The two major Games Done Quick events are highlights of my year. One is always in the strange haze of post-Christmas, post-New Years “I guess we’re going back to work” delirium. The other event typically begins in early July, when many of your coworkers are going on vacation, making it a great time to turn on the GDQ Twitch channel without fear of consequence. Summer Games Done Quick begins on Sunday, July 6th. I’ve poured over the calendar. I’ve identified blocks I think you should circle.
All times listed are Central and subject to change.
Avowed, Any%, Sunday 6:20pm
The year’s best game so far is Obsidian’s sublime Avowed. More than once during my playthrough I said out loud “the speedruns for this game are going to be nuts.” I have not seen a single one yet. I will let Sunday’s block be my first experience. It’s not just the fact that the verticality and parkour of this game lend themselves to breaking things, but the player character can specialize in so many different game-stretching combinations of magic and might. I have no idea which is “optimal” for speedrunning and I can’t wait to find out.
Mega Man Maker, Kaizo Showcase, Monday 5:40pm
Okay there’s a lot to unpack here for the uninitiated. Mega Man Maker is an unofficial fan game allowing for, you guessed it, the creation of Mega Man levels using assets from the original NES releases of the franchise. It’s a nifty platform for a game series that moves a lot slower than, say, Mario games. Movement tech and invincibility frames (the moments after taking damage where the player character is impervious to further damage) are wildly different from a lot of speedrun platformers. Add to that the need to switch between different enemy abilities to navigate specific challenges and you have a recipe for great speedrunning.
As for the Kaizo of it all? Kaizo refers to reconfiguring mostly platforming games into levels or pieces that require incredibly specific skills to complete. It’s hard. The shit’s hard. If you’ve seen any Kaizo it’s probably been attached to romhacks of Super Mario World or custom levels from Super Mario Maker 2.
The little I’ve seen from Mega Man Maker Kaizo levels is pretty nuts, so that’s why I’ve circled this block on my calendar.
Arctic Eggs, 28 Stomachs Fed, Tuesday 4:13am
You’d be forgiven if you missed Arctic Eggs when it came out a little over a year ago — it made a splash in some games media circles but didn’t quite hit the zeitgeist the way I think it probably should’ve. Now’s your chance to get acquainted with its food preparation action and atmosphere. “28 Stomachs Fed” as a category might mean nothing to you, but it’s essentially a full playthrough of the game with each of its main objectives met.
Dread Delusion, Any%, Tuesday 9:23am
Tuesday seems like your day to get to see some speedruns of some truly distinct indie games of the past few years. Lucky us! Dread Delusion has been compared favorably to open-world RPG classic Morrowind, but I don’t think that tells the tale. Deemphasizing combat and injecting its world with unsettling, absurdist humor are just a few of the choices that set it apart from most other RPGs you’ve played. Will you get to see much of that an Any% run of the game? Maybe not! But still, I’m excited to see how runners break this game wide open.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, All Masks NMG, Tuesday 11:50am
Anyone with a shred of taste knows that Majora’s Mask is the true MVP of the Nintendo 64 era of the beloved series. This will not be the first, second, or even third time a comprehensive speedrun of this game will appear at Games Done Quick, but I will recommend it all the same.
“All Masks NMG” means the runner will have to get all of the games masks without using any major glitches to accomplish that goal. That is great news for folks like me who love big, beefy runs and great news for folks who might not want to play this game but want to see what the fuss is about! You’ll get to see a lot of what makes Majora’s Mask special: side-quests with well-defined locals in a deliciously distinct setting from the banal Hyrule.
Quadrilateral Cowboy, All Levels, Wednesday 6:47am
Blendo Games published the outstanding and astonishingly funny immersive sim Skin Deep earlier this year, but if that’s your first foray into games directed by Brendon Chung, I think you should check out this run. Runners will have to hack their way into the game’s many heists and I have no idea how they’ll break this game, but I can’t wait to find out. As an added bonus, Brendon Chung himself will be on the couch!
AEW Fight Forever, Road to Elite, Thursday 12:29am
AEW Fight Forever is a bad video game from the best major wrestling promotion on US television today. It’s one of this decade’s most disappointing games that suffered from a lack of polish and lack of design finesse, resulting in a mess that can’t measure up to WWE 2K or the much older Fire Pro Wrestling World. Still! Runners are going to beat this game’s story mode in under 40 minutes in the middle of the night on Thursday? I’m game to see what that’s like.
DOOM: The Dark Ages, Any%, Thursday 9:26pm
DOOM: The Dark Ages might be the weakest entry of the new batch of games starting with 2016’s pitch perfect DOOM, depending on your stance regarding the former’s more grounded approach than the bewildering middle child, DOOM Eternal. Regardless, speedruns of these modern DOOM games are usually a total blast with blistering action and typically insightful commentary. I also love popping in to see brand new games being run, so bonus points awarded there, as well.
Super Mario Maker 2, Relay Race, Friday 4:04pm
Speedrun races are some of the exciting blocks you can find on a Games Done Quick schedule and Super Mario Maker 2 provides the perfect platform for them. Friday afternoon’s four against four race should be a fun showcase of levels. If Kaizo isn’t your thing, rest assured that there is typically a pretty nice mix of laughably hard, classic, and clever levels presented during these races.
Final Fantasy IX, HD PC CutScene Remover, Saturday 8:42am
It’s the best Final Fantasy game and I’m going to put it on any recommendations list I can. Sadly, viewers won’t get to see a lot of what makes this game truly special because all cutscenes are skipped and many of the fun optional stuff won’t be touched, but it’s still a globe-trotting adventure that’s getting a fairly lengthy block on Saturday.
Celeste, All Hearts Race, Saturday 3:04pm
If a four hour whirlwind of Final Fantasy IX doesn’t strike your fancy, what about an All Hearts Race of Celeste, one of the coolest speedrunning games out there. Celeste runs rely far less on glitches and skips and more on obscene precision from runners. It’s one of my favorite games to watch runs of and Saturday’s segment is unlikely to disappoint.
Super Mario 64, 120 Star, Saturday 4:48pm
Okay maybe it’s a little cliched, but I’m a sucker for 120 Star runs of Super Mario 64, a game that has been broken open by speedrunners for decades at this point. Saturday’s run should be full of classic skips but to get all 120 stars there aren’t actually a ton of corners cut, which is my favorite kind of run.
Mario Kart World, Knockout Tours, Saturday 7:55pm
Niki and I are on the record multiple times about not liking Mario Kart World very much. I stick by this, but who are we kidding? Seeing the wild tech introduced in this game implemented by speedrunning experts is probably going to be sick. It’s also one of the last runs of the show, meaning major donation goals should be hit around this time, making it a must-watch if you want to see some records broken for charity.
What about you? What are some of the runs you’re most looking forward to?
