Karl Jobst is at it again with another great speedrunning video. This time, he is covering a newly-discovered skip in the N64 classic Banjo-Kazooie, which has changed the approach to how people speedrun the game and has led to some incredible records.
The video showcases the history of Grunty’s Furnace Fun, an area in the game that has plagued speedrunners for Banjo-Kazooie’s lifespan. Jobst explains in painstaking detail what makes the area such a nuisance for speedrunners, and how people’s attempts to optimize the run in this portion of the game has led to this groundbreaking discovery.
You can check out the full video below:
RNG has always been the bane of speedrunners everywhere; ideally, you should have total control of every aspect of the game so that you know exactly what the outcome with be (a great example is this run of Dragon Warrior by NEScardinality.) Unfortunately, many games have sections where the RNG can dramatically alter the run. Since these sections are different every time you play, it’s near impossible to plan ahead of time as comfortably as we’d like.
Jobst’s video does a great job of showing the community’s effort to reduce the RNG’s chances of screwing over an optimal run, as well as how each attempt to lessen the pain of Grunty’s Furnace Fun helped pave the way for the skip. It all came together when Stivitybobo achieved a 100% run of Banjo-Kazooie in under two hours; a landmark achievement.
Be sure to check out Jobst’s channel for more great speedrunning content!
