- Used FCE Ultra 0.98.12
- No passwords, no Warps
- If it counts as a programming error: If you step next to a bug or under a falling rock with just the right timing, you will not get killed.
- No death.
- Aiming for fastest time possible.
- I like the red outfit. So sue me. (Seriously, it makes me play better. Or something.)
In case you're not familiar with the Boulder Dash games, the object of the game is to run through a maze collecting diamonds. Collect your diamond quota and the exit will appear on one of the wall bricks. On each stage, you must get to the exit without letting something fall on you, touching a bug, getting trapped, or letting time run out.
This game has been my all-time favorite NES game ever since childhood, and it's the first game I played fully when I got into emulation. Completing this run in 2 days was quite a rush.
This game is HARD. It has 96 levels. It repeats the same 24 levels 4 times. The second time the levels repeat, the level design is identical except that you must collect more diamonds in less time. The 3rd time the levels repeat, the level design is tweaked for a little more difficulty- extra bugs are added, passageways are sealed up. The 4th time can only be described with one word: HELL.
Two notes:
- If the movie de-synchs on level 9-1... crap. You see, I noticed something weird on the first sand world levels (3-1, 9-1, 15-1, and 21-1). There are two extra bricks there that weren't on the cartridge. They're a diamond and a wall brick, and they start in the room on the right. Luckily they're out of the way enough that they almost have no effect on gameplay, but it still doesn't change the fact that I picked up that diamond to make room for the big avalanche. On 3-1, I collected an extra diamond in case other people's versions of the rom didn't have this extra thing... But on 9-1, I forgot. So if the movie de-synchs there, it means I have a bad rom and I have to redo the whole run... (Or, better yet, find the "boulder.nes" rom that I used...)
- You may want to fast-forward through the levels 6-3, 12-3, 18-3, and 24-3. Most of the time spent on that level was just waiting for the amebas to fill up the space. I searched very hard but was unable to find a method to significantly speed those things up, so you'll just have to live with it for now.
Overall, I'm very proud of this run. I'm proud of all the crazy stunts I pulled off with the emulator. Playing slow-mo on an emulator and abusing save states is so much different than the cartridge I played on all these years. It literally becomes a whole new game. Even though I think there are a few places that could possibly be improved, I'm amazed every time I watch the replay. I hope you find this run entertaining. Hopefully it can be appreciated by people who don't know the game themselves. It really is an experience.
Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this...
Bisqwit: Rejecting this submission, because:
- It's five times too long for its genre.
- It's not really interesting.
- It doesn't look superhuman at all. My no-experience with this game might be illusiating, but I think a well-trained speedrunner could probably do the same as in this movie, at least for a few levels.