Being the fastest category in the game, Any% with an already completed file (referred to as ”New Game+”) requires you to beat the game while only playing through 6 out of the 17 stages and using a total of three warp zones to skip the other 11 levels. The category does not consist of as much random elements as the New Game category, but still requires you to play through the most luck based level in the game at the end.
Taz Express is a game released only in Europe back in 2000. The story features Taz, the Tasmanian devil, who got sent out to a journey as a delivery boy by his wife, referred to as "She-Devil" throughout the game. Taz then gets kidnapped and imprisoned, trying to deliver the package to where it is meant to go.
The controls for this game are extremely inconsistent. Picking object up and putting them down requires you to have a 100 percent open space around you and the momentum you store by running often wears off without any explanation. The hitbox for every object in the game, including Taz himself, makes no sense at all a lot of the times since a pixel of his arm can stop you from proceeding.
1-1 Taz Out Back
The first level in this category is quite simple. I am running close to the water in the beginning to avoid the bees that will otherwise hit me, costing me health and time. I am then getting to the warping area as fast as possible, and with the use of the unlocked roller blades I can go there without having to store any momentum from earlier in the level. Taking different warp zones deletes the requirement of otherwise having to take the crate with you, which means I can leave it in the beginning.
After getting in to the warp zone, I am taking as many shortcuts as I can to proceed as quickly as possible to the next level. Hitting slopes at the side of the paths makes you lose your speed immediately, requiring you to go back and store some momentum once again.
2-3 X Marks the Taz
In the beginning I am once again ignoring the crate due to heading towards a warp zone. I am jumping through the swamp to maintain my speed and then I am picking up the roller blades to erase the need to store momentum. The skip can be done without the roller blades, but timing seems equal and the roller blades makes it way easier.
In this warp zone I am using a short cut that skips the entire level, heading straight from the beginning to the end with only three jumps.
3-3 Taz on a Roll
Holding right, dodging slopes and pressing B at the end. The level is finished.
3-4 Taz in a Prickle
Once again I am heading towards a warp zone. I am leaving the crate in the beginning and immediately heads of to the first catapult. The second catapult I have to move a certain distance to not land on the third catapult. After that I am pushing the third catapult to the X mark at the edge of the level to get thrown to the next power up area. From here I can take the roller blades on, jump over the gap and proceed to the final warp zone.
In the warp zone, jumping is the key to success. All the ground allows you to travel on it and by jumping I can control my angles in a better way at the same time I am maintaining my speed throughout the level.
5-2 Taz Down under
The bees, oh God the bees. The enemies are some of the most frustrating once in gaming due to how they work. Sometimes, you can not see them. You can not run away from them. If they hit you, you drop your egg and the egg brakes immediately. However, by knowing where the bees spawn and putting the eggs down when you get close you can, with a bit of luck, manage to bring them all to the end without having to backtrack. In the beginning of the level I am putting the crate near the wall to avoid the bees at the beginning to destroy it during the level. As soon as all the eggs are put in their right place, I can run back to the start of the level, grab the crate and continue to the final boss. And god does it feel good. This level is not enjoyable.
5-3 The Kiwi Arena
Fighting the big bird, referred to as Mama, requires you to hit her three times with a rock followed by hitting her with a spin every time you know her dizzy. Due to the bad mechanics in the game, I missed one throw with the rock due to Taz moving extremely slow. This cost me some time, and is the biggest mistake in the run. Mama spawns randomly after you enter the level and sometimes takes longer than other times to do so. When the fight is over, I pick the crate up and finishes of the game by walking out of the level.
Taz Express is a hilariously bad game that took some time to accept at first for a speed run. I have routed the game myself and until someone else brings this game down even more, this speed run is the most optimized I can go for. I am happy with the run due to the inconsistent movement the game contains and I think it will be a difficult time to beat for the next player. I hope you enjoyed the run, because you wouldn’t enjoy playing through the game casually! And it deserves at least some love, doesn’t it? Thank you for watching and reading my notes! |