Designing Symphonia’s Features for Speedrunners

Symphonia made its grand entrance on the Xbox Series X|S on December 5, 2024, and it’s turning heads for all the right reasons. Sporting custom level design and a focus on precision platforming, it’s tailor-made for anyone who loves a good speedrun. Dive deep, and you’ll find insightful player perspectives and speedrunning tips that make it even more exciting.

The creators of Symphonia had a clear vision: a game that appreciates the art of control and precise timing. What started as an attempt to share classical music with the gaming world quickly evolved into a gem for the speedrunning community, thanks to its seamless mechanics and flexible level design. After hours perfecting character controls, the aim became to craft a game that offered gratification to both casual and hardcore players, with layers waiting to be peeled back by those eager to dive deeper. This philosophy shaped Symphonia’s gameplay and collectibles.

Within Symphonia are layers designed to up the challenge for those who love them. You play as Philemon, a violinist journeying through the serene, dormant world of Symphonia on a mission to gather the orchestra’s prodigy members. His trusty tool—his violin bow—plays a pivotal role. As you progress, new mechanics unfold, letting you spring through levels creatively. Picture using the bow like a pogo stick, catapult, or grapple—it’s a challenge to master, yet extremely satisfying once you do. Timed perfectly, every movement counts, appealing snugly to the speedrunner’s instinct of improving frame by frame.

Interestingly, some team members have a personal history with speedrunning, ranging from enthusiastic spectatorship to attempting their own runs in games like Celeste and Katana Zero. Back in 2020, when Symphonia was just a student project, our team engaged in friendly speedrun competitions, sharing times and even keeping certain glitches a secret from one another for personal advantage! Even our small online demo, which notched up 500,000 downloads, had people signing up on speedrun.net. We realized we were onto something special, so post-graduation, we established a studio and pursued the full development of the game. It took four years, but in the end, we brought Symphonia to life.

Attracting speedrunners wasn’t just about precise platforming. Keeping the spirit of speedrunning at heart, every feature and level design was crafted with careful attention. Sometimes, slight adjustments can unlock entirely new paths, inviting creativity. The collectible music notes within the game, strategically placed in tough-to-reach areas, reward daring effort and innovation, akin to the strawberries in Celeste. Completing the levels unlocks a Shadow Philemon, a duplicate character trailing closely behind, challenging you to stay on your toes. Players can experiment with abilities like double jumps, cushiony surfaces, or game speed tweaks, originally designed for accessibility but now great for concocting new challenges.

The game’s release saw an outpouring of enthusiasm from speedrunners. So, we opened a dedicated discussion channel on our community Discord to foster engagement and idea exchange. It’s exhilarating to witness how speedrunning has evolved from a niche hobby into a worldwide craze. Over the past two decades, speedruns have spanned all genres—from shooters to unlikely role-playing or strategy games. Platforms like Twitch and YouTube have been instrumental in this growth, connecting millions and raising huge sums for charities through events such as Games Done Quick (GDQ). GDQ, with its biannual charity marathons and weekly Hotfix shows, remains a cornerstone.

To understand the passion for creating such immersive experiences, we spoke with Queuety, the showrunner at GDQ, about what speedrunning means to him. He explained, “Speedrunning turns any game into both a puzzle and a competitive performance, something which fascinates me and keeps me coming back.”

Our publisher, equally passionate about speedrunning, encouraged collaboration with GDQ right from the start. The CEO, Dieter Schoeller, has a solid speedrunning background with classics like Quake 3 and Sonic the Hedgehog from the ’90s. Dieter expressed a love for speedrunning as “the person to beat is no one but yourself.” With community backing and publisher support, we reached out to GDQ for collaboration. Seeing them drawn to Symphonia’s visuals and concept led to our participation in a recent GDQ Hotfix episode—a memorable and rewarding experience. I had the fortune to provide commentary while our community backed us by showcasing live runs. Check out that episode to see it all in action.

Feeling inspired to join the speedrunning community? It’s a growing frontier where your contributions are warmly welcomed. We’d be thrilled if you’d try a Symphonia speedrun and join our Discord for discussions. Whether you’re a speedrunner or just curious, we hope you’ll explore the enchanting world of Symphonia in your own unique way.