Fallout 3 could have been an absolute mess. Bethesda took a long-dormant PC RPG franchise, completely reworked the gameplay mechanics and underlying systems, and released it on consoles — in the hands of most other developers, Fallout would have fallen apart. Instead, Bethesda turned it into one of the best RPGs ever: it wasn't just an homage to the classic series, but an evolution, and one that connected with more people than ever before.
The fact that people are still playing the game today is a testament to its quality. Not only are people still playing Fallout 3 eight years after its release, but they're playing the game in new ways. If there's any one community that continues to put Fallout 3 through its paces, it's the speedrunning community. Playthroughs are getting faster and faster, even after all this time: in fact, one gamer just managed to set the world record for completing the game.
If you're one of those people that spends hundreds of hours in Bethesda RPGs, this may come as a shock: YouTuber Rydou was able to beat the game in just over 14 minutes.
It takes most people 15 minutes just to figure out what sort of mustache their character will sport, much less complete the entire game.
So, how did Rydou manage to beat the game so quickly? Well, the entire run is based around how the game saves and loads its data: by quickly loading and saving in specific spots, Rydou is able to 'clip' (or pass through) certain walls. By clipping through a number of specific walls, Rydou is able to bypass the vast majority of the game — in fact, the game still thinks he's working through the first quest for most of the run.
After that, it's mostly memorization: not only does Rydou move from location to location in the quickest possible manner, but he's able to blaze through the game's unskippable conversations in the shortest amount of clicks. Sure, he uses glitches for the majority of his run, but there's no doubting Rydou's dedication to knowing the game inside and out.
It just goes to show that, with a little bit of dedication (and magical wall-defying powers), you can do anything you put your mind to.
For more of Rydou's absolutely amazing speedruns, check out his YouTube channel.
