Uploaded November 2013 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
1:25:31 SDA timing (gain control of Ness to the last prayer against Giygas)
1:43:18 Nico timing (file select to "The End...?")
This is a speed run of EarthBound using the stairs glitch. The stairs glitch causes your party to enter a "ghosted" state in which your party is able to walk through almost all solid objects, including walls, NPCs, trees, etc. This allows for major skips and sequence breaks because every location in this game is laid out on a single large map.
For information about this run and other categories for this game, please check the SDA knowledge base:
kb.speeddemosarchive.com/Earthbound
I first got interested in this category after watching Mickey Mage's AGDQ 2012 run. The route I use is based on one used by the Japanese runner ピロ彦 (Pirohiko), as shown in his 1:48:52 run (Nico timing) on the Japanese version. I also made use of a Lua script written by Pirohiko to devise the luck manipulation methods I used in this run.
ONETT
4:53 - During nighttime Onett, I used luck manipulation to avoid unnecessary fights and ensure a 4-round Starman Jr. fight. Opening and closing the main menu and talking to no one for seemingly no reason were done to adjust the RNG.
12:54 - Frank fight
15:57 - First Sanctuary cave: Titanic Ant luck was a bit below average. The risk of death is pretty high in this fight, so I'm just glad Ness survived.
25:47 - Police
TWOSON
29:33 - I discard everything I can from Ness's inventory and buy 8 Salt Packets and 3 Skip Sandwiches at Burglin Park. The Skip Sandwiches are used to skip Twoson and trigger the stairs glitch in Summers; the Salt Packets are used to exploit the condiments glitch to dupe a Brain Food Lunch later in the run. The condiments glitch can be used with any condiment, but a Brain Food Lunch with a Salt Packet recovers full HP/PP.
30:33 - Twoson skip: the walk-through-cliffs glitch is used to cross the cliffs south of the bus station.
One of the biggest time losses occurs at the third cliff. I can usually cross this cliff after a few tries, but it ended up taking about 30 seconds in this run.
THREED
32:31 - My luck in the graveyard wasn't very good. More enemies appeared than usual, and it took about 30 seconds before I could proceed.
WINTERS
40:31 - It's possible to skip the Mad Duck, but setting up the skip can take more time than the fight itself.
41:11 - If I had waited for the Bubble Monkey to catch up to Jeff before walking past the second Worthless Protoplasm, I might've been able to skip this fight.
41:52 - Fourth Sanctuary cave: my luck with enemy spawns was quite bad in the second and third rooms.
45:08 - I save and reset the game in Dr. Andonuts's lab to reset the RNG and set up for luck manipulation.
STAIRS GLITCH
48:16 - Luck manipulation is used to enter a fight with 2 Urban Zombies and leave the fight with Ness at critical health with a cold and Paula and Jeff at 0 HP. Having Paula and Jeff at 0 HP makes it possible to set up the stairs glitch later in the run.
After glitching to Summers, I save the game, reset, and make a copy of the save file. The second file is used as another way to trigger the glitch.
Using a second file might seem questionable, but I think it's reasonable as long as the file is made during the course of the run. It's possible to have a file prepared beforehand, but I avoid doing that.
49:51 - LOST UNDERWORLD
Once the glitch is activated, it's possible to go straight to Giygas, but the game will hang up during the first prayer. This is because each area that appears in the prayers needs to be "prepared" to run the scenes.
This preparation occurs when the party travels back in time with the Phase Distorter. Two events are needed to initiate the Phase Distorter quest:
1. In Lumine Hall, fall through the hole leading to the Lost Underworld: this causes Dr. Andonuts to appear in Saturn Valley.
2. Defeat Ness's Nightmare: this causes the Phase Distorter to appear.
MAGICANT
52:55 - The second file is used to activate the glitch. Before leaving the museum, I wait a bit because this makes the RNG more consistent.
Luck manipulation is used until the end of the first Kraken fight. I need the experience from the Kraken to let Paula learn PSI Shield Σ after defeating Ness's Nightmare.
57:52 - Luck manipulation ends once Ness levels up because the stats he gains depends on how he levels up throughout the run, which introduces randomness. That means I have no control over how the last 2 Krakens move. My luck with these Krakens was below average, and I lost about 30 seconds before they moved out of the way.
GIYGAS
1:14:03 - My luck against Giygas was the best I've ever had, and I ended up saving a minute over how long this fight usually takes me. The only hiccup was Poo feeling strange during the second phase. This rarely happens, and I wasted a round before realizing Ness can use Healing ß.
1:43:34 - Fail reel and random junk.
