Six months ago, I set out on a journey to complete a fully optimized Star Fox Adventures run. Such a really fun game ... yet, no one had completed a polished speedrun of it. YautjaElder was working on a run for this, but lost interest in it after completing the first third of the game. Zoid actually finished a run of this game with a final time of 5:32:35 ... but it was more of a casual speedrun than anything else. So, I decided to give it a shot ... half a year later, it is now complete.

The main reason it took so long for someone to complete this run is because there are just no sequence breaks AT ALL in this game. You'd think there would be at least a small break in such a long game ... but, no. I think it was this fact that turned most people away from the game as a speedrunning option.

Well, it turns out that Yautja went through and planned a very good item route, detailing all the best places to pick up fuel cells and scarabs, as well as determining where savewarp opportunities were. Although he never finished his run, it was this route that served as the starting point for my run, and also gave Zoid a route to use for his run. I will say this ... if Yautja hadn't produced his route for this game, I probably wouldn't have run this game myself.

Although Yautja's route was good, I found numerous places for improvements which made it that much better. There were numerous extra savewarp opportunities, and I found a few small improvements in the item route. A lot of these changes I discovered as I finished segments and practiced for the next few.

I don't need to say much more really. I'll explain a lot in the individual segment comments below. Before I get to that, I want to say thanks to a few people.

Yautja - for the route plan he put together. Also for the speedrun of this game that he started ... gave me a time to beat as I worked up to where he left off.

Zoid - his 5:32:35 run was extremely valuable to me because it gave me a complete visual of Yautja's route, and also served as comparison videos to keep track of how much time I was saving.

I also want to thank everyone who supported me as I worked on the run ... there were many of you. You guys helped me out when I needed it, and gave me valuable feedback when I asked for your opinions.

And as always, thank you SDA staff ... all the time and effort you guys give is very much appreciated!!

Segment Comments: I'll note which ones end with a savewarp, or with a checkpoint save.

Segment 1:
Actually, this was a tough segment to start off the run ... finding the right rhythm for shooting is not as easy as it looks. Saved after throwing the barrel against the wall for a little savewarp.

Segment 2:
Ummmm .... Yeah. Intense savewarping.

Segment 3:
Longest segment of the run. Nothing really special here ... just long. Collect the 10 scarabs and then save to start back at the Arwing for the next segment.

Segment 4:
You have to be careful at the part with the 4 sharpclaws ... they'll block your shots if you go to fast, or if you're standing in a bad spot. Savewarp out of the underground area for a nice timesaver.

Segment 5:
A lot of item collecting here. When I go to the shop, you'll see I go to climb down the ledge, but then I climb back up. There's a little trick where you'll actually save time by rolling off the ledge, rather than climbing all the way down ... but in order to roll off the ledge, you have to first get on the ledge and then climb back up (doesn't make much sense, but it works). Savewarp out of the store for an obvious big timesaver.

Segment 6:
Getting 4 fuel cells ... save after collecting the last one for a nice savewarp.

Segment 7:
Go to the Warpstone and warp to Ice Mountain ... checkpoint save 1 (I'll keep track of all the saves I make that aren't savewarps ... if I make a checkpoint save, it's because the next part is rather difficult).

Segment 8:
Many attempts were required here because more often than not, the Sharpclaws wouldn't be in the right position ... and even if they were, they would block most of the fire blaster shots. Savewarp back closer to the beginning of the level.

Segment 9:
Nothing special here ... first speeder race. Checkpoint save 2 ... Tricky can be a pain in the next part.

Segment 10:
First segment where we get to use Tricky (now the fun begins) ... this is checkpoint save 3 for the run, but I only save here because if I don't, I'll land in the lava. It is possible to roll off the ledge and land on the ground below, but it takes an extra 1-2 seconds to set up.

Segment 11:
A lot of item collecting here ... this is the only magic upgrade you need to get for the run. The other two upgrades are not worth the time. Savewarp out of the underground area for a nice timesaver.

Segment 12:
Quite a bit going on here, but nothing really worth mentioning. Savewarp out of the store.

Segment 13:
Again, not really much to say. Savewarp here saves a nice amount of time.

