The Gold Split - Week #30: The Duality of Speed
Week #30 (Feb 6): Super Metroid; Oengus; PACE; Donkey Kong; Splits.io; Event News; New World Records: Portal 2, A Link to the Past, Strider, Ori, Dark Souls II, Tony Hawk
Happy Week #30!
Out of the most iconic speedrunning games, Super Metroid might be the one I’m least familiar with. I didn’t grow up with consoles in general and was never curious enough to learn more beyond what the classic saving / killing the animals bid war at Games Done Quick events was about. But times have changed. I’m now writing a newsletter about speedrunning. Let’s dive in!
I encourage you to think about what happened recently in the communities you are a part of. If there are any stories, articles, glitches, events, or other topics I should cover, go ahead and submit them here or in the Gold Split Discord! 📨
Story of the Week ✨
This week’s news is what prompted my newfound interest in Super Metroid: in the Any% category, a new RTA record had been set and (independently) a new barrier in IGT had also been broken. Let’s learn together about the differences between the two, what constitutes them and why both are outstanding achievements.
The different ways to achieve Any%
Any% is generally known to be the fastest way to beat a game. No restrictions1 apply. But while Any% is a category, RTA and IGT are different ways of timing the playthrough and segmented runs also fall into this section.
RTA stands for real time attack, is the most common timing method and refers to the real-world time measured from start to finish, unwaveringly, regardless of loading screens, room transitions, dialogues, menus, lag or anything else that doesn’t mess with the natural flow of time.
IGT on the other hand stands for in-game time and is a game-specific timing method. This timer is only running when certain conditions that the developers set are met. Many games simply don’t measure this metric or don’t ever tell the player, so it doesn’t apply there. In the case of Super Metroid, the timer is stopped during the pause menu, room transitions, item fanfares and others.
Importantly, Super Metroid’s timer rounds up to the next full minute and doesn’t deal with seconds. The new RTA record set on January 31st clocks in at 40:22.010, with an in-game time of 27:00. Less than 24 hours after, the first run ever with an IGT of 26:00 was achieved. However, that run took over 42 minutes in real time - much longer than the new RTA record. Intuitively, one would expect that a faster run in RTA would also mean a faster IGT, but this isn’t always the case. Let’s have a brief look at both runs.
RTA Timing
In The Gold Split #26, Kosmic predicted a new RTA Any% record for 2025 by somebody who has never held it before. In the last ten years, only three people have been at the top: zoast, Behemoth87 and Oatsngoats.
On January 31st, ShinyZeni set a new world record with a time of 40:22.010, surpassing Oatsngoats’ August 2023 record by almost 14 seconds - just as Kosmic had predicted.
The current RTA route uses the fastest known path through the game: PRKD. This acronym describes the order in which four bosses are defeated: Phantoon → Ridley → Kraid → Draygon
The route prioritises minimising real-world time loss over almost anything else. This means:
Skipping unnecessary items: this may result in riskier boss fights and more tricky movement.
Minimising lag: particle effects can slow the game down. Conversely, strategically taking damage can cause a reduction in lag since then the game only renders Samus every other frame. Over the years many more micro-optimisations have been developed to combat lag.
Fewer and faster room transitions: after entering a door, the game aligns them with the center of the screen before the next room is revealed. While not an issue for IGT timing, it’s possible to lose a lot of real time throughout the run if this isn’t done properly.
But even within these boundaries there is some room for nuanced decisions. Technically, at a minimum 15 missiles and 10 super missiles are necessary to finish the game. But if you choose that path and lose one or get unlucky with item drops, the run is basically lost. ShinyZeni opts for a more conservative approach: 20 missiles and 10 super missiles. This loses a few seconds due to an additional item fanfare when picking up the missile pack, but makes up for it with more consistency and allows a more aggressive approach in the fight against Ridley.
ShinyZeni now holds not only the Any% world record, but also stands at the top of the 100% and Reverse Boss Order categories. Improving on such a well-optimized record by such a significant margin has firmly cemented his place at the top of the game.
IGT Timing
Back in January of 2019, zoast became the first person to achieve a run with an in-game time of 27 minutes. In the years since, many others have matched this milestone. But on February 1st 2025, he broke the next barrier and achieved a run with an in-game time of 26 minutes for the first time.
We’ve already learned about optimisations for the RTA timing. But the in-game timer doesn’t always run and stops during room transitions, item pickup fanfares and slows down while the game is experiencing lag. Therefore, many of the techniques used to reduce real-world time losses just don’t apply for the IGT timing and additional Items may be picked up without a time penalty.
Instead of following the PRKD boss order, the IGT route uses KPDR (Kraid → Phantoon → Draygon → Ridley). Getting the Plasma Beam before the fight against Ridley saves around 30 seconds in IGT during the fight alone, but because of additional transitions and use of the menu it’s unfavourable for RTA runs. This trade-off is a recurring theme throughout the run. Both the route as well as the way the game is played end up significantly different.
Technically it’s possible to precisely measure IGT down to the exact frame by reading RAM values. This would avoid ties on the leaderboard, but is completely impractical for runners on original hardware.
Conclusion
Super Metroid Any% is a perfect example of how speedruns with the same goal can evolve differently depending on the timing method used. The differences come down to route choices, risk management, and how each run optimises movement, item pickups, and lag reduction.
