The speedrun world record for co-op Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II has been broken during this year’s Awesome Games Done Quick, which is made all the more impressive when you learn one of the players was wearing an ill-fitting bootleg Sonic outfit, complete with oversized floppy gloves.
The combined forces of Argick and Amber Cyprian saw the world record for completing the not-very-loved Sonic sequel slashed by five seconds, as the two worked together as Sonic and Tails in a near-flawless performance of the Steam version of the game...all while one of the players was wearing just about the most cumbersome outfit imaginable.
Struggling to hold the controller, Argick was unable to even put it down on his desk at any point during the run, as he said it would be impossible to pick it up again. Yet despite this, he was able to put his half of the work in, alongside his co-speedrunner, VTuber Amber Cyprian.
The pair play together from opposite sides of the world, with Argick based in Scotland, Amber on the U.S. East coast, and it was with this setup that they broke the world record.
During a pre-run interview, Argick explained that yes, “it’s not the most critically acclaimed Sonic,” but argues that played in two-player co-op as a speedrun, it’s “top tier.” Watching it, yeah, it’s hard to argue. Seeing how they passed the lead between each other, playing to both their skills, and the skills of the characters, made for a whole other experience. It was true teamwork, the two completely in tune with each other, which added a whole other layer to the pleasure of watching people play games so expertly.
Oh, and that one of them was doing it in the worst Sonic outfit you’ve ever seen...Chef’s kiss.
The record-breaking run isn’t available to embed yet, but you can watch the whole thing here, starting at 8:48:50.