Update: Incredibly, Werster has managed to knock down that world record time even further, posting a new video showcasing a complete run that took just 23 minutes and 13 seconds (down from the 33-minute attempt we shared previously). You can see that new run above, and more info on the speedrun can be found in our original article below.
Original Article (Mon 29th Nov, 2021 12:00 GMT): Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have only been available for ten days, but speedrunners are already smashing it out of the park when it comes to beating the new games as quickly as possible.
YouTuber Werster has today shared a video showing the game being completed in just 33 minutes and ten seconds. At the time of writing, it’s believed to be the world record for an ‘any%’ speedrun of the game, and it’s pretty mindblowing to watch.
As you can imagine, all sorts of tricks and glitches are used to cut down the game’s playing time (which, according to users submitting playthrough times on HowLongToBeat, would usually take the average player around 24 hours). Indeed, the vast majority of the game including Trainer battles and even Elite Four matches are skipped entirely thanks to some crazy glitches, and menu tricks such as turning off the sound (which apparently stops jingles from loading) are also used to shave off the seconds.
Check it out:
If you’re interested in seeing exactly how this was done, Werster has shared a rundown of all the glitches used here. Perhaps one of the most important glitches is known as ‘Door Storage’, where having an open menu, then going to open a door and closing the menu during the animation that should follow, results in an interruption that causes certain scripts such as Pokémon encounters and Trainer battles to not load.
Interestingly, the same trick is used to perform the ridiculous Surfing you’ll spot in the video; by performing the Door Storage glitch and then choosing to Surf, the game “completes the animation of entering the door, but on Bibarel, so you warp inside the door on Bibarel, and can Surf on Land”.
How do people figure all of this out? Nice work, Werster!
