Windows 11 update makes life unexpectedly difficult for Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance speedrunners

Game developers often fix bugs that speedrunners actively use, but would a Windows update close the loophole for fans of speedrunning? This doesn’t happen often.

Image source: Steam (Mirarsdayo)

The speedrunners of the stealth action game Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (the director’s cut of MGS 2 for PC) have been saving precious seconds for years by pushing the girl twice outside the location during the escort section for Emma Emmerich.

In both cases, Otakona’s half-sister, as if nothing had happened, appeared ahead along the route. The trick helped make life easier for speedrunners – Emma moves quite (extremely) slowly and can be noticed by enemies.

Emma’s Time Travels

Imagine the surprise of the speedrunner community when the KB5041587 update (OS builds 22621.4112 and 22631.4112) for Windows 11, released at the end of August, suddenly deprived players of the ability to perform the mentioned trick.

Speedrunner ApacheSmash reported that the trick for moving Emma through time stopped working in MGS 2: Substance on Windows 11. Since then, he managed to check the functionality of the loophole on other versions of Windows:

• Windows XP, 8, 11 – does not work;
• Windows Vista, 7, 8.1, 10 – works.

Image source: Konami

The mentioned bug is, in principle, possible only in one version of MGS 2 and, for example, cannot be reproduced in last year’s Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 (the edition available there is Sons of Liberty, not Substance).

Players are confused about which element of the Windows 11 update could affect the functionality of the bug. In the comments to the ApacheSmash tweet, there is an opinion that Bill Gates simply does not like speedrunners.