Segment 14:
The game freezes when I'm in the crawl area. Just a note - whenever the game freezes, so does the in-game clock. Savewarp out of the underground area after getting the rocket boost.

Segment 15:
White grubtub collecting ... oh boy, do I remember this segment. It was tough. At the very end of the segment you'll see I enter the pause menu before I collect the 2nd bomb spore ... LOL. You'll see that I was very confused about what happened. Luckily, I didn't lose any time, because this was a great segment that took forever to get. Savewarp back to the beginning of the area.

Segment 16:
Long cutscene with the Queen. This is checkpoint save 4 ... the next segment is very, very difficult.

Segment 17:
Frost Weeds ... Tricky's AI is horrible at this part and the frost weeds will never go where you want them to. These two things made this quite difficult. Savewarp back to an earlier spot in this area.

Segment 18:
Another example of intense savewarping which saves about 2 seconds.

Segment 19:
Get 3 bomb spores on the way back to the Arwing. After landing on Darkice Mines, I run to the next checkpoint and save because Tricky never follow you correctly, and it can take him forever to catch up for the next part. Checkpoint save 5

Segment 20:
Nothing special. Savewarp out of the cave to start the next segment back outside.

Segment 21:
Nothing special here either. Save after setting the bridge in position so you don't have to climb all the way back up.

Segment 22:
Savewarp back to a nearby checkpoint after Tricky learns his flame command.

Segment 23:
Somewhat of a difficult segment ... the area with the block caused a lot of problems for me. I almost screw up the segment at the very end. Savewarp back to and earlier checkpoint for a nice timesaver.

Segment 24:
Boy, that Mammoth is slow!! Once you break through the gate, you don't have to go up to the platform to get off the Mammoth ... just save, and you'll start the next segment on foot. Nice little savewarp!

Segment 25:
OK, during the cannon part there are 2 enemies that won't come out of the center hut until a specific set time. So no matter how fast you hit everything else, you'll still have to wait for them to come out. That is why you see me leave the cannon to get some magic ... I basically have time to kill. Savewarp back to a nearby checkpoint.

Segment 26:
Cog collecting segment. Save after getting the 3rd cog to savewarp back to the main area with the cannon.

Segment 27:
That leap of faith is certainly dramatic, wouldn't you say? Savewarp back to a nearby checkpoint.

Segment 28:
Just like segment 24, save after breaking through the boarded up area to start the next segment on foot.

Segment 29:
Second speeder race. I remember having a lot of attempts at this segment, and this was the only one where I was able to safely make it IN FRONT of the giant boulder at the end. Reminds me a little of Indiana Jones, doesn't it? Savewarp back to a nearby checkpoint.

Segment 30:
Nothing really special here. Savewarp back to the main room.

Segment 31:
This segment is a little longer than the previous bunch. This one took many attempts ... I screwed up many times in that ice world place. Savewarp after flipping the switch to go back to a nearby checkpoint.

Segment 32:
Simple segment. Savewarp back to the main room ... saves a bunch of time.

Segment 33:
I remember this taking forever because I was trying to improve it by 1 second. LOL. Nothing difficult about this, but I just kept trying for an extra second savings ... which I did on most segments (but didn't take nearly as long as it did for this one). Savewarp to the platform just below the cannon.

Segment 34:
Boss Galdon ... Absolutely awesome segment! I figured out how to manipulate Galdon's movements to be as fast as possible, and everything went perfectly. I love how I was able to roll and enter the ship before the screen even faded in. This is Checkpoint save 6.

Segment 35:
Dealing with these fire weeds is A LOT more difficult than it appears. Looking back on this, I probably didn't have to pause for a whole second to hit the fire tree. I think the fire weeds spawned half a second faster than I thought, but it's hard to say whether or not I would have actually saved a second by hitting the tree a little earlier. Oh well, the other 2 fire weeds were set up beautifully and that's very difficult to do. Savewarp back a little ways towards the main Thorntail Hollow area.

Segment 36:
Nothing really to note here ... except that I savewarp at the end which end up placing me at a perfect position to get a fuel cell at the beginning of the next segment ... and also saves about 3 seconds.

Segment 37:
Very good segment ... the only thing that could have gone better was the fight against the 4 sharpclaws, but even that part was very fast. Everything else went exactly to plan. This is checkpoint save 7 of the run.

