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Join BBF on a Death-Defying Adventure Through I Wanna Be the Boshy!

Updated: August 19, 2023 by Liam Frady | Leave a comment

Key Points

I Wanna Be the Boshy is known for being one of the most difficult games ever created.
I Wanna Be the Boshy was released in 2010.
German player BBF sets a new speedrunning record for I Wanna Be the Boshy with a 29-minute and 59-second run.

German player BBF has thoroughly made I Wanna Be the Boshy look like child’s play with a blisteringly fast 29-minute and 59-second run. This comes after long-held records that stayed in place for almost a full decade.

Eight years ago, the speedrunning community was marveling at how witwix was able to conquer the game in 32 minutes and 24 seconds. I Wanna Be the Boshy is notorious for being one of the most difficult games created. Seeing this degree of mastery is certainly impressive.

Before diving into the main event, let’s take a closer look at I Wanna Be the Boshy, the speedrunning history behind it, and some other games like it you might enjoy.

What Is I Wanna Be the Boshy?

What exactly is I Wanna Be the Boshy, anyways? To get a better look, you’d have to understand some of the lore behind internet freeware. Games like I Wanna Be the Guy served as a rite of passage for freeware gamers of the late 2000s.

I Wanna Be the Guy was a hard platformer. It was built to the same sort of brutal specifications as a Kaizo Mario ROM hack.

I Wanna Be the Boshy came in the wake of the initial fever pitch that I Wanna Be the Guy started. It is considered by many to be even more difficult than I Wanna Be the Guy. Gamers will have to traverse levels inspired by other difficult platformers while doing their best to avoid certain death.

Death comes quickly in I Wanna Be the Boshy. The game itself has proven to be popular with speedrunners. There are years and years of world record attempts to back it up.

A Brief History of I Wanna Be the Boshy‘s Speedrunning Scene

It didn’t take long after the game’s initial release in 2010 for the speedrunning community to build around it. While I Wanna Be the Game had a certain reputation about it, it never had the same appeal as I Wanna Be the Boshy.

World record attempts at the game go back over a decade, with players like ka1zoku setting early records on Average mode. The three categories chosen for speedrunning are only down to the difficulty levels.

Gamers have struggled with the game, certainly. However, dedicated players have been able to complete the game in record time on Ez, Average, and Rage.

There is a wealth of resources and guides available for players interested in speedrunning the game. It has the benefit of being completely free, so players can tackle it at their own leisure.

You will have to be on PC to attempt speedrunning, however. The game itself runs only on Windows and may need compatibility tweaks to run on modern systems. If you’re willing to put up with that, you’re well on your way to setting your own records.

Games Like I Wanna Be the Boshy

Tough-as-nail platformers are not quite as widespread as you might think. That said, there are a fair few contemporary commercial releases to test your platforming skills.

Celeste gets a special mention for having gorgeous sprite work and great music. It is also one of the absolute toughest games ever released for modern players. The difficulty curve is somewhat gradual until you’re well on your way to platforming across difficult mazes.

Narrative-Driven Platformer

Celeste – Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]

Single-player adventure
Help Madeline on her journey to self-discovery in the narrative-driven gameplay
Mountain setting featuring 700+ screens of platforming challenges
Unlock brutal B-side chapters

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Super Meat Boy is another excruciatingly difficult platformer. It still poses quite a bit of a challenge and even acts as a spiritual successor of sorts to I Wanna Be the Guy and I Wanna Be the Boshy.

Quirky Platformer

Super Meat Boy

$46.99

Play as an animated cube of meat trying to save his girlfriend made of bandages
Story mode features over 300 levels
Find warp zones to warp you into other games
Over 16 unlockable playable characters from titles such as Minecraft, Bit.Trip, VVVVVV and Machinarium
Features awesome boss battles

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11/27/2023 05:06 am GMT

These two games don’t have quite the same sadistic glee to their levels as their freeware counterparts, but should help to familiarize you with the genre as a whole.

Watch BBF Defeat I Wanna Be the Boshy

Frequently Asked Questions

Is I Wanna Be the Boshy available on other platforms?

No, it is only on PC.

Is I Wanna Be the Boshy difficult?

It is among the most difficult games ever made.

How long did it take for BBF to break the world record?

He set records years ago, but the run eight months ago was the first new all-time record seen in over eight years.

Is I Wanna Be the Boshy a difficult game to speedrun?

Absolutely, it is a difficult game just to complete. Speedrunning requires quite a bit of dedication.

Are there resources for how to complete a speedrun?

Yes, for most popular games you can find optimal routes and tech that other players have developed. That should serve as a solid foundation for your own playthroughs.