Want to get involved and learn more or try a run yourself? Check out:
Up to Speed ⚡️
Unfortunately we don’t have many good news this week, it really is February. Make sure to cozy up on the sofa with a warm beverage, your favourite blanket and optionally a pet or partner!
⚠️ Oengus.io experiences data leak (2-minute read) ⚠️
Popular speedrun marathon organiser Oengus.io experienced a data leak that includes your (hashed) password as well as two-factor authentication information. If you were using a password and / or 2FA to access the site, please make sure to reset them through your profile settings. No action is required if you use Twitch or Discord to log in and don't have a password set.
💔 No more PACE events in the near future (10-minute read)
PACE, one of speedrunning’s biggest in-person events, will not return in 2025 or the near future. Organiser Milo cited exhaustion, venue challenges, and community fallout but stressed that the SM64 community is not to blame. While PACE’s loss is significant, discussions are underway for its possible revival under new leadership. Milo will instead focus on GSA Speedrun Summits, with the first event set for Manhattan later this year.
💔 Splits.io will be shutting down on March 31st, 2025 (4-minute read)
The speedrunning statistics and analytics platform has previously targeted to shut down at the end of 2024 due to financial reasons. The website was saved by Games Done Quick in October, who have also had to drop their suppport. After March 31st, splits.io will only export previously submitted split data. The project will remain open source and users are hoping that other websites in the space can include similar features in the future.
🙉 After 44 years, Donkey Kong’s kill screen has been solved (30-minute video)
In the original Donkey Kong, level 22 was considered the kill screen. It was deemed impossible because Mario would die before being able to finish it. In this video, speedrunner Kosmic proves that it is technically possible to bypass the level using an emulator through a long series of frame-perfect inputs.
Briefly
Speedrunning in the 90s | Retro Rewind E2 (30-minute video)
Potential new time-saving glitch in Watch Dogs: Legion (1-minute read)
Event News 📅
Today and so soon that it might as well be ⏱️Running, the Black in a Flash community is celebrating Black speedrunners during Back to Black 2025 on the Games Done Quick Twitch channel, raising donations against systemic racism and for racial equity. The event will run through the entire weekend, go watch!
🔜 Upcoming
Starts February 6th: Back to Black 2025 (Schedule), benefitting Race Forward
Starts February 8th: WASD 2025: Warwick's Awesome Speedruns and Demos (Schedule), benefitting Special Effect
This Week’s Top Times 🏆
🥇 First Place
Super Metroid (Any%) in 00:40:22.010 by ShinyZeni
Video • Twitch • YouTubePortal 2 (Single Player: No SLA) in 00:55:28.449 by Burger40
Video • Twitch • YouTubeThe Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (No Major Glitches: Any%) in 01:22:31.000 by Tonx
Video • Twitch • YouTubeStrider (NES) (Any%) in 00:03:28.456 by COOLKID
Video • TwitchOri and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition (All Skills: No OOB/TA) in 00:26:55.000 by Primorix (He/Him)
Video • TwitchDark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (Any%: Restricted) in 00:51:52.000 by Nyk_Style (He/Him)
Video • Twitch • YouTubeLEGO Star Wars: The Video Game (Any%: Console, Solo) in 00:57:47.000 by coolestto
Video • Twitch • YouTubeTony Hawk's American Wasteland (Story Mode: Easy, NG+) in 00:47:47.000 by xKarlsson7777 (He/Him)
Video • TwitchBaldur’s Gate 3 (No Major Glitches: Honour Mode) in 00:40:23.070 by Kinslayer202 (Any/All, He/Him)
Video
🥈 Second Place
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (Shura: PC, Glitchless) in 00:28:21.000 by Zee4
VideoStray (Any%: PC, Glitchless) in 01:15:59.000 by jonuhtan (He/Him)
Video • TwitchThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (MST) in 01:42:57.000 by Amateseru
Video • Twitch • YouTubeAmnesia: The Bunker (Any%) in 00:01:31.810 by niwamatsuu (They/Them)
Video • Twitch • YouTube
🥉 Third Place
Super Mario 64 (120 Star: N64) in 01:36:08.000 by ikori_o (He/Him)
VideoFinal Fantasy VII (PC: Any%, No Turbo) in 01:38:47.000 by asleepyjake
VideoHalf-Life: Alyx (Any%: No Spin, FTP) in 00:15:22.639 by prolert (He/Him)
Video • Twitch • YouTubeStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Any%: Unrestricted) in 00:19:09.000 by Ninko_ (He/Him)
Video • YouTube
Fun Stat of the Week 📈
In the last ten years, the Super Metroid Any% record has been improved more often than Super Mario 64 120 Star and many more times than SM64’s other categories.
This is remarkable for a few reasons:
Super Mario 64 has many more players and is way more common in competitions and tournaments
Super Mario 64 120 Star takes almost twice as long to complete, offering more room for mistakes that can be ironed out in future runs
Super Metroid was always considered to be extremely optimised in terms of strategy and movement, yet players always find ways to push the boundaries
👋🏻 And that’s it for this week! See you next Thursday, February 13th 2025. 👋🏻
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Knock Knock.
Who’s there?
Thanks for reading.
It depends on the game. Some might still impose rules on Any% in order to level the playing field and ensure a fair competition. Also, cheating generally isn’t allowed. Don’t cheat.