Segment 38:
This segment took a while, and was a huge pain because of that stupid cutscene in the very beginning. The fight against the 3 sharpclaws was really fast, and I got hit 3 less times than I normally would for the whole segment ... which ends up saving me a lot more time than you'd think. Savewarp back out of the underground area.

Segment 39:
This is an intense segment. I'm changing items like crazy and hot-keying like crazy ... it's basically a crazy multi-tasking segment. While I'm controlling Fox and attacking enemies, I'm also scrolling through my items to prepare myself for the next task. Took A LOT of practice to get everything down. That being said, this was a really good segment and I amazingly got through it without getting hit by any of those moon-seed creatures! Checkpoint save number 8 ... saved before the warp because if you save after the warp, there is a 1 second pause before you can enter the pause menu.

Segment 40:
No matter how fast you kill the sharpclaw, the last one always spawns when the timer hits 2:35, so this segment is basically completed as fast as possible. Checkpoint save 9 ... the next part is difficult.

Segment 41:
Enjoy the single bomb throw shortcut at 0:58 I found while practicing this segment. I don't know if anyone knew about this shortcut, but I'm very happy I found it while working on this (saves about 15-20 seconds from the normal route). The jump between the moving platforms at 2:00 is quite difficult ... it's probably the most difficult jump so far in the run, there is BARELY enough time to grab the ledge before the platform moves up (I was successful only about 1 out of every 10 tries on this part). Checkpoint save 10 ... the couple tricks at the beginning of the next segment of quite difficult.

Segment 42:
Killing all 4 sharpclaw with the 1 bomb is actually really difficult to do ... but it looks cool, and it's 2 seconds faster than using the fire blaster to take them out (so I just had to put it in the run). I had to wait a little bit for the flamethrower drone to turn all the way around before placing the bomb on the switch, but there's nothing you can really do about that. This is a flawless and beautiful segment. Checkpoint save 11 (wow 4 segments in a row with checkpoint saves ... didn't realize that until I typed this up)

Segment 43:
Good segment. A few missed hits, but didn't cost any time since I had to wait for other things to happen anyways. I didn't take damage from any of the enemies which is kind of hard to pull off in this segment ... so that was good. Savewarp to the checkpoint by the Bribeclaw.

Segment 44:
A short perfect segment ... nothing else to say. Savewarp out of the puzzle room.

Segment 45:
Just a cutscene. Saving after the cutscene allows me to use a 2 second savewarp.

Segment 46:
Just a bunch of running ... nothing much happening in this segment. I save at the checkpoint right before flying to Cloudrunner fortress because the next segment is fairly long. Checkpoint save 12.

Segment 47:
Nothing much to say here ... though, this segment is longer than most in this run. The savewarp here saves only about 2 seconds.

Segment 48:
I think it's possible to avoid getting hit by the drone that hit me ... other than that, nothing else to say. Savewarp to the larger area.

Segment 49:
Pretty easy segment. Checkpoint save 13 ... the next segment is HARD!!!

Segment 50:
Very tough segment, probably the toughest one so far. Of all the attempts I had of this segment, this was the only one where I got all the way through the whole thing. Gotta love the cutscenes playing over top of each other ... neat little trick I discovered while practicing this segment. Checkpoint save 14 ... next segment is another difficult one.

Segment 51:
This segment took forever ... between practicing for it and recording over 300 attempts, I'd say I devoted 5 hours to the segment. You'll see where I get turned around the wrong way ... at 2:07 I was able to turn around before the next cutscene plays, but the game didn't count that for some reason, and when the cutscene was finished I was facing the opposite direction that I should have been. I might have saved a second if that didn't happen, but it was the only mistake in a very well played difficult segment. Checkpoint save 15 ... once again, next segment is very difficult. Segments 49, 50, and 51 were probably the most difficult stretch of segments in this entire run.

Segment 52:
I found the most optimal places to hit the speeders ... this segment shows the result. It was this segment attempt where I found out that you only need to destroy the one enemy speeder with the spellstone (the speeder that was in the middle got away in this attempt) ... I originally thought all 3 had to be destroyed. I probably played this segment over 300 times ... I was so sick of it by the time I finished. Checkpoint save 16.

