Speedrunner 'star0chris' enjoys challenging himself, but recently took things to a whole different level during a playthrough of FromSoftware's Elden Ring. 

While some players have beaten the game with an overloaded inventory or modded it to fight as non-canon characters, star0chris had something else in mind: a blindfold. He's already slain Radahn and Rennala and is fixated on his next two big bosses: Malenia and Maliketh.

When Elden Ring released, I watched a lot of friends play through it. I remember watching the Radahn fight and witnessing how many times they died to that massive monstrosity - and the thought of some guy doing it blindfolded absolutely blows my mind. 

A newer speedrunner, star0chris has been posting runs of the virtual pets simulator Insaniquarium Deluxe to his YouTube channel since July of 2018. His first official world record popped up on speedrunner.com in June of 2020. He holds 5th place in the "Any% No Wrong Warp PC" category for Elden Ring currently, which is...pretty dang good, as far as I understand it.

Practicing, according to star0chris, involves dying. Like, a lot. He said he was killed more times than he cares to admit while attempting his blindfold feat. He relies on sound cues in order to dodge oncoming attacks and spends hours honing his skills and practicing on bosses so that he can accomplish this.

He places additional restrictions on himself - no summons or ranged attacks - in order to make it more (more!?) challenging. As if fighting a boss you can't see isn't tough enough, let's just pile more on top of it.

Whether you're an Elden Ring player or not, star0chris' blindfold runs - and speedrunners in general! - are a ton of fun to watch. I don't have the time or patience to sink into a stunt like this for a video game, but hey, more power to those who can and then choose to provide me with the entertainment!

What do you think of this? Share your thoughts with me!