SGDQ 2023 Picks Up Speed (Day 2 Recap)

SGDQ 2023 continued today with a full 24 hours of speedruns for us to enjoy. Day 2 of SGDQ 2023 was yet another whirlwind of high-speed gaming, with a grab bag of action and adventure games both new and old. Wrapping up with a night full of retro vampire hunting, there was a pleasant variety of games to watch throughout the day, with plenty of surprises to boot. Best of all, donations to Doctors Without Borders poured in, warming our little gamer hearts.

For those interested in checking out some amazing speedruns from day 2 of SGDQ 2023, we’ve whipped up a list of some of our favorites! As always, this is not meant as a definitive list by any means, so don’t be discouraged if your favorite run isn’t featured. We highly recommend using this list as a starting point and checking out any other speedruns that sound interesting! To watch any of these speedruns, you can catch the replays on the Games Done Quick Twitch channel or their YouTube channel.

The Best Speedruns of SGDQ 2023 Day 2

Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (NG Devil Hunter – Nero/Dante) by DECosmic

For flashy hack ‘n slash action, you need to look no further than this challenging speedrun of Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition. Pulling off crazy combos and looking appropriately slick while doing so, DECosmic slashed to victory in this tough run, destroying bosses and collecting orbs aplenty. With excellent commentary from MaxyLobes and WaifuRuns, this speedrun kicked SGDQ 2023 into high gear in the early morning hours of day 2.

Final time: 1:14:29

Banjo-Kazooie (100% No FFM) by duck

Banjo-Kazooie is a true masterpiece, and as such, I’m always excited to watch a speedrun of this N64 classic. Running the “No FFM” category, which features exclusive glitches and some ultra-tricky out-of-bounds clips, speedrunner duck did the game justice and kept the pace up for SGDQ 2023 day 2. Mixing comfy vibes with playful banter and a few crazy moments, this run was blissfully nostalgic and definitely worth staying up late to watch. Many “wuhey!”s were had, and it was glorious.

Final time: 2:13:36

LOOM (Any% VGA) by LMMotoss

So, you want to know about the LOOM speedrun from SGDQ 2023? Why, this run performed by LMMotoss is an extraordinary adventure with an interface of magic, stunning high-resolution, 3D landscapes, sophisticated score and musical effects! All jokes aside, LOOM is a unique point ‘n click adventure that is very close to my heart, and I simply can’t express how happy I was to see it finally appear at a GDQ marathon. I recommend everyone check out the LOOM run from SGDQ 2023, because the more people who know and love LOOM, the better the world will be.

Final time: 27:07

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (Any%) by benstephens56

A Link Between Worlds is possibly my favorite 2D Zelda game, so I was more than excited to check out this year’s speedrun at SGDQ 2023. As expected, runner benstephens56 delivered the goods, tapping into his deep pool of Zelda talent to pull off some crazy tricks. The humorous commentary combined with fantastic gameplay execution made it a pleasurable hour and a half, and kept the bar high for Zelda runs at SGDQ 2023. Plus, this speedrun features one of the most clench-worthy final boss fights, which was a highlight of the marathon on its own.

Final time: 1:28:52

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Randomizer – Lycanthrope) by Dr4gonBlitz

Without need for debate, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is an absolute top tier speedgame, with its highly optimized movement and wild skips. At SGDQ 2023, we got to see a different sort of SotN speedrun in the form of a randomizer, which mixes up the placement of all of the items and relics in the game. This effectively forces runner Dr4gonBlitz to figure out his route on the fly, resulting in a hectic yet calculated speedrun. Dashing through Dracula’s Castle with the wolf transformation at ridiculous speeds, Dr4gonBlitz closed out SGDQ 2023 day 2 with style.

Final time: 59:01

By the end of day 2 at SGDQ 2023, the marathon has raised over $250,000 for Doctors Without Borders. That’s over double the donations from the first day, an impressive leap toward a mammoth final total. At this pace, $1,000,000 in donations is a surefire bet, but the marathon is far from over!

If you want more coverage of SGDQ 2023, you can check out our list of the best speedruns from SGDQ 2023 day 1. Additionally, head over to our Twitter page, where we’re posting live reactions and clips. Enjoy the marathon and don’t forget to get some sleep!