A lone figure stands silhouetted in a cave entrance, two glimmering steel blades gripped tightly in his hands. The sprawling demonic castle towers ominously in the distance, wreathed in mist. The figure takes a deep breath and dashes forward into the night, fluttering his tattered cloak dramatically behind him.
This is the iconic opening scene of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, widely considered one of the greatest video games of all time. And it‘s this very game that speedrun extraordinaire Romscout has utterly mastered and conquered, shocking the world by beating it in under 17 minutes.
As we‘ll see, Romscout‘s run showcases unbelievable expertise, intuition and reflexes. But how exactly did a 24 year old PS1 game become such a popular title to speedrun? Why do people love watching others complete games as fast as humanly possible? And does Romscout still reign supreme with his run from 6 years ago? Let‘s dive into the complex, competitive and community-driven world of Symphony of the Night speedrunning to find out!
A "Metroidvania" Classic is Born
Released in 1997 for the Sony Playstation, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night crystallized an exciting new genre by fusing the action-based "Metroid" series with Castlevania‘s trademark Gothic horror aesthetic. This new blend, aptly deemed "Metroidvania", dropped players into a massive, interconnected 2D castle and challenged them to hunt down abilities in order to access new areas.
And with it‘s stellar soundtrack, lavish visuals and deeply satisfying combat and exploration, Symphony struck a chord with gamers worldwide. Over time, critical appraisal and fan fervor grew to a fever pitch, cementing it‘s reputation alongside all-time greats like Ocarina of Time and Final Fantasy VII.
But surprisingly, critics initially gave only middling reviews to Symphony of the Night. Gamers discovered it‘s excellence slowly through word of mouth. And soon they began pushing the game to it‘s very limits, developing sequence breaks, uncovering exploits and inventing entirely new ways to dash through with blistering pace.
The Wild World of Speedrunning
Speedrunning is the practice of completing video games as fast as humanly possible, often using intricate glitches and exploits that let skilled players literally break the game apart and access normally gated areas.
Compared to regular casual play, this creates an entirely different metagame based on optimized movement, frame-perfect inputs and insane creativity. Top runners meticulously route paths to shave off seconds or even frames. And by memorizing details down to individual animations, they turn blistering playthroughs into real possibilities rather than just theoretical limits.
These feats require monkish devotion and Jedi-like reflexes. But crucially, the passionate and positive communities that form around popular speedgames add a teamwork element too. Runners share discoveries, cheer progress and geek out over new records together. Far from the destructive hacking or cheating it may sound like at first, speedrunning instead taps into our universal human desire to cheer athletic spectacle and skill.
Why Symphony Shines Among Speedgames
So among thousands of potential games, what exactly makes Symphony of the Night such a legendary title to speedrun?
Dense Interconnectivity – The castle‘s many layered areas allow for numerous viable routes. This creates opportunities to sequence break using specific items or transformations.
Distinct Playstyles – Optional characters like Richter and Maria offer completely unique movesets and strategies. Any% runs allow runners to pick and choose areas or items based on their strengths.
Sheer Scope – With over 200 areas to explore, Symphony provides a daunting setting where memorizing layouts and mastering controls pays major dividends.
Item Manipulation – Selling duplicable items can be exploited to gain massive amounts of gold early on to buy potions, gear and abilities that enable wild, unforeseen power.
And most importantly…
Boundless Creativity – The game‘s design allows for many sequence breaks and glitches that fundamentally change intended progression. This forces innovative thinking from runners looking to stand out.
Romscout‘s run epitomizes this creative element. By stringing together multiple complicated tricks, he manages to skip entire chunks and boss fights through sheer ingenuity. Now let‘s look closer at the master in action!
Romscout Rules The Night
For 4 long years, no other Symphony runner could come close to Romscout‘s astonishing sub-17 minute run. Peaking at a shocking 5 button presses per second Romscout blazes through with crisply executed tricks, including:
The Death Skip – By collecting the exact right amount of hearts then intentionally dying, Romscout skips an early boss fight but keeps his gear.
Money Exploits – Selling duplicable jewels lets Romscout buy an item that gives unlimited uses for his most powerful attacks.
Bat Flight Access – Turning into a bat early using frame-perfect inputs lets Romscout reach the inverted castle faster.
Boss Avoids – Thanks to physics bugs, Romscout actually flies right over final bosses instead of properly finishing the fights!
The run caps off with the final confrontation against Dracula himself at a blistering 16:58…leaving mere mortals everywhere speechless at the sight.
Now almost 10 years later, Symphony runners still study and react in awe to Romscout‘s seminal run. But a few daring souls have managed at last to barely squeak ahead of the master‘s time. So how does his legacy hold up today?
Chasing The Record Books
As of 2022, Romscout‘s historic run now sits just outside the top 10 on speedrun.com‘s Symphony of the Night leaderboards. But considering tricks and techniques continue getting optimized even now, 3rd place remains an incredible testament to his game-breaking contributions.
The current world record holder Dr4gonBlitz weighs in:
"I have infinite respect for Romscout‘s run. It was so far ahead of it‘s time and made the entire community step up. Without him I doubt we‘d be pushing below 17 minutes today, let alone chasing the 16 minute barrier."
So while a few tiny errors cost Romscout milliseconds here and there, his underlying strategies are still considered sound today. And his title certainly spurred many runners, including a 16 year old viewer at the time named BloodThunder. Currently ranked 2nd, BloodThunder fondly recalls:
"I watched Romscout‘s run live and my mind was just blown. Right there I decided I would grind until I could beat his time someday. He made me believe the impossible was possible."
Pushing The Limits
With new tricks being devised and old routes being optimized, can runners still squeeze more time out of this 24 year old classic? Let‘s compare Romscout‘s key tricks against today‘s state-of-the-art standards:
Death Skip – Virtually identical to Romscout‘s methodology. Precise heart counts andpurposeful death remain essential for top times.
Money Exploits – Much more efficient duping setups exist now, netting earlier big money. But Romscout‘s underlying sequence is still sound.
Bat Flight Access – A newer method lets runners transform a few seconds faster than Romscout‘s approach. But both achieve the same end goal.
Boss Avoids – Some runners now properly finish the final fights using cunning manipulations. However, skipping is often still faster depending on luck and execution.
So while iterates continue getting optimized, the next leap will likely require an entirely new skip or sequence break. Could this barrier come crashing down soon and lead to the fabled sub-16 minute run?
The Legend Continues
For marathon runners like Romscout, completing games faster than should be possible is it‘s own reward. The non-stop progression of optimization and new techniques keeps the passionate fire stoked for years.
And while Romscout stepped back from seriously competing himself, he continues to be an influential figure through his commentary and game analysis. During our discussion he remarked:
"I don‘t know if people will ever stop competing to conquer Symphony faster. There‘s basically an endless skill ceiling so records may keep getting shattered decades from now!"
So even when that sub-16 achievement falls one day, Romscout‘s incredible run will still be etched into history books…and likely continue inspiring imaginative runners to come. The eternal night beckons. More monsters lurk in the darkness ahead for these brave few to fell with steel and sorcery. Another figure steps forth boldly now from the shadows, scripting themselves into legend as the chase continues on through the centuries!