Segment 53:
It looks like I missed an early opportunity to talk with the Lightfoot ("A" appears for a split second and then goes away) ... but every time that happened I was not able press "A" until it comes up a second time about half a second later. So, no missed time there. There was a strange glitch when I tried rolling into the water at the end. For some reason I rolled ON TOP of the water a little bit before plunging in ... not sure why that happened. Didn't cost any time though. Savewarp out of the room to the main Cape Claw area.

Segment 54:
Nothing to say here ... Savewarp out of the room to the same spot the segment started at.

Segment 55:
Two cutscenes playing over top of each other is always nice to have happen. The fire blaster shot is actually pretty difficult ... I got it very quickly here. I pause after pushing the block off the edge because it needs to land on the ground below in order to show up there for the next segment. Savewarp to the lower part of this room.

Segment 56:
This is a very nice segment ... probably one of the better segments of the run. Passing the enemy after climbing the ladders went really well (it's more difficult than it looks). Got really lucky with the electric floor pattern ... I was able to run straight through the first half of it (I paused for 4 seconds to memorize the pattern ... pausing stops the in-game clock). Running on the narrow icy paths was about as fast as that part can be done in. Getting all 4 fuel cells went really well too. Checkpoint save 17.

Segment 57:
I don't think there's a faster way to do that spinning puzzle. Seems like the fastest method. Savewarp to the warp area saves about 2 seconds.

Segment 58:
Easiest segment of the run so far. After like 2 practice runs I got this attempt on my first recorded attempt (I honestly only spent like 5 minutes total on this segment). Savewarp to the warp area.

Segment 59:
Nothing interesting in this one. Checkpoint save 18.

Segment 60:
This was actually a little bit of a pain because of the random spinning order of the LightFoots. This attempt was a really lucky randomization as there was only one long spin (between the 3rd and 4th LightFoot). I'm gonna say it's possible to do this segment 2 seconds faster with perfect luck on the random spinning and a little bit faster reaction time with the flame command. Savewarp to the center of the Lightfoot Village.

Segment 61:
Short and perfect segment. Savewarp to the center of Lightfoot Village.

Segment 62:
LOL ... gotta love the uber short segment. Saving here will use a 1-2 second savewarp for the next segment. Again, this is savewarping to the extreme!!

Segment 63:
This is a really good segment. Tracking Test was 1:11:64 ... and would have been around 1:10:90 if I hadn't gotten that grubtub. Test of Strength was 4:84 ... which is good enough for a speedrun I think. My best is 4:47. I almost screwed up the totem puzzle ... after lining myself up, I moved again which threw me out of alignment. I still managed to finish the puzzle as fast as possible though, so it's all good. Fun Fact: I got this segment on my first recorded attempt!!! (after quite a bit of practicing though). Checkpoint save 19.

Segment 64:
Nothing to say here ... checkpoint save 20.

Segment 65:
Pretty simple segment ... savewarp out of the underground area.

Segment 66:
Short and perfect, I had to cut corners like none other to get this time ... probably 0.1 seconds real-time from being 1 second slower on the in-game clock time. Savewarp actually only saves me 0-1 second here, but it puts me in a better position to get a grubtub and scarabs for the next segment.

Segment 67:
This took so many restarts because those stupid scarabs jumped out of that rock in the wrong direction EVERY time ... and when they did jump out in a good spot, they just ran away from me. I HATE those things. Checkpoint save 21.

Segment 68:
This was actually a pretty tough little segment. Two times I was able to get 2 cutscenes to play over top of each other ... so that's really awesome and saved quite a bit of time. Gotta love the jump past the moving barrier at 0:47 ... there was barely enough time to get past it. The long distance fire blaster shots are sort of tough to line up and made the segment fairly difficult. Savewarping here only saves a second ... but hey, it's something.

Segment 69:
I pause at 0:59 to time the jump around the moving barrier ... perfectly executed. Once again I'm able to play 2 cutscenes over top of each other saving me 4 seconds. Savewarp for a 3 seconds savings.

Segment 70:
Flawless. I have the cutscene play over Tricky's flaming of the thorns ... an obvious huge time saver. Savewarp out of the underground area.

