’s just scratching the surface, you CANNOT miss this run.

Astro’s Playroom

Any%

Ran by Xeilius

Commentary by LeKcEy and MotoNickelz

Link to run

Astro’s Playroom is a free third-person-platformer with extremely advanced movement, as well as adorable characters and atmosphere - also the sound design is phenomenal. Developers also implemented a Speedrun Mode where they specifically leave in speedrunning tricks that get patched out from the regular mode. Yay for speedrun accessibility! On top of stunning movement, this run has some amazing (and very physical) climbing strats using the Playstation controller, which is quite entertaining to watch Xeilius perform.

Factorio

Any% Set Seed

Ran by Frankqly

Commentary by AntiElitz, Thue and XenoCyber

Link to run

This run is a showcase of incredible routing and execution. Routing a game like Factorio is incredibly difficult due to the sheer amount of options you have, and the runners even mention themselves that the route is still pretty frequently updated. For the duration of the run, Franqly remained mostly quiet because Factorio is, surprisingly, very demanding of your execution. Every second of the run for its nearly 2-hour runtime demands Franqlys strict attention, considering if he was to place something where it wasn’t supposed to, there could be a potential for devastating consequences further down the line. Listening to the stories behind the routing process of this run is worth a watch by itself, definitely give this run a watch.

Celeste Custom Maps

Glyph All A-Sides

Ran by frozenflygone

Commentary by Comet

Link to run

Frozenflygone premieres a custom-made map containing entirely custom level design and music which looks absolutely gorgeous. The movement tech is incredible, the commentary is great, the developers were watching showing their support, and overall frozenflygone and comet provide a truly heartwarming showcase from one of speedrunning's most wholesome communities. Did I mention the movement tech is incredible?

Bowser’s Fury

Any% No Amiibo

Ran by fir_

Commentary by Dangers

Link to run

Nintendo games always seem to bring some new mechanics that mesh really well with speedrunning, and Bowser’s Fury is a little different which had runners thinking it wouldn’t be a good speedgame — but where there’s a will, there’s a way. Imagine a bus stop…. No? Old meme? Okay. This is Bowser’s Fury’s premiere at a Games Done Quick, and both fir_, as well as Dangers, do an incredible job explaining the new tech and the speedrun appeal of Bowser’s Fury, if you love platformers and cycles — give this one a go.

Super Metroid

100% Race

Ran by Oatsngoats, Behemoth87 and ShinyZeni

Commentary by Antinomy and TheHockeytowner

Link to run

Super Metroid is a true classic 2D platformer with a rich speedrunning history, many people have years of practice under their belt and it really shows here in this race between Oatsngoats, Behemoth87, and ShinyZeni, who were all neck and neck for a very long time at the start of the run. Even by the end of the hour-long run, they all finished within 3 minutes of each other - an incredible display of optimization on a classic speedgame.

Dark Souls 3

Any% Glitchless

Ran by MattApocaalypse

Commentary by Distortion2 and Fudge Cow

Link to run

If you’ve ever played a Dark Souls game, you’ll know how brutally difficult the game is. Bosses can sometimes take the majority of players multiple hours to complete, and yet in this run, MattApocaalypse completes Any% Glitchless in under one hour real time. If you ever want to see a display of immense skill, check out a speedrun from a souls series. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Final Stop

Well, that’s a wrap for Summer Games Done Quick 2021. There were jokes, glitches, lots of talent, and a whole lotta love and passion. Unfortunately, it is true that all good things must come to an end, but not forever. The next GDQ is only ever a few months away.

If you happened to miss any runs you were interested in, you can find every run as well as interviews and other great moments over on GDQ’s YouTube channel.