Nintendo's latest video game offering, "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," boasts a rich gameplay and background story, continuing the series' streak of highly successful installments.
Being the 19th release from the "Zelda" franchise, "Breath of the Wild" has gotten even bigger and more challenging compared to the previous titles. However, this does not stop the speedrunners from conquering the entire game in a matter of minutes. In fact, a new record was set just two weeks after the launch, completing the game in less than an hour.
A few days after "Breath of the Wild" was released in Nintendo Switch and Wii U consoles, two speedrunners posted the fastest time a player can finish the open world game title. The first recorded player to complete the game in roughly 60 minutes is Gymnast86, Kotaku reported. His record was matched shortly by Orcastraw, although the latter was not able to surpass Gymnast86's sub-60 minute run.
Recently, the records are again shattered by Venick409, who posted a 54:05 run, according to Polygon. This means that he was able to finish all the story arcs and defeat the "Breath of the Wild" final boss within that short time span.
There is no written handbook for speedrunners to finish the game. The essence of speedrunning is basically completing all the stages of the game and exploring its world within the shortest possible time.
However, some players would argue that the record-setting speedrunners are getting extra aid from amiibo, which gives them an advantage over regular players to complete the journey faster. For example, both Venick409 and Orcastraw tapped on the Smash Bros. Twilight Link figurine to spawn the iconic wild horse, Epona. This would cut down the travel time for them, while other players would need more time just to find a horse for the game's main character, Link.
Nevertheless, the recent world record in completing "Breath of the Wild" raises the possibility that players would not have to spend long hours and days to finish the game. Time listed a few helpful tips in playing the latest "Zelda" game, having it completed in no time and without breaking much sweat.
There are a number of wild horses in the game that a player can tame and use to make their travel easier. However, having the horse's full cooperation is not guaranteed after taming it. The player needs to feed his horse regularly with apples to increase its fondness towards its owner. Once the horse becomes friendly, the player will be able to control it easily, thus lessening travel time.
As for the enemies, the player has to make sure than his attack will be sufficient to take them down. One would think that a standard attack is enough to incapacitate the enemies, but the hit needs to be stronger to decrease their health. For a more significant attack, press Y while jumping to have a more powerful strike on the enemy upon landing.
Aside from horses, players can also make use of their shields as a temporary vehicle to slide their way down the hills. This is very useful especially when the players are in a hurry, or their stamina is nearly depleted.
To go surfing with a shield, hold it up by pressing ZL while running on the hill. Press X afterwards to jump, then press A to place the shield under the feet. Take note that there is a possibility of the shield being destroyed in the process, especially if it is used too much.
Lastly, players need to mind their stamina, as running around with depleted stamina may get them into accidents, like falling off a cliff or stumbling down the road. It will be wiser to conserve their stamina instead of forcing themselves to run.
When the stamina meter is in the red level, the players can jump instead by pressing X, for this will allow them to cover twice the distance compared to jumping with a normal stamina meter.