Being a JRPG, Dragon Quest VIII: The Seeds of Salvation requires a lot of free time (even the best speedruns took more than two hours), but thanks to a bug discovered in August, they learned to run the game in literally 20 minutes.

The mentioned error made it possible to instantly obtain the maximum level of characteristics for all members of the protagonist’s squad but required cunning manipulations with the console itself and the save system.

After the bug was discovered, speedrunner Hitshee was able to complete Dragon Quest III in 22 minutes and 48 seconds, and the other day Pirohiko improved his result. New record – 22 minutes and 7 seconds. Secret? Famicom temperature control (aka Nintendo Entertainment System).

As the journalists of the Japanese portal Denfa Minico Gamer found out, the probability of triggering a useful bug is influenced by several external factors, including the temperature of the console – if it is heated (for example, using an electric stove) or cooled (ice packs are suitable for this), the chance of success will be higher.

“Don’t worry, I’m looking after security. Never broke an NES before. It’s not as risky as you might think. If the system still fails, I will fix it immediately, ”commented on the concern of some Hitshee.

Dragon Quest VIII: The Seeds of Salvation was released in 1988 on the Famicom (Japanese release). Outside of the Land of the Rising Sun, the project appeared in 1992 and was subsequently ported to Game Boy Color, iOS and Android devices, and the Nintendo Switch.