Summer Games Done Quick is a video game live-streaming charity marathon that brings the world’s most skilled gamers together for a week or so to display just how quickly they can beat games both old and new. The event, which began on July 3 and lasts until July 10, always results in some amazing highlights, one of the most important being how much money it raises for worthy causes: Last year’s event brought in over $1.2 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.
This year’s event has shown off some impressive feats so far (and is streaming live at this very moment, if you want to watch any of ’em), but the most impressive highlight in this year’s competition might be speedrunner romscout beating the entire 1997 PlayStation 1 game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in one hour and eight minutes… while blindfolded.
Under normal conditions, the game’s best players can beat it in about 20 minutes, give or take, so completing it in just an hour (1:08:36, to be exact) without the benefit of sight is amazing. Gamer romscout uses a combination of audio cues, memorization, and general knowhow to navigate the world and take down enemies, all faster than your average player can beat the game. The people sitting on the couch with romscout also provide interesting insight to speedrunners’ preferred thought processes and methods toward beating the game.
If you have an hour to kill, check out the video above, or if you’d rather catch some live action, take a gander at the livestream on Twitch (and find the schedule here).
Featured Image: Games Done Quick
