Final Fantasy VII, like most Final Fantasy games, is a lengthy and nuanced narrative that’s best enjoyed as a slow burn, or when you want to spend some time reminiscing on a weekend. Most of us probably don’t dare to finish the game as quickly as we can, but that’s the modus operandi behind a Final Fantasy VII speedrun.

Games Done Quick is a charity gaming marathon that raises money annual for Doctors Without Borders. It invites volunteer streamers who play nonstop for donations, with all the money going directly to charity each summer. Developers and gaming companies even hand out swag and other charitable gifts.

Notably, T-shirt distributor The Yetee has been an important part of the list of donors, sending a dollar from every T-shirt sale to the event. The T-shirt seller is followed by Humble Bundle and Minecraft creator Notch, all of whom have generously donated thousands of dollars in the past few years. There’s an astounding amount of donors in general.

During the Games Done Quick event, one speedrunner named Ajneb174 (Ben for the rest of us) was able to finish the game in just eight hours. That’s absolutely insane!

Final Fantasy VII: Speedrunner finishes in just eight hours

Ben was able to power through the game using powerful memorization techniques as well as skills he’s obviously spent some time honing. For a game that typically takes 38.5+ hours to complete (via HowLongToBeat), finishing up in just under a regular workday’s shift is extremely impressive.

Speedrunners track interesting statistics as they’re going through the game as well, like the number of steps they’ve counted as protagonist Cloud. This helps them determine how many random battles they’ll eventually get to, allowing them to skip fights and even avoid others outright. It’s probably a skill for you to learn if you hate random battles, honestly.

After a grueling 8-hour session with no food or bathroom breaks, the task was complete, and now there’s even footage to go along with the impressive feat. If you want to follow along, you can check out the archived video via Games Done Quick’s YouTube channel and Twitch for a viewing party that’ll take up most of your day.

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