this run uses a new exploit that can control enemy spawns and rope properties to massively reduce lag and time overall. there are also a few smaller improvements that involve deeper observation and game knowledge than what was shown in previous runs.

the run aims to beat the game as fast as possible which basically comes down to reducing lag wherever you can. the movie was made on bizhawk v2.3.2 and it was played on the original japanese gameboy version to include the different title screen that the other versions don't have.

the new exploit is called pause delay and is done by pausing and unpausing the game at just the right frame so that the following frame after the pause will continue the action that got interfered due to pausing the game. if done at the right time, this lets you skip enemy spawns or bypass rope properties to save a lot of time that was otherwise needed to perform other actions in order to achieve the same result.

Nach: feos asked me if I can judge this, so I'm taking it off his hands.

This run is quite nice and a great improvement over past submissions for the DMG version. It's nice to see one of the hardest games I played as kid being dealt with so effectively.

The first question that comes to mind is whether this version should be published alongside the CGB version, as the game is practically identical. I'm not aware of any significant game-play differences that would normally allow for side by side publications, such as different enemies, movement mechanics, weapons/power-ups, or that sort of thing. I have not seen any strong arguments why this version should also be published.

Aside from that though, as great as this run is, the discussion showed that several improvements can be made. While most of the improvements are minor and would not necessarily warrant rejection, there is a fairly major one in the third level with the crushing ceiling. It's easy to notice with the naked eye that it's sub-optimal now that we know the ceiling can be glitched into not moving, and waiting for it is significantly slower.

If it does make sense to TAS this version, it will now need to include ideas from this new submission. Rejecting.

Mazzin, please do not feel discouraged, as your contributions to the knowledge of this game were important and I'd love to see new runs from you in the future. If you're looking for a different yet similar game to TAS, I would love to see a run of Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge Japanese version. That game has a different weapon than the US version used in the published runs, and if the weapon is used in a decent run, I can see it being published here along side the other.