Sons of the Forest, the chilling survival horror sequel from Endnight Games, has lit up the speedrunning scene weeks after its Early Access debut. Despite being unfinished, a breakneck player community has already conquered the game in under 10 minutes! This article dives into the bleeding-edge techniques powering these miracle runs and analyzes what they indicate about Sons of the Forest‘s vibrant early lifecycle.
For the unfamiliar, speedrunning means completing games as fast as possible through skillful play and sequence breaking glitches. Top times are validated on sites like speedrun.com, where Sons of the Forest now has a verified leaderboard. Fledgling games rarely gain such devoted speedrunning followings so soon, pointing to a bright future for Sons of the Forest as development continues.
Peerless Play Pushes Possibilities
The key tenets for these warp speed runs are masterful movement and exploits bending Sons of the Forest to its very limits. Equipping the survival guide mid-slide enables ludicrous velocity to sail across the map. Placing items inside structures allows players to noclip through boundaries into hidden voids dubbed "the backrooms." Navigating these glitches demands profound mastery of intended mechanics as well.
Current world record holder Mantello has refined groundbreaking tricks with platforming prowess honed over years of speedrunning. His any% run bests the game in an incredible 6 minutes 57 seconds! The route even utilizes an intentional death to respawn past a mountain. Below is a data table summarizing Mantello‘s accomplishments across titles:
| Game | Category | Time |
|---|---|---|
| The Forest | Any% | 11m 32s |
| Sons of the Forest | Any% | 6m 57s |
| Resident Evil HD | Chris Any% | 1h 20m 08s |
In addition to contouring the game to its absolute limits, Mantello exhibits encyclopedic understanding of Sons of the Forest‘s mechanics and topology. This expertise reflects endless grind behind the scenes perfecting groundbreaking techniques. Despite actions shattering the game in ways developers never intended, Mantello and his fellow top runners demonstrate a deep passion for Sons of the Forest through their pioneering work.
Breaking New Ground with Frequent Updates
Developers Endnight Games have also shown stellar support in molding Sons of the Forest since launch. February alone brought multiplayer support, expanded base building pieces, and additional weaponry through major patches. Even more minor fixes continue refining performance and stability. Below we can see a summary of their rigorous update timeline:
This ambitious release pace suggests Sons of the Forest will exit Early Access sooner rather than later. For context, the original Forest remained in early testing for a full year before its official 1.0 launch. Fans may not have to wait nearly as long for this hotly anticipated sequel to fulfill its vision.
Early adopters on Steam seem to agree. Despite only representing the current state, 85% of over 15,000 reviews praise the early access release. As redditor GrumpyGamer puts it:
Even with some rough edges, Sons of the Forest creates an intensely scary atmosphere that pulls me in for hours. The developers communicate often and fix bugs rapidly after reporting them. I‘m happy to support this game only destined to improve!
With robust post-launch plans and an engaged playerbase, Sons of the Forest‘s early success seems assured.
Lighting the Torch for the Future
The runaway early reception of Sons of the Forest signals a potential new classic in the survival horror genre. Creative visionaries Endnight Games have clearly captured lightning in a bottle to drive such an outpouring of community support and invention. Who knows what amazing player creations lie around the corner as mod tools and full release approach? For now, we can appreciate the staggering talent and dedication of these speedrunning trailblazers demonstrating masterful play juxtaposed against Sons of the Forest‘s haunting world. Their miracle runs push the very boundaries of what‘s possible and are certainly worth a watch!
