Speedrunners are Improving Times by Cooking their Famicoms

Out of everything in the world of video games, few things can surprise us as much as video game speedrunners. Even when we think theyve reached maximum efficiency, they find a new way to break records. This time, theyre cooking their Famicoms for a better score in Dragon Quest 3.

First reported by Kotaku, there is a group of Japanese speedrunners that have discovered a new way to activate glitches: temperature manipulation. And when done correctly, it can take a speedrun for Dragon Quest 3 from an hour down to only 23 minutes.

So how does it work?

Discovered in August 2020, if a player follows a series of steps, including saving the game, holding the reset button, and toggling the power, the game will restart in a glitched state that gives everyone in the party maxed out stats. It is, however, pretty inconsistent, until speedrunner Hitshee revealed his trick for improving the odds. Apparently, by heating up his console to about 50 degrees C (122F), the chances of the glitch working are improved.

After more research, a report by Denfa Minico Gamer explained that several things can affect if the glitch occurs, including the Famicom model and the consoles internal temperature.

It doesn't have to be heat, either. Player baku_zero uses ice packs to cool his Famicom down. Temperature changes in any direction can mess with the internal memory system, after all.

The process sounds risky, but Hitshee assures us that its not that bad on Twitter. And even if it is, thats part of the research process.

Dont worry. Im playing with a safety check. Ive never broken an NES console, and its not as dangerous as you might think. If the unit does break, Im quick to repair it. Even if you dont think its worth it, its important research and presentation for us.

Were certainly impressed with their enginuity. Were not going to try it ourselves though.