Man beats 'hardest videogame of all time' in under two hours

Last updated at 6:58 PM on 18th October 2011

This month's fantasy PS3 and Xbox 360 hit Dark Souls has been described as the 'hardest game of all time'. The back of the box says simply 'Prepare to Die'.

One gamer has somehow beaten the whole game in one hour and 26 minutes - and in case anyone doubts him, he's posted the whole insane feat on YouTube.

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The swords-and-sorcery world of Dark Souls is absolutely merciless - packed with monsters who can kill you in one blow. Even worse, when you 'rest' at a bonfire, they all come back to life

Dark Souls is brutally difficult right from the start: You have no 'lives', and almost every opponent is deadly

Dark Souls is brutally difficult right from the start: You have no 'lives', there are no checkpoints, and almost every opponent is deadly

Gamers often post videos of 'speed runs' through games - but even so, game industry insiders have been astonished that someone has beaten Dark Souls in such a short time.

The video guide, posted by a gamer called SexyShoiko, is already being pored over for tips as to how he did it.

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Alex Simmons, UK Editor-in-Chief of games site IGN said, 'Speed runs are not a new idea - people have been posting them online for years. But for someone to complete a game this hard, this quickly verges on unbelievable.'

Gamers have pointed out that the game came out in Japan in September - but even so, it's an astonishing feat.

The bleak role-player is a sort-of sequel to Demon's Souls - itself pretty stern stuff. Gamers were united in proclaiming Dark Souls to be even worse

The video shows the gamer running through the game at full pelt, and downing most monsters in one or two hits. It's usually the player who is 'one-shotted' in this manner in Dark Souls - a sort-of sequel to last year's brutally hard Demon's Souls, and hailed as 'even worse' by game fans.

IGN's review of the game said, 'If you play games for fun, this is not for you.'

Keen-eyed gamers have spotted that the video appears to show Shoiko with magical items that he should not have by that point in the game - and have said that the video must be fake, or he must be using a hitherto undiscovered cheat mode.

Comments (22)

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Does this game allow you (once compleated) to play again with the character you have compleated the game with, including any weapons and powerups? I have played games that allow that (Balders gate and Norrath).

- Oh really, UK, 19/10/2011 11:06

Click to rate Rating 10

I don't know how many times I've posted this, but the game isn't actually 'hard'. It just has a steep learning curve. Try 8-bit ghosts and goblins. That's hard.

- Max, Manchester, 19/10/2011 09:53

Click to rate Rating 16

its not hardest of all time, that title still belongs to DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE...SO SAY THE AVGN

- Chris, THE BATCAVE, HERTFORDSHIRE, 19/10/2011 07:53

Click to rate Rating 11

big deal. wanna impress me? cure cancer in 2 hours. starting...NOW!

- jaime wesson, new mexico, usa, 19/10/2011 06:32

Click to rate Rating 45

I wonder why so much sour grapes. Nerds' revenge?

- Bill, Calif , 19/10/2011 04:10

Click to rate Rating 22

Has anyone "won" takeshi's castle? Winning THAT looks damned near impossible!

- Winseer, Chatham, 19/10/2011 04:07

Click to rate Rating 42

A game being the hardest doesn't mean the game being the best and fun with the technicality of it, a game with no lives or checkpoint is dull, boring and lame. Other games are as hard as this requiring great skill and precision and thinking alot also strategist of options.

- Alta'ir, UK London, 19/10/2011 01:28

Click to rate Rating 28

- Alta'ir, UK London, 19/10/2011 01:28

Click to rate Rating 25

what level is that

- azhar, london, 19/10/2011 01:13

Click to rate Rating 5

.....All I can say is get a life!!!!".....Wendy, Tamworth.....And how do you know exactly whether or not Gamers have lives outside of their Gaming? Do you live with them? Next door to them? Do you attend School with them, or did so previously? Are you familiar with this young man's family, or any Gamer's family? How about looking within, at your own life and attitude, your unfounded judgement, before you even type anything? The Gamers I know-some of them Hard-Core-go to College (University), have well-paying jobs, even professional jobs and successful marriages. They range in age from 16 years to 28 years old. They also are so far from the criminal, drug, and gang-banger lifestyles, that they hardly pose any serious threat to society. They are law-abiding, tax-paying contributing members of society. In your ignorance, you assume that this is all that they do. I suggest you think first....and find an original saying also.

- Priscilla, In the South, USA, 19/10/2011 00:01

Click to rate Rating 32

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