Hi there! Let me walk you through the incredible recent feat by one of the most talented speedrunners in the Mega Man franchise – Tokyo, who just set a blazing fast new world record time for clearing the legendary 1993 game Mega Man X.
Speedrunning involves mastering video game mechanics to complete titles as fast as humanly possible. Players analyze all the complex systems at work to find optimal routes and strategies for reducing times down to mere minutes. Today, we’ll analyze how Tokyo pushed this SNES classic to its limits!
An Iconic History
First let’s examine this game‘s pedigree. Mega Man X was developed by Capcom, who also created landmark series like Street Fighter and Resident Evil. Building upon their NES Mega Man games in the late 80’s which pioneered the action platformer genre, this “X” spinoff struck gold in 1993.
The franchise lead Keiji Inafune created a bold new protagonist in X. This autonomous robot had advanced reasoning and combat capabilities granting player more mobility and offensive power compared to classic Mega Man.
Coupled with large explorable levels, smarter enemies, and an epic story set in a futuristic world, Mega Man X became an instant classic with over 1.16 million copies sold. Today, both critics and fans regard it as one of the Super Nintendo’s defining masterpieces.
| Mega Man X Success and Acclaim | |
| Platform | Super Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Developer | Capcom |
| Release Year | 1993 |
| Units Sold | 1.16 million |
| Metacritic Score | 92/100 |
So how does one even go about speedrunning such an intricately designed game? Let‘s explore what it takes next!
The World of Speedrunning
Dedicated gamers like Tokyo analyze all aspects of the games they speedrun – enemy behaviors, level layouts, physics exploits, frame counts, and more. Their goal is finding the most optimal pathways and strategies for completion.
By grinding out countless hours of practice to optimize gameplay, top players develop superhuman reflexes and instincts. Speedrunning requires tremendous persistence and precision as single mistakes can cost precious seconds.
Veterans however make even the most punishing games look easy. Utilizing tricks like precise jumps, glitches for shortcuts, and frame perfect inputs, experts blast through at unfathomable speeds. Let’s see how Tokyo mastered Mega Man!
Meet Gaming Virtuoso Tokyo
Under aliases like Tokyo90 and Tokyodc2, this elite gamer has set record speedrun times across many classic series, especially Mega Man X, Metroid, and Zelda. He‘s also ranked high in Super Mario and Castlevania games.
For years, Tokyo meticulously tested theories and tactics across over 22,000 attempts at Mega Man X, constantly trying to shave off more seconds. His efforts resulted in mastery of key platforming abilities.
| Tokyo‘s Speedrunning Credentials | |
| Years Active | 2009 – Present |
| Key Series | Mega Man X, Metroid, Zelda |
| Speedrun Attempts | 22,000+ Mega Man X runs |
| Rank | Ranked #1 MegaManX Speedrunner |
That brings us to February 2023, when Tokyo brought his skills to bear in a spectacular display of platforming excellence!
The New 19 Minute 16 Second Record
On February 12th, 2023, Tokyo blitzed through Mega Man X in a lightning fast time of 19 minutes and 16 seconds! This shattered the long standing previous record of 19 minutes, 18 seconds set over 2 years ago. Viewers watched in awe as he demolished bosses with supreme accuracy.
By dash shooting, slope jumping, and gap jumping off walls effortlessly, Tokyo moved at previously unimaginable speeds. He utterly dominated foes like Boomer Kuwanger and Spark Mandrill with near perfect fights. It was ancestry in motion!
| Tokyo‘s Mega Man X Speedrun Final Stats | |
| Date | February 12th, 2023 |
| Time / Previous Record | 19min 16sec / 19min 18sec |
| Key Techniques | Dash Shooting, Slope Jumps, Gap Jumps |
| Best Boss Fights | Boomer Kuwanger & Spark Mandrill |
Just how incredible was this run compared to past records? What future feats can players still achieve? Let‘s analyze Tokyo‘s accomplishments in historical context!
Pushing the Limits Since 2012
Beyond the arcade era origins, online records of Mega Man X speedruns first picked up over a decade ago. As veteran players identified more exploits, new world record pace times emerged consistently from 2012 onward.
Tokyo‘s run represents the pinnacle of this decade long quest for optimization. While other competitors closed in on the sub 20 minute mark, his focus and determination towards technical excellence propelled him past the pack.
It‘s staggering that after nearly 30 years, gamers are still discovering new performance heights in this SNES cartridge! Surely such dominance will inspire up and coming speedrunners worldwide.
| Progression of Mega Man X Speedrun World Records | |
| Pre-2012 Best Record | Unknown |
| 2012 – 2022 | 4-5 New Records Per Year |
| February 2023 | Tokyo – 19min 16sec |
Tokyo most certainly has his sights set on the sub 19 minute benchmark. How much faster can this retro classic truly be completed?
Different Speedrun Categories
While Tokyo holds the Any% record involving minimal collectibles, there are other challenging mileage metrics:
100% Runs – Players must gather all expansions and fully complete everything. The best here is 34min 39sec by Tiki!
Low% Runs – Finishing the game with the absolute minimum items/upgrades collected.
Pursuing these grueling categories requires even greater skill and patience dealing with underpowered characters. Just reaching the ending credits becomes incredibly arduous compared to a weapon powered up X with full life tanks!
Limited Exploits
Surprisingly, Capcom‘s coding conceded very few helpful glitches for runners to abuse compared to notorious titles like Super Mario 64 or Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
The only major bug is the “magic carpet” trick enabling brief flight in certain levels. However opting not to leverage such exploits may ultimately have made Tokyo‘s run more impressive by relying completely on human technique and grit.
The Legacy
Originally released in 1993 for the SNES console, Capcom later ported Mega Man X to many other systems from Windows to iOS phones enabling new generations of gamers to enjoy this iconic series.
While an average playthrough takes approximately 4 hours, Tokyo slashed that figure by over 95% down below 20 minutes! It’s incredible that continuous innovation nearly 30 years later keeps unveiling new heights achievable in this retro cartridge. Our gaming ancestors surely couldn’t fathom such mind bending speed feats back then.
I hope witnessing Tokyo’s mastery of Mega Man X helps expand your appreciation of gaming, speedtech, and the untapped skill ceilings still left to conquer across both modern and classic titles my friend! Tune in next time as we analyze the next mind-blowing speed milestone achieved by gaming’s rapidly evolving virtuosos!
