Resident Evil Requiem speedrunners aren't just beating the in-game achievement, they're doing it in half the time

The Resident Evil Requiem speedrun boards are now open, and runners are making light work of even the most unforgiving difficulty on offer.

Resident Evil Requiem's 'Speed Demon' achievement is quite the task. A few of my friends have been whittling their times down since Capcom's latest dropped, with only one so far managing to squeak beneath the threshold. Today, the official speedrunning boards have opened up, and one player has taken a look at the challenge, laughed at it, and cleared the horror game on a fresh save with more than half the time remaining.

For the uninitiated, Resident Evil Requiem's Speed Demon achievement requires you to clear the game in less than four hours. Seeing as most roll credits on their first playthrough somewhere between the ten and 12-hour mark, that's a lot of time to cut down, even if you're more knowledgeable going into subsequent attempts. As of writing, there's already a healthy list of combatants duking it for the quickest times across PC and console. While it's impressive enough seeing the sub-two-hour times come in for the new game plus category, watching current Any% PC world record holder 'spicee' do so, not only on the hardest difficulty, but without any of the perks you get in Requiem's new game plus, is all the more special.

As we note in our Requiem Insanity mode guide, everything is considerably tougher. Enemies are stronger and healthier, while Blister Heads pop up more often. Bosses are also far more problematic to deal with, as many sport tighter timing windows and are more aggressive. What's more, the RE9 Antique Coins have been relocated, meaning you'll have to learn a different route if you want to snag a few key upgrades during a run. Only a couple of things to be mindful of as you go, then, but spicee has managed to navigate all of that and post a blistering fast time of one hour, 35 minutes, and ten seconds - sheesh.

It's been a cracking start to life for Resident Evil Requiem. For a time, it managed to topple Clair Obscur Expedition 33 as the highest player-rated game on Metacritic, while Capcom recently announced it had become the fastest game in the series to hit six million sales. Whether it's the fact that Leonmania is running wild, or simply because, as Nat notes in her 8/10 Resident Evil Requiem review, it "finally strikes the balance between action and horror that Capcom's wrestled with for all these years," it's clear that Requiem is a truly special game.

So, if you've been toiling away at Speed Demon but still can't quite make it happen, then take a look at what the pros are up to. You might just learn a thing or two that'll help you get over the line.