Hauntingly beautiful and highly emotive, Ori and the Blind Forest captures gamers‘ hearts as they guide a magical spirit on a quest to restore balance to a dying forest. But beneath its childlike wonder lies one of the most technically demanding speedrun games ever crafted. Mastering Ori pushed platforming mechanics to the limits while delivering an touching tale that moves even the most hardened speed demons to tears.
Yet one competitor stands above the rest in conquering Ori‘s immense trials again and again — the living legend Ikewolf, whose otherworldly talents have crushed world records across all categories for over half a decade. Join me on a vivid journey into Ikewolf‘s secrets and what the future holds for Ori speedrunning‘s soaring skill ceiling!
The Brilliant Birth of Blind Forest
Independent developer Moon Studios spent over 5 years perfecting their labor of love using stunning hand-painted visuals and meticulously animated character performances to realize their vision.
Ori launched in 2015 to critical acclaim – winning awards for artistic design, musical score and Metroidvania excellence from the likes of IGN, Game Informer and Polygon. Reviewers praised the fluid platforming challenges requiring players master abilities like triple jumping between narrow beams over lethal pits.
Little did Moon Studios know their creation would soon warp into a radically different beast once speedrunners decoded Ori‘s secrets to launch their legend to new heights.
Classes of Competition: A Breakdown of Categories
All games with strong speedrunning subcultures classify runs by distinct rulesets gauging mastery in different ways. Let‘s overview the major brackets bearing witness to Ikewolf‘s sustained brilliance.
+---------------------------+----------------+
| Category | Rules |
+===========================+================+
| Any% | Anything goes |
+---------------------------+----------------+
| All Skills, No OOB | Restricted |
+---------------------------+ out-of-bounds |
| All Cells | 100% pickups |
+---------------------------+----------------+
| 100% | Complete |
| | Completion |
+---------------------------+----------------+Any% tests comprehensive knowledge of sequence breaks and shortcuts to blaze through using "any means necessary".
All Skills, No OOB focuses on clean movement and routing to beat the game collecting all critical upgrades without enabling out-of-bounds tricks.
All Cells requires visiting every corner of the map to gather all ability enhancing cells for true 100% completion.
Finally, 100% pushes further for not just cells, but entirely filling out the map while finishing every possible side quest.
Now let‘s break down the advanced tricks that enable record runs under these rules!
Peak Performance: Frame Perfect Maneuvers
Casually, Ori provides graceful flowing movement. But top level speedruns chain together rapid sequences of precision inputs forming lethal combos:
Quick Wall Jumps scale vertical shafts efficiently. Time hopping frames perfectly here turns pitfalls into highways.
Firsty Jumps enable rejumping the instant Ori lands to maintain momentum through sequences most can‘t physically register.
Backflip Launch extends airtime of jumps substantially if timed accurately.
Flawlessly connecting these fundamentals with pixel perfect routes creates a dazzling display requiring truly superhuman reactions. Let‘s see them applied in world record context!
An Unmatched Legacy: Ikewolf‘s Supremacy
While many have stepped up to challenge Ori‘s ruthless demanded mechanics, one pioneer has truly mastered blinding speed. Let‘s analyze the unprecedented records cemented by the genre transcending legend Ikewolf!
Any%: 22m 34s of Utter Domination
This run displays devastating tricks like reaching end game zones within minutes using out of bounds teleports and terrain glitches. Ikewolf shatters barriers most runners consider fundamentally impassable while upholding tension-filled pace. He exceeds Ori‘s wildest expectations by sequence breaking so far against the design that developers simply left the glitches in as a nod of respect.
+------------------------------------+----------+
| Any% Rankings | Time |
+====================================+==========+
| 1. Ikewolf | 22m 34s |
+------------------------------------+----------+
| 2. a515505156 | 43m 05s |
+------------------------------------+----------+
| 3. Next Competitor Over 20 Mins | |
| Slower! | |
+------------------------------------+----------+By achieving a time over 20 minutes faster than the runner up back in 2016, Ikewolf showcases how far ahead of the competition he reached even then! This run made it abundantly clear a new breed of speedster arrived on the scene.
