"There's a good possibility that we're either finishing in the next 5 minutes or finishing in like 20 minutes. Eh, probably not 20 minutes - more like 15."
"It's not how you handle yourself when things are good, but how you handle yourself when things are tough that defines who you are." That is what a randomizer brings out, great run.
The foward back forward motion is actually a reference to another fighting game character. The Ryu of SNK, Ryo Sakazaki, has a move called Zanretsuken that's performed by inputing forward back forward punch.
Always great to see SotN runs! That was a real rollercoaster, so many good finds early on, and so many draughts up until the end! I was crossing my fingers that we might see the new Monster Vial glitch JupiterClimb found (I'm guessing that's the one mentioned at 23:38), but I guess it's too new to include in a marathon run, even if you got the right items for it.
can't believe I did not realize this was dr4gonblitz after like, 20 mins in cause i was just listening to it (I figured it out because of his pink hair and not because of his name being in the title also which is worse)
I love how well Dr4gonBlitz knows SOTN. I think he might know "his" game better than most other dedicated speedrunners. Proud Patreon member, keep beating on this old game, Dragon
Admittedly not someone who plays randos, I've only watched some, but I would assume to help shorten how long the rando would take and also help liven it up a little by giving you some really nice feeling movement from the start to help stay invested if you get a "bad" seed. So that even a "bad" seed can feel fun.
I don't know how much variance there is in less generous pre-sets, but if this Lycanthrope setting is faster than the default it might have been a necessary compromise to get the game on the schedule. It's also possible that starting the game with more movement tools is just more technically interesting to play- possibly corroborated by the routing discussion a bit after the 5min mark
The lycanthrope randomizer preset was created to put focus on the wolf transformation, as it does have some technical and skill-intensive movement, but due to the requirement of collecting 3 different relics to unlock its full movement potential, it is rarely used, especially when the Soul of Bat's Wing Smash is so good, and only requires the single relic. By providing the transformation in full at the start, it allows for interesting use of the transformation, and unlocks a few checks that would otherwise require additional relics. As for the starting items, they might be part of the theming of being a shape shifting druid with the shaman shield and shield rod. Alternatively, they are just decent items to start with. The shield rod does grant access to the shield spells, some of which are very powerful, but they do use a lot of mp, and so effective use is limited. And if you don't get one of the four or so offensive shield spell shields, it's only an okay weapon, you'll want to find a better one before the final few bosses. You will also have to successfully skip the Death cutscene to keep the items anyway, which is a little harder than it looks. The people who race using this preset have found that it's a pretty fair preset, giving a baseline to your combat ability, and some extra starting movement options, enabling for seeds to consistently be completed fairy quickly, about an hour and fifteen minutes or less for the practiced racers. In any case, there are many presets that have varying options for starting relics and items, so if you or others dislike the idea of starting with a transformation and powerful items, you can always just try another, like Casual, or Safe, which do not afford you such luxuries. I hope I have answered your question.
