A speedrunner has come up with an ingenious way to get a record in Styx: Shards Of Darkness at this year’s Summer Games Done Quick.
During Summer Games Done Quick on July 5, runner “Toehlot” beat the record for Styx: Shards Of Darkness by exploiting the level design in an interesting way. A video of the whole run is available below:
As explained in the clip starting around 16:35, Tohelot breaks out of bounds of the level, using a trick to get his character into a part of the level they usually cannot, letting them skip a section.
Unlike other speedruns, Tohelot is aiming for a developer tool built into the game. Instead of existing as just abstract code, the flowcharts that represent the levels objectives and its triggers are physically present.
Tohelot is able to walk over this flowchart, activating triggers, which makes the game think he has completed certain objectives, which allows him to finish the level in record speed.
The commentators and Tohelot explain that these flowcharts exist in every level in Styx: Shadows Of Darkness, but reaching them in some levels is slower than using regular speedrunning techniques.
As such, Tohelot uses a mix of both techniques to get through his speed run, displaying an impressive level of knowledge of the game.
Summer Games Done Quick is a yearly sister event to Awesome Games Done Quick. The event runs every year, raising money for charity.
This year, Summer Games Done Quick 2021 is raising money for Doctors Without Borders, and due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, is taking place entirely online.
NME has put together a handy guide for runs to look out for, as well as where to watch the event. Runs will continue until Sunday (June 11).
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