1:25:31 SDA timing (gain control of Ness to the last prayer against Giygas)
1:43:18 Nico timing (file select to "The End...?")
This is a speed run of EarthBound using the stairs glitch. The stairs glitch causes your party to enter a "ghosted" state in which your party is able to walk through almost all solid objects, including walls, NPCs, trees, etc. This allows for major skips and sequence breaks because every location in this game is laid out on a single large map.
For information about this run and other categories for this game, please check the SDA knowledge base:
kb.speeddemosarchive.com/Earthbound
I first got interested in this category after watching Mickey Mage's AGDQ 2012 run. The route I use is based on one used by the Japanese runner ピロ彦 (Pirohiko), as shown in his 1:48:52 run (Nico timing) on the Japanese version. I also made use of a Lua script written by Pirohiko to devise the luck manipulation methods I used in this run.
ONETT
4:53 - During nighttime Onett, I used luck manipulation to avoid unnecessary fights and ensure a 4-round Starman Jr. fight. Opening and closing the main menu and talking to no one for seemingly no reason were done to adjust the RNG.
12:54 - Frank fight
15:57 - First Sanctuary cave: Titanic Ant luck was a bit below average. The risk of death is pretty high in this fight, so I'm just glad Ness survived.
25:47 - Police
TWOSON
29:33 - I discard everything I can from Ness's inventory and buy 8 Salt Packets and 3 Skip Sandwiches at Burglin Park. The Skip Sandwiches are used to skip Twoson and trigger the stairs glitch in Summers; the Salt Packets are used to exploit the condiments glitch to dupe a Brain Food Lunch later in the run. The condiments glitch can be used with any condiment, but a Brain Food Lunch with a Salt Packet recovers full HP/PP.
30:33 - Twoson skip: the walk-through-cliffs glitch is used to cross the cliffs south of the bus station.
One of the biggest time losses occurs at the third cliff. I can usually cross this cliff after a few tries, but it ended up taking about 30 seconds in this run.
THREED
32:31 - My luck in the graveyard wasn't very good. More enemies appeared than usual, and it took about 30 seconds before I could proceed.
WINTERS
40:31 - It's possible to skip the Mad Duck, but setting up the skip can take more time than the fight itself.
41:11 - If I had waited for the Bubble Monkey to catch up to Jeff before walking past the second Worthless Protoplasm, I might've been able to skip this fight.
41:52 - Fourth Sanctuary cave: my luck with enemy spawns was quite bad in the second and third rooms.
45:08 - I save and reset the game in Dr. Andonuts's lab to reset the RNG and set up for luck manipulation.
STAIRS GLITCH
48:16 - Luck manipulation is used to enter a fight with 2 Urban Zombies and leave the fight with Ness at critical health with a cold and Paula and Jeff at 0 HP. Having Paula and Jeff at 0 HP makes it possible to set up the stairs glitch later in the run.
After glitching to Summers, I save the game, reset, and make a copy of the save file. The second file is used as another way to trigger the glitch.
Using a second file might seem questionable, but I think it's reasonable as long as the file is made during the course of the run. It's possible to have a file prepared beforehand, but I avoid doing that.
49:51 - LOST UNDERWORLD
Once the glitch is activated, it's possible to go straight to Giygas, but the game will hang up during the first prayer. This is because each area that appears in the prayers needs to be "prepared" to run the scenes.
This preparation occurs when the party travels back in time with the Phase Distorter. Two events are needed to initiate the Phase Distorter quest:
1. In Lumine Hall, fall through the hole leading to the Lost Underworld: this causes Dr. Andonuts to appear in Saturn Valley.
2. Defeat Ness's Nightmare: this causes the Phase Distorter to appear.
MAGICANT
52:55 - The second file is used to activate the glitch. Before leaving the museum, I wait a bit because this makes the RNG more consistent.
Luck manipulation is used until the end of the first Kraken fight. I need the experience from the Kraken to let Paula learn PSI Shield Σ after defeating Ness's Nightmare.
57:52 - Luck manipulation ends once Ness levels up because the stats he gains depends on how he levels up throughout the run, which introduces randomness. That means I have no control over how the last 2 Krakens move. My luck with these Krakens was below average, and I lost about 30 seconds before they moved out of the way.
GIYGAS
1:14:03 - My luck against Giygas was the best I've ever had, and I ended up saving a minute over how long this fight usually takes me. The only hiccup was Poo feeling strange during the second phase. This rarely happens, and I wasted a round before realizing Ness can use Healing ß.
1:43:34 - Fail reel and random junk.
