Hi friend! Looking to learn more about the brilliant TGH‘s world record-setting journeys through the quirky roleplaying hit Undertale? You‘ve come to the right place! Grab some popcorn, sit back, and allow me – your Undertale speedrunning tour guide – break down precisely what makes TGH‘s runs so monumentally impressive.
An Intro to Undertale and Meet Your Guide TGH
Released in 2015 by indie developer Toby Fox, Undertale quickly charmed critics and audiences with its clever writing, memorable characters, and combat system focused on befriending or sparing monsters rather than engaging in traditional turn-based battles.
Your choices dictate which of three main endings you‘ll experience:
- Genocide: Systematically eradicate all monsters from the Underground
- True Pacifist: Befriend key characters by sparing their lives in battle
- Neutral: Fall somewhere in the middle with sparing and slaying
This variability makes blind initial Undertale playthroughs remarkably personal. But for seasoned speedrunners like TGH, the goal becomes optimizing route completion times for the fastest possible endings.
A prominent figure in the Games Done Quick event series, TGH currently holds the world record speedrun times for both Undertale‘s True Pacifist and Genocide routes. By combining split-second reflexes with deep memorization of patterns, TGH navigates the Underground with a fluidity matched by few.
Let‘s analyze TGH‘s world record runs moment-by-moment, highlighting exactly what separates TGH‘s expertise from even other top-tier Undertale runners.
Decimating The Underground in Record Time: TGH‘s 1:05:37 Genocide Run
Opting for a violent path through the monster-filled Underground realm, TGH carefully exterminates all living creatures in his way en route to a climactic final showdown against the tricky skeleton Sans.
Optimizing Early Game Kills
Wasting no time in showing his intimate familiarity with even weak early opponents, TGH scores his first kill just 1 minute into the run – effortlessly dispatching a fragile training dummy. Having meticulously studied the dummy‘s patterns, TGH times his attacks perfectly, coordinating blows only during brief windows between shield stance rotations.
This strategic timing pays dividends against froggits, moldsmals, and other enemies too. TGH has memorized precise spawn points and patterns for all foes, cleaning out rooms rapidly without losing any health. He skips past non-mandatory fights and dialogue with precision platforming to maintain momentum.
Surviving Sans Through Pattern Mastery
While early battles quickly fall to TGH‘s blade, late-game bosses like jokester skeleton Sans represent complex obstacles due to their multi-phase attack strategies requiring intense concentration. However, TGH once again proves the incredible value of his pattern recognition expertise.
He nimbly avoids the tricky bones and laser beams from Sans, only sneaking in attacks when safe windows become available. TGH also makes excellent use of healing items to recover the inevitable health lost to such a relentless adversary. Though demanding TGH‘s full focus, our speedrunner finally ends Sans‘ resistance just over an hour into the run.
Vanquishing Photoshop Flowey With Cool Confidence
With all monsters killed, only an epic showdown against the diabolical Photoshop Flowey remains in TGH‘s path. This disturbing eldritch creature bombards the player‘s SOUL heart icon with screen-filling lethal attacks. One mistake means immediate death.
However, TGH confidently works through the multiple phases of this fight by retaining composure and avoiding greedy extra attacks. He picks correct defensive prompts to gradually whittle down Flowey‘s health bar. After an incredibly tense back-and-forth, TGH slays Flowey and triumphantly triggers the Genocide ending at a staggering record pace of 1:05:37.
Let‘s now shift gears and break down TGH‘s very different True Pacifist approach.
Sparing All Monsters in a Record 1:27:29 True Pacifist Run
Aiming to befriend all creatures through non-violent tactics, TGH‘s True Pacifist run requires equal parts charm and skill. Let me walk you through critical moments that showcase TGH‘s expertise in this category.
Mastering Toriel and Papyrus Encounters
Early judgement figures like motherly guardian Toriel and endearing skeleton guard Papyrus often prove accidental kill risks for sloppy Pacifist runners – especially in their crowded, bullet hell-esque combat arenas.
Yet TGH has clearly devoted massive amounts of practice towards mastering these key confrontations without a scratch. He expertly mirrors Toriel‘s attack patterns while tossing life-saving pastries, before showing equally impressive discipline mirroring Papyrus‘ signature colored bone attacks and nailing Sparing prompts.