All Skills, No OOB: Pushing Legal Limits
Unable to utilize many tricks, this run better displays Ikewolf‘s mechanical mastery through blistering movement and ingenious sequence breaking within legal bounds.
+---------------------------------------+-----------+
| All Skills, No OOB | Time |
+=======================================+===========+
| 1. Ikewolf | 31m 33s |
+---------------------------------------+-----------+
| 2. Richard Fitkin | 34m 16s |
+---------------------------------------+-----------+
| 3. Next Competitor Over 5 Minutes | |
| Slower! | |
+---------------------------------------+-----------+He proved champions can shred through Ori without compromising integrity. Ikewolf sets an iconic standard of how to establish dominance while respecting reasonable rules. His clean runs popularized and added mainstream recognition to the category.
All Cells: Impossible Efficiency
A daunting test of multi-tasking, movement optimization and memory, Ikewolf once again showcases literally untouchable consistency in Ori‘s most mentally demanding challenges.
+-------------------------------------------+-----------+
| All Cells | Time |
+===========================================+===========+
| 1. Ikewolf | 47m 44s |
+-------------------------------------------+-----------+
| 2. a515505156 | 47m 50s |
+-------------------------------------------+-----------+
| 3. Next Competitor Almost 3 Minutes Behind| 50m 28s |
+-------------------------------------------+-----------+By achieving a near identical time to his closest competitor after collecting every hidden resource, Ikewolf demonstrates supreme mental focus while rocketing through sequences deemed almost rhythmically impossible years beyond any challengers.
100%: Pushing Absolute Limits
The ultimate demonstration of excellence sees Ikewolf decimate Ori in its most expansive form – fully finishing every possible branch of content without ever losing speedrunner momentum.
+------------------------------------------+------------+
| 100% | Time |
+==========================================+============+
| 1. Ikewolf | 1h 08m 47s |
+------------------------------------------+------------+
| 2. Grimelios | 1h 12m 46s |
+------------------------------------------+------------+
| 3. Next Competitor Almost 20 Minutes | |
| Behind! | |
+------------------------------------------+------------+With a staggering lead over 2nd place, Ikewolf cements his legacy as the undisputed god of Ori speedrunning – excelling across every category and measure of skill expression imaginable through the roofless skill ceiling Moon Studios accidentally created.
The Next Generation: A New Age Dawns?
Despite undisputed dominance for over half a decade, whisperings suggest Ikewolf‘s records may not stand eternal after all. Reviewing speedrun.com statistics displays a recent resurgence:
+-------------------------+---------------+
| Year | # of Runs |
+=========================+===============+
| 2016 | 1,856 |
+-------------------------+---------------+
| 2020 | 1,028 |
+-------------------------+---------------+
| 2022 | 1,571 |
+-------------------------+---------------+Participation declined after initial hype but new blood entered the scene last 2 years – perhaps building capacity for serious record threats! Diving deeper we identify rising talents like DrHouse achieving leaderboard placements while innovating fresh sequence breaks.
The new wave shows glimmers of prodigious talent combined with revitalized motivation necessary to disrupt the hierarchy. Records standing since 2016 may fall quicker than anticipated. But only if newcomers respect the past by studying Ikewolf‘s approach before attempting to surpass his contributions.
Will you answer the call to push Ori speedrunning to unfathomable new horizons? The opening may be now – seize greatness!
Parting Wisdom: Blind Forest Basics
What‘s better – Definitive or original version?
Many records utilize original out-of-bounds glitches. But definitive features quality upgrades. Choose based on personal preferences!
Can kids play Ori?
Mature themes warrant recommendation for ages 8+ but charm captivates all ages!
We stand at unique crossroads – with Ikewolf‘s godly feats forever memorialized yet hunger simmering for new legends to carry the torch into another golden era. Whether you aspire to set records or just appreciate the mastery on display, Ori speedrunning brightens our lives while testing imagination. Blinding speed awaits those bold enough to chase glory!