Segment 71:
The position of the Red Eyes is completely random. It took about 1 in 10 tries to get the correct Red Eye movement pattern ... which was a complete pain while practicing for this segment. After killing the first two Red Eyes, the last two will be in 1 of 3 different positions. I was lucky enough to catch them in the right position for this attempt. I completely whiffed hitting the Magic refill on my first swing, but it didn't matter since I had to wait for the last Red Eye to get into position. The swimming course went well. I thought for sure I had missed that 6th ring ... luckily I didn't (trying to cut corners a little too close). I found that getting up on land and then diving into the water gives a little boast (seems like it anyways). Savewarp here save a good chunk of time.

Segment 72:
Boring ... not much I could do in terms of excitement for this segment. Savewarp here saves a lot of time.

Segment 73:
Everything is flawless here. Pretty easy if you have the timing down. Checkpoint save 22.

Segment 74:
The part that may confuse a lot of people is at 4:24 ... it looks like I run the wrong way. What I'm actually doing here is running past a checkpoint, so that when I finish blowing out the flames I can savewarp to that checkpoint when I finish this segment and start the next one. It takes an extra second to run to that checkpoint, rather than going straight to the ladder ... and it would have taken me an extra 5 seconds to reach that checkpoint from the spot I was at after blowing out the last flame. So that is 4 seconds saved with this trick ... This segment is pretty much perfect.

Segment 75:
Finally done with the Volcano Force Point Temple. I hate that place ... takes so much of my health away. Checkpoint save 23.

Segment 76:
This segment took a very long time ... should be obvious why. The long distance shots at 0:50 are very difficult. I have one missed shot in this segment, but you should notice it really doesn't cost me much time. Savewarp so I can get the same scarab I ended this segment with.

Segment 77:
HAHAHA .. 3 second segment. Now that's awesome. Savewarp here saves me 1-2 seconds.

Segment 78:
And I'm done with the collecting of the scarabs ... FINALLY. Savewarp out of the shop.

Segment 79:
A few spots where I lost a couple frames, but nothing serious. I was really lucky to get this time ... to do this 1 second faster you would have to be absolutely perfect and get a lot of luck. Savewarp to a closer checkpoint to the warp area.

Segment 80:
OK, I should explain a couple things with this segment. First - It appears like I go out of my way to get health from the 2 crates (@ 0.53 and 1:37) and it also appears that I waste too much time shooting the second enemy ... BUT, the explosive barrel transporter ALWAYS arrives at 1:59, which means I have enough time to get the health and shoot the enemies more carefully. If I skipped getting the health and shot the enemies as fast as possible, I would have to wait a while for the barrel transporter to arrive ... so that explains that. Second - I get the 2 fuel cells after warping back because it's faster than getting them prior to warping, and it also allows me to savewarp back to the warp checkpoint for the next segment.

Segment 81:
Easy. Savewarp after changing the water flow for a 2-3 second savewarp.

Segment 82:
Nothing to say here except that this is checkpoint save 24 ... the trick at the beginning of the next segment is fairly difficult.

Segment 83:
Sweet shortcut in the beginning at Krazoa Palace. That trick is kind of hard to do correctly, but everything else is fairly easy. I get health from the crate since I have to wait for the flames to go out anyways. Turns out I am in good shape with health since I got really lucky with the flames at 6:00. Savewarp to the larger Dragon Rock area.

Segment 84:
Let's do some damage!! I do a tusk attack right before the 2nd shield generator because it sometimes prevents the drone from shooting you (not very often though). This attempt I was very lucky because it is really hard to avoid getting hit by that drone (you lose 1-2 seconds if you get hit). Savewarp back to the Arwing.

Segment 85:
Destroy the 2 drones and then savewarp back to the Arwing.

Segment 86:
Riding the Hightop across the plain = ughhhh. Doesn't he know this is a SPEEDRUN???? Checkpoint save number 25 of the run.

Segment 87:
This segment has probably the most impressive part of the whole run ... the Drakor fight. I almost had a heart attack after what happened here. Never had I been able to defeat him before he flies away in the hallway area ... doing this saved about 14 seconds that I was not expecting to save. I prayed to God that the batteries in my controller wouldn't die before I could save, because honestly, I don't think anyone could get as lucky with the Drakor fight as I did here. Checkpoint save 26.

