After seven full days of speedrunning fun, AGDQ 2021 is over. Once again, even considering the online-only event restrictions, Awesome Games Done Quick was an incredibly enjoyable marathon that brought a smile to our faces every day this week. From the personable hosts and streamers to the awe-inspiring amount of donations for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, AGDQ 2021 was wholesome as heck. Like any great marathon, some of the best speedruns were saved for last, and AGDQ 2021 day seven did not disappoint. From classic PC games to iconic franchises like Zelda and Pokemon, AGDQ 2021 day seven was jam-packed with variety. As we bid AGDQ farewell and eagerly await SGDQ 2021 in the summer, let’s take a look at some of the best speedruns from the final day.
If you want to watch any of these speedruns, you can find the replays on Games Done Quick’s Twitch channel or their YouTube channel. As always with these “best of” lists, our selections are purely subjective. We weren’t able to catch every speedrun from AGDQ 2021 day seven, so we suggest checking out the other runs that aren’t listed here. All in all, AGDQ 2021 was a fantastic marathon that kept our mood light and positive even during the worst of times. We can’t wait until SGDQ 2021, but until then, here are some of our picks for the best speedruns of AGDQ 2021 day seven!
Bullet hell games are some of the most intense and colorful shooters available, and this run of Muchi Muchi Pork at AGDQ 2021 day seven perfectly showcased those key elements. Over this 30-minute speedrun, runner Aquas weaved their way through countless barrages of bullets, gunned down huge bosses, and kept us impressed every step of the way. If you’ve ever played any bullet hell game, you can probably appreciate the difficulty that comes with clearing just a few stages. Aquas floored us with this truly impressive performance, capped off with one of the most anxiety-inducing boss fights of the entire marathon.
Final time: 33:40
Beat ’em up speedruns are a bit underrated, in our opinion, but every GDQ seems to have a couple on display. We always appreciate watching a good ‘ol fashioned arcade romp, and X-Men: The Arcade Game is arguably one of the most elusive beat ’em up games there are. Unless you played it back in the arcade days or were lucky enough to buy it digitally on PlayStation 3 (until it was removed from the store), there’s a good chance you’ve completely unaware of this nostalgic gem. Like most other beat ’em up speedruns, this run by LRock617 features lots of precise attack patterns, enemy recognition, and improvisation during tense moments. LRock617 opted to go for a single-continue clear, limiting himself to two deaths over the entire game. Considering that 1990s-era beat ’em up games were designed to steal your quarters via cheap deaths, that’s an impressive feat. Both entertaining and nostalgic to watch, this display of X-Men: The Arcade Game was one of the comfier runs of AGDQ 2021 day seven.
Final time: 28:49
Celeste has been a staple in the speedrunning community ever since it was released in 2018. This has led to many appearances at GDQ marathons, but we’ve never seen Celeste speedrunning quite like this. In one of our favorite speedruns of AGDQ 2021 day seven, runner PeekingBoo took on the challenging “C-Side” levels using a Dance Dance Revolution dance-pad as a controller. It’s just as ridiculous and impressive as it sounds. Celeste is renowned for its tough, retro-inspired platforming, difficult enough to piss off even the most seasoned gamers. It’s doubly impressive then, that PeekingBoo was able to get through a majority of the C-Side levels without dying at all. Simply put, this speedrun is one that needs to be seen to be believed.
Final time: 14:41
AGDQ 2021 day seven had an excellent block of Castlevania games, capped off by this smooth speedrun of Bloodstained 2 by runner The Blacktastic. If you’re not familiar with the series, Bloodstained is a retro-inspired follow-up to the classic 8-bit Castlevania titles, combining multiple playable characters, huge bosses, and tough platforming. Thanks to a donation incentive, The Blacktastic ran the tougher “Episode 2” category, which forced him to utilize a whole host of precise attack patterns, movement, and dodging. Generally speaking, Bloodstained 2 is fluid and fast, akin to a Ninja Gaiden speedrun, but with dark fantasy themes. It’s a colorful game that’s really cool to watch, especially when combined with The Blacktastic’s charismatic commentary and vibe. All of the Castlevania runs at AGDQ 2021 day seven were excellent, so we recommend checking out the entire block if you have time.
Final time: 27:00
Mitchflowerpower is arguably the best Super Mario Bros 3 speedrunner of all time, so when you set him against a recently-released ROM-hack like Super Orb Bros, great things are bound to happen. Super Orb Bros is a colorful modded version of Super Mario Bros 3 that adds mechanics like wall-jumping, up-kicking shells, and more. Using these new moves (along with some classic SMB3 glitches), mitchflowerpower was able to smash through the spike-laden stages at a super-sonic pace. This “100%” category run also shows off all of the game’s secret exits and bonuses, giving the audience a look at everything this ROM-hack has to offer. Mitchflowerpower wrapped up this run so fast he managed to nab a new world record, adding yet another WR run to this incredible AGDQ.
Final time: 18:58
Speedruns of Pokemon games at GDQ marathons always offer a unique style of humor, and this “Catch ‘Em All” category run of Pokemon Blue by eddaket retained that style just right. Accompanied by an endearing couch of commentators, eddaket took on the enormous task of collecting all 151 of the original Pokemon in under 2 hours. Luckily, he had a wide array of glitches to help him get the job done, resulting in some truly brain-bending glitches. Despite a few mistakes here and there, eddaket and crew kept the vibe lighthearted and comedic, with some signature self-deprecating humor thrown in for good measure. Packed with RNG manipulation, teleportation, and a high degree of luck, this is one of the best speedruns of AGDQ 2021 day seven.
Final time: 1:51:43
Watching acclaimed speedrunner ZFG play Ocarina of Time is like witnessing real magic, just in the form of a Nintendo 64 game. Year after year, Ocarina of Time becomes more broken, with new glitches and exploits discovered. Just when you think the glitches can’t get any more ridiculous, ZFG and the Zelda community prove you wrong. This “All Dungeons” category run does a fantastic job of highlighting the absurd power of the somewhat newly-discovered “Stale Reference Manipulation” (SRM for short) glitch. It’s incredibly complicated to explain, but the commentators did an amazing job keeping the audience informed as the madness unfolded. Through a variety of remarkably precise glitches, ZFG was able to boil Ocarina of Time down to a boss rush of sorts, beating the game without ever meeting Zelda or opening a single door. The bonus glitch exhibition after the main run further demonstrates the wacky uses of the SRM glitch, resulting in plenty of hilarious moments. As always, CLG ZFG stuns and amazes us with his incredible Ocarina of Time skill.
Final time: 41:40
When AGDQ 2021 finally closed the figurative curtains, the marathon had raised over $2,700,000 for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. When you take into account how rough 2020 was on the globe, that’s an incredibly generous amount of money. It always makes us happy to see the gaming community come together and do great things, especially when those things help the sick or impoverished. We commend the charitable effort of the Games Done Quick staff and community, which continues to impress us year after year.
With that said, those are our picks for the best speedruns of AGDQ 2021 day seven! Once again, there were plenty of other awesome speedruns performed during the final day of the marathon, but we had to take some time to sleep! We recommend you check out the full AGDQ 2021 YouTube playlist and click on anything that catches your eye. If you’re looking for more speedrun suggestions, check out our other AGDQ 2021 daily recaps. Thanks to everyone who watched along with us on social media! We’ll be back in the summer for SGDQ 2021. We’ll see you then!
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