Zelda player awarded with $10,000 gold trophy for completing KFC-sponsored speedrun
Fast food restaurant chain KFC has awarded a speedrunner a gold trophy worth more than $10,000.
Inspired by the secret “11 Herbs and Spices” that make up the recipe for KFC’s Original Flavored Chicken, the competition had players complete a bizarre challenge within The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Rather than asking gamers to battle one of the game’s bosses or collect one of the title’s best weapons, the challenge was instead based around collecting a KFC-inspired list of items (via VGC).
Created by KFC’s Spanish marketing department in collaboration with a speedrunning community known as Speedrun SpainThe Recipe Run required players to arrive at the Bedrock Bistro with an empty inventory. They then had to speak to a Goron named Gomo, affectionately nicknamed “The Goronel” by KFC due to his striking resemblance to the company’s own mascot: the Colonel.
After speaking with Gomo, players had to collect a raw bird drumstick and 11 different herbs and spices as quickly as possible. Once they did this, they had to cook a fried chicken drumstick to complete the run.
The match was won by Keuss, a French player who completed the run in just over an hour. If you’re curious, you can watch the run below.
For his troubles, Keuss was rewarded with the promised golden chicken leg trophy worth five figures, which made him a great talking point.
Even if played more conventionally, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is known for its high level of creativity among gamers, with an emphasis on construction puzzles and lateral thinking.
That said, creative speedrunning is nothing new, with players regularly finding new and interesting ways to enjoy their favorite games. For example, Larian Studios’ critically acclaimed RPG, Baldur’s Gate 3 has spawned a speedrunning subculture based on romanticizing one of the game’s companions as quickly as possible.
Looking for more great Nintendo games? Check out our lists of the best Nintendo Switch games and the best Pokémon games.