The Gold Split - Week #45
Week #45 (June 19): Switch 2; Deltarune; Final Fantasy VIII; TAS Movies; Event News; New Records: Minecraft, Skies of Arcadia, Spongebob, Zelda II, BioShock, Crash Team Racing
Happy Week #45!
I was expecting to write this entire issue on the train to Amsterdam, but then we got Deutsche Bahn’d.
The train got cancelled and the next best option left four hours later. The good news: I was still able to write a large chunk and do some research from the comfort of home. The bad news: the Wi-Fi on this train isn’t working and I’m tearing through my mobile data. I was wondering when my run of good luck with German trains would come to an end. Thank you for travelling with Deutsche Bahn.
Contents
Up to Speed ⚡️
Frame by Frame (TAS Movies) 🔧
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! 📨
Up to Speed ⚡️
💙 Deltarune community launches a new speedrunning hub (3-minute read)
The new hub will feature guides, resources and other helpful links related to speedrunning Deltarune. If you haven’t finished the new chapters, it’s probably best to stay away. Spoilers are inevitable. In addition, the news post also covers the leaderboard categories for the new chapters and the rule changes that come with them. Notably, the categories for the new chapters will be Main Route, All Recruits and All Bosses.
💬 Super Mario Odyssey leaderboards share plan for Switch 2 runs (Leaderboard)
As far as I can tell these plans were only shared on Discord, and it’s difficult to link there. The community has determined that that the Switch 2 version of Super Mario Odyssey isn’t different in any way relevant to the speedrun, but a large loading time advantage still applies. Speedruns completed on the new console will now be allowed on a separate leaderboard. At the time of writing, one of these is already quicker than the record played on the original Switch, showing how large the difference is. The community plans to look at the data in September and then decide if and when to merge the platforms into one leaderboard.
🆕 New version of FF8 Utilities available (2-minute read)
I will not pretend to know what the program does, but I’m sure it’s a big deal for Final Fantasy VIII runners! FF8 Utilities is “a program designed to collate all the manipulation used into one easy to use program that doesn't require Ruby or command shell knowledge”. The new version should heavily simplify the setup for the 2013 PC version of the game and comes with a lot of other upgrades. More information and a link to the download page are available in the post.
Briefly
🛸 UFO 50 now has category extensions (Leaderboard)
🧙♂️ New Noita category: Sun Quest (Leaderboard)
🧪 Switch 2 runs allowed on a trial basis in Super Mario Party Jamboree (2-minute read)
🔀 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe leaderboard opt for a tentative split between Switch and Switch 2 (1-minute read)
Event News 📅
🏁 Finished
Zeldathon Voyage raised $119,000+ charity: water
Power Up With Pride 2025 raised $7,375+ True Colors United
Bingothon Summer 2025 raised $2,100 for Médecins Sans Frontières
⏱️ Running
Until June 23th: Speedromizer VII (Schedule), benefiting QMUNITY
🔜 Upcoming
Starts June 20th: SpeedDogs aka SableAid (Schedule), benefiting community member SableDragonRook
Starts June 22nd: Deus Ex 25th Anniversary (Schedule)
Starts June 26th: Nostalgiathon: Anniversary Edition (Schedule), benefiting St. Jude
This Week’s Top Times 🏆
🥇 First Place
Minecraft: Java Edition (Any% Glitchless: Random Seed, 1.16+) in 00:06:50.358 by lowkey
Video • Twitch • YouTube
This is a huge deal! Minecraft speedrunning is insanely competitive, yet the random seed record hadn’t been broken since January 2024. Additionally, this is a relatively massive improvement of eleven seconds and the first time the record dips below the seven-minute-mark. Modern Minecraft speedrunning is crazy, do watch the video:Skies of Arcadia: Legends (Any% RTA) in 10:27:13 by PageCartoons (He/Him)
Video • Twitch • YouTube
The previous record here stood for even longer than in Minecraft: since October 2023!Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy (Glitchless) in 00:00:58.326 by OyamaTakeshi
Video • YouTube
And last but certainly not least, OyamaTakeshi goes faster than anybody else to mark the first improvement of the record since April 2023!SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom (Any%) in 00:40:57 by SHiFT
Video • Twitch • YouTubeCrash Team Racing (Any% (No Major Glitches): Disc) in 00:48:13 by Hypnoshark
Video • Twitch • YouTubeZelda II: The Adventure of Link (100% All Keys, 1CC) in 01:12:52.067 by OrkleDorkle
Video • Twitch • YouTubeCeleste 64 (Any%) in 00:00:14.432 by Ellaquin (They/Them)
VideoThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (Any%: PC) in 00:05:33.089 by Firekillerxxx (Any/All)
Video • Twitch • YouTube
🥈 Second Place
This Is The Only Level (Any%, P+Gless) in 00:02:24.425 by NorXor
Video • Twitch • YouTubeThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Any%: pre-v1.2.1) in 00:39:27 by Player5
Video • Twitch • YouTubeOuter Wilds (Any%: PC, Normal) in 00:07:16.110 by CheeseRunner1 (He/Him)
Video • YouTubeTomb Raider: Legend (Any%: No Bug Jump) in 00:32:16 by Jaely
Video
🥉 Third Place
Refunct (Any%: Normal) in 00:02:41.080 by MiningPie (He/Him)
Video • TwitchSuper Mario 64 (120 Star: N64) in 01:35:52 by Karin
Video • TwitchUndertale (Genocide: 1.00-1.001) in 01:03:39 by Shayy (He/Him, They/Them)
Video • Twitch • YouTubeThe Lion King (SNES) (Any% Easy) in 00:12:07 by Purplee (He/Him)
Video • YouTube
Frame by Frame 🔧
TAS Movies are back on the menu! The last time I manage to feature some was four weeks ago, and many have piled up since then. Cherry picking time! If you’d like to see a full overview of all published movies, head over to TASVideos.org.
Super Mario Land (GB) in 12:11.88 by MUGG
Video • Author Notes • Goal: Hard Mode
Super Mario Land is still my favourite Mario game, but basically only for the nostalgia. I have played this game for such a long time as a kid and never realised that there was a hard mode after the final boss…
Hot Wheels: Extreme Racing (PSX) in 23:11.08 by somyeol
Video • Author Notes • Goal: Rollcage, Unlimited Gears, Reverse Tracks
Blaster Master (Japan) (NES) in 25:46.37 by McBobX
Video • Author Notes • Goal: All Bosses
Punch-Out!! (Europe) (NES) in 18:51.94 by yellowdice
Video • Author Notes • Goal: Beat the Game
The Lion King (Genesis) in 11:23.28 by Akiteru & EZGames69
Video • Author Notes • Goal: Beat the Game
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (Wii) “Playaround” by SJ
Video • Author Notes • Goal: Showcase
I Wanna Be the Guy (Windows) in 12:57.48 by tokoroten-az3
Video • Author Notes • Goal: In-Game Codes
Mighty Gunvolt (3DS) in 07:29.61 by Greenalink
Video • Author Notes • Goal: Beat the Game (Gunvolt)
Despicable Me: The Game — Minion Mayhem (DS) in 24:26.17 by Walgrey
Video • Author Notes • Goal: Beat the Game
Social Choice 🔝
The r/speedrun choice of the week is… this thread about fastest speedrun of any game (excluding TAS movies). There’s a lot runs out there that get finished in less than one second!
👋🏻 And that’s it for this week! See you next Thursday, June 26th 2025. 👋🏻
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