Twenty Years Later, A New Trick Slashes The Zelda: Wind Waker Speedrun Record In Half

I’ve played The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker for countless hours, but at this year’s Awesome Games Done Quick, I saw a speedrunner beat it in just over 28 minutes. The game, released two decades ago, is famously exploitable, containing skips that trim hours from a playthrough. Last year, the record was just under an hour. This year, runner EJ125 cut that time in half using a technique that requires a deep understanding of the game's inner workings.

The run begins with a glitch that dramatically increases Link’s swimming speed, allowing the player to leave the starting island and get the Wind Waker early. From there, EJ125 pilots Link to Windfall Island to get the Picto Box, the in-game camera. This item, normally for side quests, is the key to the entire speedrun, transforming it from a simple novelty into the primary instrument for breaking the game’s logic.

The new method uses the Picto Box to manipulate the game’s memory, which teleports Link directly to the final encounter from the game’s starting island. To do this, the player must take a pixel-perfect photograph of a specific bush. That image contains a value used to build a code payload through a series of complex maneuvers. This payload is sent to a second controller, effectively rewriting the player’s screen data and allowing them to warp to the end simply by walking through a door. The technique is known as Arbitrary Code Execution.

During a bonus showcase, EJ125 demonstrated other ways to alter the game. He accessed its debug menu and explored test areas never meant to be seen. Most impressively, he took a photo of the live audience and inserted that real-world image directly into the game. The demonstration underscored the sheer level of control the runner had over the game’s reality, blurring the line between player and developer.

This year's Awesome Games Done Quick event successfully raised over $2.44 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. All of the runs featured during the marathon are available to watch on the Games Done Quick YouTube Channel.

Read also, Sony and Nintendo have started production on the live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda. Filming is scheduled from November 4, 2025, to April 7, 2026, with Wellington, New Zealand, serving as the primary location, according to the Film and Television Industry Alliance.