Watch Sky as he embarks on a journey to fight Ashura, the Lord of War, who had kidnapped the sorceress Ariana.
Game Objectives
- Emulator used: Bizhawk 2.10
- Takes damage to save time
- Manipulates Luck
Comments
This run saves 477 frames by fixing mistakes in the boss fights of the currently published run and implementing new strategies along the way.
Stage by Stage
I'll try to explain the improvements of each stage and what could and couldn't be fixed and for what reason.
Intro Stage
To ZipJump going right, you must press Down, Y, B, and Left. But by pressing Down+Right, Y+Right, B+Right, and Left, you can accelerate while ZipJumping.
Faltine's Woods
The jump as well as the attack animation stops Sky for one frame, and it was avoided as much as possible here.
Temple Infernus
The game expects Sky to be at a very specific spot to collect the power-up. The new run manages to put him exactly there.
Cliffs of Peril
The published run causes some unnecessary lag in this stage, and even though I'm reusing some of its inputs, it's now lag-free.
Tower of the Tarolisk
It was believed that going off-screen was the fastest way to collect this power-up, but it's not. It's now fixed.
Gateway to the Eastern Plain
Same input as before, and the result, as expected, is the same, not faster nor slower.
Petrolith Castle
It was not possible to be at the best spot to collect the Power Up, but overall this stage is now slightly faster.
The Falls of Torment
Same input, same result. By the way, no matter what you did in previous stages, the RNG will be the same in the current stage.
Lair of Kharyon
Kharyon will be vulnerable every 256 frames, no matter what, but it's not possible to deliver the last hit where the game expects you to be.
The Sand Rivers of Shirol
The current run bumps into a platform and then climbs it, wasting a few frames. It's now fixed.
Gateway of Eternal Storms
Better RNG manipulation to collect the large Magic Restorer, and now I can use one more Comet Flash.
Storm Fortress of Kh'lar
The current of wind is better used, saving a few frames here and there. The collection of the power-up is now spot-on.
Fortress Shirol
Tried to use the same input, and even though it is not 1 to 1, the result is the same, not faster nor slower.
Caverns of Shirol
Here's the inspiration for this run: a new zip found by Omnigamer. Of course the power-up is collected the way it's meant to be.
Dragonhil Forest
Lots of unavoidable lag, and this tiny stage is slower than it was before.
The Great Tower
Better RNG manipulation improved the bowling ball room section a little. The power-up collection was also fixed here.
Shrine of Destiny
Same input as before, and the result, as expected, is the same, not faster nor slower.
Raglan's Citadel
Anything here can cause lag, but the Phoenix is the worst, so it was avoided at all costs.
Boss Rush
Ifrit
Same input, same result.
Beholder
Same input, same result.
Evil Wall
The use of the Star Fire to finish the fight saved a few frames here.
Kharion
Better fight overall, but the large Magic Restorer collected here saved quite some time later.
Kappa
Now the fight starts with the wrong magic equipped, and it took a few frames to switch to the correct one.
Ashura
To destroy his shield, the Phoenix is still needed, but the use of Warrior Force to finish him off is the best option.
Raglan
Faster first hit and faster way to end input sooner, and the run is over.
Special Thanks
- Omnigamer, his knowledge of this game is something else. Thank you.
- Bleechy, his Ashura strategy is indeed faster. Thank you.
Suggested Screenshot
Frame 62925
nymx: Claiming for judging.
nymx: Boss fights are always the potential "go-to", for savings. Having Omnigamer's input is a big help as well, since we all seen how he can dissect a game for important details. Congratulations on your re-visit of this game, as nearly 8 seconds cut seems to be a big deal for a run that looked so well optimized.
Accepting over [1983] SNES Skyblazer by Dooty in 24:27.02!
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