Summer Games Done Quick 2021 has come to an end, closing out a seven-day-long speedrun marathon for the ages. We’ve had a wonderful time covering SGDQ 2021 day after day, highlighting our favorite speedruns every step of the way. Each day has brought us endless hours of speedrunning entertainment, and SGDQ 2021 day seven was no different. Every single run of the day was a pleasure to watch, and if you have time, we recommend watching it all. However, if you only have the time for a few, we’ve picked out our favorite speedruns of SGDQ 2021 day seven!
To watch any of the speedruns mentioned below, you can check out the replays on Games Done Quick’s Twitch channel or their YouTube channel. Like the rest of our best of SGDQ 2021 lists, this is a purely subjective selection of speedruns from the day’s offerings. We recommend using these choices as a starting spot, as you’ll likely discover an awesome speedrun we missed. With that said, here are our picks for the best speedruns of SGDQ 2021 day seven.
The Best Speedruns of SGDQ 2021 Day Seven
Spongebob: Truth or Square (Any% Race) by Jaxler and Bubblebass
Spongebob games are often super fun and great for speedruns, so we were very excited to watch this Any% race of Spongebob: Truth or Square at SGDQ 2021 day seven. Both runners had a great race, but despite the high level of competition, kept things friendly and supportive throughout the run. Showcasing plenty of clips, glitches, and unintended skips, this run was a treat for both Spongebob and speedrun fans. Between the comfy ocean vibes and the impressive skips, this race went from being a relaxing late-night watch to one of the most interesting runs of the event. Considering Spongebob: Truth or Square is one of the less popular Spongebob games, we were glad to see it get some time in the spotlight at SGDQ 2021.
Final time: 25:28
Storks and Apes and Crocodiles (100%) by SuperBen
Although Super Mario World didn’t appear on the SGDQ 2021 schedule in its normal form, we got a nice dose of SMW in the form of the super tough ROM-hack, Storks and Apes and Crocodiles. Both this run and the Let’s Give Up speedrun by MrMightyMouse were excellent demonstrations of top-level platforming play, with punishing custom levels that were designed to frustrate and intimidate. In addition to being remarkably tough, the levels in Storks and Apes and Crocodiles require awkward controller-handling, adding another tick of difficulty to the challenge. Luckily, SuperBen was able to crush this silly yet philosophical ROM-hack at a break-neck pace, completing the game in just over 40 minutes. We love kaizo Mario speedruns, and the back-to-back runs in the early morning definitely kept us energized.
Final time: 40:25
Super Metroid (100% Race) by Oatsngoats, Behemoth87, and ShinyZeni
Super Metroid is a SNES classic that usually finds its way onto the GDQ schedule, with SGDQ 2021 holding a three-way 100% race on its final day. Widely regarded as one of the best games ever made (at least one of the best on the SNES), Super Metroid is one of the most competitive speedruns in the scene. This 100% run gives you everything you could want in a Metroid speedrun – sequence breaks, glitches, and impressive navigation – all in under an hour and 15 minutes. As with the rest of the races during SGDQ 2021, this Super Metroid race was incredibly close, with only a few minutes between each runner. If you only have time to watch a few runs from SGDQ 2021, we highly recommend checking out this classic SNES race.
Final time: 1:14:50
Super Mario 64 (70 Star Blindfolded) by Bubzia
We’ve seen Bubzia do blindfolded speedruns before, but they remain as impressive as ever. In this blindfolded run of Super Mario 64, Bubzia completed a 70-star run completely based on audio cues and muscle memory. While you might think that a blindfolded player would play things safe, especially in a platforming game, Bubzia pulled off plenty of tricks and clips. Including both risky tricks from the normal “visual” speedrun and blindfolded setups, this Super Mario 64 run is packed with hyped up moments. We have to give credit to the fantastic commentary as well, providing play-by-play explanations of every trick and strategy. There are only a few runners that can consistently wow us like Bubzia, and this run is proof of his immense skill and persistence. Despite having an estimated time of 2 hours and 15 minutes, Bubzia set a new personal best time, clocking in at just under 1 hour and 50 minutes.
Final time: 1:49:59
Dark Souls 3 (Any% Glitchless) by MattApocaalypse
For those viewers who dislike speedruns that are glitch-heavy and break the game, this Dark Souls 3 run should be plenty impressive. Despite some technical issues that interrupted the stream, this Any% Glitchless run of Dark Souls 3 was very entertaining to watch, with intense boss fights, calculated dodges, and plenty of clench moments. Even for Dark Souls newbies, the run is very easy to follow, thanks to the satisfying and thought-out commentary. Dark Souls speedruns are always cool to see, but the Glitchless route is extra impressive and adds a significant amount of challenge. If you’ve ever played a Dark Souls game or just want to be wowed by great gameplay, check out this run from SGDQ 2021 day seven! As an added moment of hype, the marathon hit the $2 million donation mark during this run, simply filling our hearts with joy.
Final time: 55:00
Super Mario Bros. 3 (100% Co-op) by mitchflowerpower and TheHaxor
Like Super Metroid, Super Mario Bros. 3 is a speedrun that pops up often at GDQ events, and it always gets us feeling nostalgic and comfy. This year, runners mitchflowerpower and TheHaxor provided a laidback cooperative speedrun of this classic NES platformer, perfectly carrying the marathon toward its end. Playing the 100% category, the runners completed every level, performing precise platforming and collecting every warp whistle along the way. With lighthearted commentary and friendly gaming vibes, this run of Super Mario Bros. 3 was one of our favorites of SGDQ 2021 day seven. As an added bonus, mitchflowerpower also performed the “Any% No Wrong Warp” route, showcasing a much speedier way to finish the game.
Final time: 1:20:39
After seven days of fundraising, SGDQ 2021 raised over $2.8 million for Doctors Without Borders. Year after year, the Games Done Quick marathons are able to raise millions of dollars for charity, all thanks to the kindhearted goodwill of viewers like yourself.
We’ll see you next time at Awesome Games Done Quick 2022! Don’t forget to check out all of our SGDQ 2021 coverage, where you can find our favorite speedruns for each and every day of the marathon. Until next time, enjoy the speedruns!
