ROUTE NOTES This run follows the general route laid out by gammadragon, but with several minor optimizations and two major optimizations: (1) Stat boosts are obtained within Darzog's Tower instead of visiting various wells around the world map. (2) The Lord Xeen fight is done without swapping the Xeen Slayer Sword. This is much faster but has only a 50% chance of success.

NOTES ON GAMEPLAY Gameplay is optimized by taking advantage of the fact that this game allows for actions to be buffered. For example: (1) By resting in front of the mirror, one can buffer the typing of "Land of the Giants". (2) Movements are buffered while receiving guild membership in Shangri-la and experience from Crodo in Darzog's Tower. (3) Movements/actions are buffered whenever the "Please Wait..." box appears, such as when entering dungeons or using Lloyd's Beacon.

A NOTE ABOUT TIMING When starting a new game, I hit <Tab> when the screen goes black to open the Control Panel window as the first action of the game. I then hit <Home> to simultaneously start the timer and close the Control Panel window, after which gameplay begins. Timing ends after closing the final dialog box, which triggers the final cutscene.

OUTLOOK If not for an embarrassing inability to type "Tower", this run would have been a 4:4x. I would like to reach that time at some point, but for now life prevents me from grinding it out.

A COUPLE SHOUTOUTS (1) vedro_spirta, whose Lord Xeen strategy I picked up from watching his runs. (2) gammadragon, whose seminal run inspired me, many years later, to attempt my own runs of this game. I have been playing MM4 since it first came out in 1993, and it was a pleasure to experience it in a new way.