Flawless Mettaton Mini-Game & Combat Phases
Another common run killer – fabulous entertainer robot Mettaton – tests the player‘s reflexes and concentration via a gauntlet of over-the-top combat phases modeled after TV show mini-games. TGH aces the rhythm and shooting challenges flawlessly however, before eventually wearing Mettaton‘s body down enough to force him to leave without a climactic boss battle.
Solving The Core‘s Deadly Navigation Challenges
The final dungeon before the game‘s emotional climax, The Core traps unprepared players with tricky conveyor belts, laser mazes, and warp pads. One false step means getting lost and losing many minutes.
Yet TGH‘s mental map holds firm even at top speed. He shoots across moving platforms, times jumps over lasers perfectly, and urgently hits warp triggers – proving complete content mastery that many runners fail to match even after endless grinding.
True Pacifist Ending Climaxes Against Asriel Dreemurr
After besting the Underground‘s rulers, TGH finally battles Asriel Dreemurr – the wayward prince turned murderous god. Armed with screen-filling attacks and multiple health bars, Asriel pushes even seasoned Pacifist players to their limits.
But TGH keeps his composure against the emotional onslaught, avoiding strikes and withstanding scripted damage with his ample supply of healing items. He then waits for the perfect prompts to open Asriel‘s mind to compassion, eventually saving the prince and once again making True Pacifist history with a 1:27:29 world record time.
As you can see, TGH possesses an unparalleled mastery of Undertale‘s quirky mechanics and content, cutting past obstacles that destroy even top-level players‘ runs. Now let‘s examine why mastering Undertale presents such a monumental marathon challenge.
What Makes Undertale Such a Formidable Speedrunning Test?
While boasting simpler graphics than modern 3D titles, Undertale‘s deceptively basic mechanics conceal a gauntlet of challenges daunting even for veteran genre specialists like TGH. Let‘s break down key reasons evenoptimized speedruns require total pattern memorization and tremendous mental stamina:
Claustrophobic Combat Boxes Demand Perfect Technique
Unlike expansive 3D brawlers, Undertale combat occurs in a tiny box, forcing players to protect their SOUL heart icon with little margin for error. This amplifies battle difficulty exponentially – one small slip up and enemy projectiles will quickly overwhelm the player. Success requires immense practice and pattern recognition.
Resisting The Urge to Kill Lovable Monsters Tests Willpower
Late-game bosses like Sans naturally incentivize the high-damage weapons and increased stats of a Genocide run. Yet even goofy early monsters like tsundere plane Tsunderplane can tempt players to take a violent path after enough failed Sparing attempts. True Pacifist runs thus test a player‘s patience and morality in addition to reflexes.
There‘s Little Room for Error on Either Route
Whether dodging blows or repeatedly Sparing foes, one minor slipup often proves instantly fatal given Undertale‘s limited health pools and healing options. This creates immense pressure to maintain perfect mistake-free technique for over an hour of dense gameplay. Veterans like TGH make this look easy but Concentration this relentless proves impossible for most.
As you can see, despite its retro visuals Undertale crams rigorous mental and physical challenges beyond almost any recent RPG release – making TGH‘s flawless world record Genocide and True Pacifist runs all the more monumental!
Raise Your Own Speedrunning Skills With These Key Resources!
Hopefully this breakdown gets you pumped to dive into Undertale speedrunning yourself or at least better appreciate the vast expertise a marathon run like TGH‘s requires!
Here are my top recommendations if you want to pick up Undertale speed strats:
- Speedrun.com Undertale Leaderboards – Comparison of top times by category
- Undertale Speedrunning Guide – Steam Community Wiki Guide
- How to Speedrun Undertale Genocide Tutorial – YouTube Video Guide
- Undertale Speedrunning Discord – Discuss strats with other passionate runners!
I hope this guide has enhanced your appreciation of TGH‘s Undertale expertise and perhaps inspired you to dive into the Underground yourself on an optimized adventure! Let me know if you have any other questions – I‘m happy to chat everything Undertale speedrunning!