Segment 88:
Just running to Cape Claw ... got caught up on a wall at 1:31 a little (lost a few frames) but I'm not worried about it. I wasn't close to saving another second anyways (even though it's probably possible). I save at this checkpoint because I want to make sure I get a great path through the electric floor for the first part of OFPT ... it's extremely rare to get a good route, because the game always gives very random routes. Checkpoint save 27.

Segment 89:
This took a while since the game kept giving me crappy electric floor paths. The path I get here is about as good as you can get since it lets you basically run in a straight line across the floor. Sorry about the fairly long pause, but I had to make sure I got that path memorized since you only get a lucky path like that about 1 in 50 attempts. Checkpoint save 28.

Segment 90:
The spinning puzzle is DIFFICULT!!!! I completed it only 1 time in over 100 attempts ... the timing has to be SPOT ON. It's complicated to explain exactly why it's so difficult ... just know that it is. It was completed in 21.35 seconds Everything up to the spinning puzzle went well ... I could have had a little bit better alignment with the block, but it would have saved at most a half second. I get the last grubtub of the run, and give it to Tricky at the end while I wait for the puzzle to finish ... so it doesn't cost me any time at all. Saving here uses a 1-2 second savewarp for the next segment.

Segment 91:
Completed as fast as possible. This segment is 40 seconds long ... I must have had 30 attempts that were 41 seconds long. Almost decided to move on with a 41 second attempt ... but I kept fighting for what you see here. Savewarp back to the warp area.

Segment 92:
No joke, this segment took 172 recorded attempts ... I just about went insane. I only made it past 0:33 about 2% of the time. This was one of the most frustrating segments of the run. Checkpoint save 29.

Segment 93:
Nothing much to say here ... checkpoint save 30.

Segment 94:
Flawless ... You'll see I swing my staff right before I save, I hit A by accident. Doesn't matter though, since I still entered the in-game menu as fast as you possibly can ... there's a little pause before you can enter it once you gain control back. Savewarp to the moon stone temple entrance.

Segment 95:
Might not be possible to beat this any faster. The maze could be done about 1 second faster, but it doesn't matter since you would still have wait for the last puzzle to spin all the way around anyways. Savewarp to the sun stone temple entrance.

Segment 96:
Simple segment here ... I got this same time for about 30 attempts, so I think this is completed as fast as possible. Savewarp for a 3 second savings.

Segment 97:
I tested many routes to find the fastest order to place the 6 items in the krazoa test. This is what I came up with and it's probably the fastest route by 1 second from what I can tell. Very good segment here. Checkpoint save 31.

Segment 98:
Nice little shortcut that saves 2 seconds ... difficult to pull off quickly though. Savewarp back to the Arwing.

Segment 99:
I don't know if you've seen this glitch before, but it involves running up to the portal thing and if you manipulate your movements just right, General Scales will come out from the portal. I didn't discover it, but I did figure out how to use it effectively for a speedrun. People that found the glitch before didn't know what caused Scales to come out ... so it took them like 20-30 seconds to get it to work. Well, I figured out how to get it to work in 5 seconds, which ultimately saves 10 seconds from the normal route since it skips the 15 second long opening cutscene with Scales. Instead, the audio for that cutscene plays at the end of the segment ... which is actually quite humorous. Checkpoint save 32.

Segment 100:
Well, this is it. There were a couple spots where my button mashing was below par ... those spots were mostly poor because of the difficult aiming in this part. I know it's possible to beat this 2 seconds faster, but I spent a lot of time trying to improve this with no success. So I decided to keep this attempt to finish off my run ... it's a good fight anyways. This segment is manually timed and the final time of this segment is 5:48.915.

Final time of the run is 4:46:56. MUCH faster than I was originally thinking this could be beaten in. There were 67 total savewarps in this run ... 32 checkpoint saves. Most of the checkpoint saves were because of difficult parts at the beginning of the next segment.

Sub-4:45 is possible, but it would take SO much work ... I don't know if I would have enough patience to get that time. I think this is a polished enough run that no one will need to worry about improving it.

I hope you enjoyed the run!!! I am very pleased with the result, and I think you will be too ...