Hey Everyone, just wanted to check in on my bounty as we head into the holidays here in the States.

First of all, never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine a sub 5 was possible! It's amazing what the Japanese any% runners have managed to accomplish, and I am honored and humbled that they were willing to dedicate their talents and skills to my bounty. Thank you so so so so much <bows deeply>.

Second, while I currently feel that the winners of the Grand and Second place prizes have probably been decided, I definitely think that the Third place spot is still competitive, and if anyone has thought of giving it a shot, I promise you will love this game, so go for it!

Third, I want to add some spice for the non-runners in the community! I have decided that while I will still be offering my commentary (voice or text) bounties to the runners themselves, I'm adding ANOTHER bounty that is open to anyone with a microphone!

In the interest of creating the highest commentary possible, I am offering a SINGLE -Voice Only- commentary bounty, again of up to $300, open to ANY individual OR group who wish to record a commentary for whichever run ends up holding the 100% world record as of May 1st, 2023. Same quality rules/guidelines/expectations as the main commentary bounty, except that I am only interest in fully voiced commentary for this community offer.

Spread the word to anyone you know who is knowledgeable about the game, whether they run it or not, or even just anyone that you know who just VO work, whether amateur or professional, let them know so they can give it a shot! Let's all have fun on our way to the finish line in June!

GLHF!

dope

crazy how fast time flies

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

thanks for the update

a tiny bit late, but I hope you had a good xmas and new years

Sound really cool!

around 3 months left, might go sit down a do a run

my first run is always blind, should be interesting lol

HMM 6 weeks do I want to commit to this. wish I'd seen it sooner.

I mean most of the grind happens toward the end, so why not?

Alrighty everyone, it's the final month! The 1st and 2nd place runs look nigh unbeatable, but that 3rd place spot still might be up for grabs!

For everyone else, don't forget the community commentary bounty! As stated before, anyone in the community with a microphone can submit audio commentary for the current 1st place run: https://www.speedrun.com/phoenotopia_awakening/run/z5x1k9ny

Depending on the quality, comprehensiveness and entertainment value, I will award up to $300 to my favorite commentary submission. Reminder of what I'm looking for in a $300 submission:

1. Full comprehension and explanation of all skips, glitches and movement tech used in the run.

2. Explanation of lore within the game, i.e. summary of skipped cutscenes, remarks on world building elements, introduction of important characters, and history of cities, biomes, etc...

3. Slower moments in the run can be filled with interesting commentary comparing and contrasting 'Awakening' to the original flash game, discussion of any interview content from the creators on the game's development history, or anything else you think might be interesting to anyone who hasn't heard of the game or has only played it casually.

4. Have fun! The best commentaries have excitement and humor! Have a good time, and help me bring this wonderful game to a wider audience!

Anyone who is interested in submitting for the community commentary bounty but is worried that they may not have enough time, DM me and I may consider extending the deadline for commentary submissions.

Good Luck, Have Fun, Stay Awesome and Stay Curious!

🎉🎉🎉Yay!🎉🎉🎉

The contest is over, the runs are complete, and I couldn't be happier! The runners performed beyond my wildest dreams, and I am blown away by how much time was saved!

I have reached out to all the winners for their payment details, and so far our Silver Medalist Astrohill has generously donated their winnings back to the community in the form of copies of the game! Anyone who is interested can message me here on Speedrun.com or on Twitter and I will provide a game code for the system of your choice! 👍

Waon AND Astrohill have BOTH granted the community permission to use their runs for commentary purposes, so feel free to record and submit your commentaries for up to $300! See previous posts for details on what I'm looking for in a $300 winning commented speedrun.

Thank you all so much, Stay Awesome and Stay Curious!

Congrats to the winners!

Too bad I read this so late. Seems a fun game to run.