Designing Symphonia’s Features for Speedrunners

Symphonia hit the shelves for Xbox Series X|S on December 5, 2024, and it’s become a real treat for fans of custom level design and precision platforming. The game, known for its intricate mechanics and unique features, appeals particularly to speedrunners. It even offers a deep dive into speedrunning through player experiences and tips.

From its very beginning, Symphonia was designed with a focus on rewarding precise control and timing. Initially conceived as a way to introduce classical music to a wider audience, it didn’t take long for its smooth, open-ended level design to catch the attention of the speedrunning community. By spending countless hours refining the character’s controls, we aimed to create a game that offers the thrill of success to both casual players and competitive gamers, with additional layers for those curious enough to dig deeper. This ambition laid the groundwork for Symphonia’s mechanics and treasures.

For those seeking a challenge, Symphonia offers some exciting twists. The main character, Philemon, is a violinist on a quest through the silent world of Symphonia to gather orchestrational geniuses. His secret weapon is his violin bow, which unlocks unique ways to navigate levels. Philemon’s bow can transform into a pogo stick, a catapult, or even a grapple, making mastering the game’s aerial maneuvers quite a thrill. Getting the rhythm right with every pixel-perfect jump speaks to the heart of speedrunning—it’s all about pushing the envelope, frame by frame.

Interestingly, several team members have personal connections to speedrunning, whether as avid spectators or runners of games like Celeste and Katana Zero. Even back when Symphonia was a student project in 2020, the team would challenge each other to speedrun it, sometimes keeping discovered glitches a secret to gain an edge. The enthusiasm quickly spilled over to the public; our demo saw half a million downloads, with eager players posting their times on speedrun.net. Realizing the potential in this project, we committed to it post-university, founding a studio and investing four years to bring our dream to life.

While precision platforming naturally attracted speedrunners, we also intentionally kept the speedrunning ethos in mind as we developed new features and level layouts. Moving a block or a collider by mere pixels can open new possibilities for the creatively inclined. The collectible music notes, tucked away in challenging spots, reward risky endeavors and experimentation, unlocking new areas in the game—a bit like the strawberries in Celeste. Finishing levels unlocks Shadow Philemon, an echo of your character that mirrors your movements and adds pressure. Players can experiment with abilities like double jumps, turning surfaces into cushions, or adjusting game speed. Originally designed as accessibility options, these features have become essential tools for players exploring new challenges.

When the game launched in December, we were thrilled by the enduring interest from speedrunners and opened a dedicated channel in our Discord to encourage discussion and sharing.

It’s fascinating how speedrunning has grown from a niche pastime to a global interest. Over the past twenty years, we’ve seen speedruns across all sorts of games—from first-person shooters and platformers to more unexpected genres like RPGs and strategy games. Platforms like Twitch and YouTube have made speedrunning more accessible, engaging millions of players and raising millions for charity through events like Games Done Quick (GDQ), which hosts bi-annual charity marathons and regular Hotfix episodes to keep the community vibrant.

Reflecting on this, Queuety, the GDQ showrunner, shared why speedrunning captivates him: “Speedrunning turns any game into both a puzzle and a competitive performance, something which fascinates me and keeps me coming back.”

Our publisher is equally enthusiastic about the speedrunning components of Symphonia. Their CEO, Dieter Schoeller, who has a history with speedrunning games like Quake 3 and Sonic the Hedgehog from the ’90s, noted his love for speedrunning comes from its personal challenge: “the person to beat is no one but yourself.” Driven by such passion and community interest, our collaborators reached out to GDQ for a partnership. We were thrilled when GDQ was intrigued by Symphonia’s visuals and theme, ultimately inviting us to feature in a recent GDQ Hotfix episode. It was an unforgettable experience, and I personally had the chance to commentate while our community cheerfully participated in a live run. You can catch the episode online.

If you’re feeling inspired to dive into speedrunning, now is an excellent time to get involved by trying it yourself or chatting with other runners and creators. We’d love for you to give Symphonia a try and join our Discord for speedrunning chats.

Whether you’re a speedrunner or simply interested in exploring new experiences, we invite you to immerse yourself in the vibrant world of Symphonia at your own pace.