Happy Couple, but Twice as TAS

The Happy Couple achievement in Hollow Knight normally takes a bit over an hour to complete. But what if two players did it collaboratively, sharing their progress? And what if those two two players were both TAS? In this tool-assisted speedrun, our knights Alice and Bob work together to unite Sheo and the Nailsmith as quickly as possible.
Much thanks to everyone who helped make this video possible, including the many folks on the HK TAS Discord and, specifically:
‪@mathulu‬ for the starting point of the route and for the itemless blue lake setup, as well as hosting the reveal stream
‪@quacksilverplays‬ for providing the teaser audio at the end for the alternate ending
‪@dragon_nyx‬ for the wonderful title art
Technical notes:
This video was created by using libTAS to provide deterministic playback, with custom scripting to synchronize progression between the two separate TASes. To improve viewing, the knight was given lantern from the start, with the 'dark rooms' then altered in post-production to clarify that they're intended to be dark; this has no gameplay effect, as the TAS doesn't do any hazard respawning in the dark rooms. Once both TASes were complete, going back and forth to keep them in sync, the two videos were encoded and then edited together to produce the final product.
The link mentioned near the end of the video: • [TAS] Purity Ending

[@BlueSR]

This is the coolest TAS i’ve ever seen

[@dddfccvd]

vid when?

[@beanslinger2]

youd think this would be the hottest

[@TheNovaChicken]

when is the stream starting?

[@EvilCherry3]

@@dddfccvd calm down

[@adrianpramadipta8631]

When vid?

[@TaleraxDeAvon]

I love how Bob is pretty much an anime protagonist who power-up mid combat.

[@junxilin8308]

Who is Bob?

[@TaleraxDeAvon]

@@junxilin8308 The one fighting in colosseum, while Alice going around getting the upgrades.

[@animalking183]

AHAHAHAHAHHAA

[@constructivecynicismsr]

this insane, crazy how far TAS has come for this game, going from "impossible to do" to this

[@jarlyk]

Ironically, getting the sync to work wasn't the hardest part of this project; that part only took a day or two, as it's basically just setting flags at specific times. The hardest part was working out the routing, with a close second being the work to edit it all together into one video.

[@deon5729]

tbf hollow knight community does not know word impossible they only hear challenge and they will take it on and beat just looks past crazy bosses that were simingly impossible for a human being and any radiance i think was made like 3 times and beaten unless it was only 2 i can t fully remember

[@gengar_animations]

This is a brilliant tas idea, and it made for probably the greatest hollow knight tas that I’ve ever seen. Routing this must’ve been super fun.

[@cameronwise1083]

After watching it twice I can safely say that this run is 9.5/10. The 0.5 off is for calling Blimpy “Bouncy Grub” and for not saying hi to Pierogie. Fantastic TAS and amazing explanation of it.

[@jovi_monet]

"de-dark," what an awesome pun! i always look forward to your TASes, thanks!

[@jarlyk]

A suggestion I received after the fact was "Knight Vision", though I'm fairly happy with the original pun :D

[@dazcarrr]

I can only imagine how nightmarish routing and TASing two players at once is

[@nonoc8772]

Damn that moment when Quack talks about the ending... Absolutely bone chilling, I was so creeped out. Love it

[@the_furf_of_july4652]

I would LOVE to see more multiplayer TAS, even if it’s a bit less thematically fitting for other routes. Wrapping my head around the routing and juggling my attention between both screens is an incredibly fun viewing experience!

[@dreamerofthorns]

I can't help but notice that Alice's bow is pink-white-blue while Bob's tie is rainbow colored.

[@user-dt8fr4up6j]

Alice has a crush on a gay 😢

[@ConcreteAfterRain]

they were married and then alice transitioned, and now they're just friends, but they stay married for tax benefits ​ @user-dt8fr4up6j

[@pyritethesandgem3841]

Alice and Bob said bi and/or genderqueer rights!

[@dreamerofthorns]

@@pyritethesandgem3841 the rainbow could mean anything between gay and general lgbt pride, and pink-white-blue is the trans colors

[@pyritethesandgem3841]

@@dreamerofthorns dw I know, that's what I'm saying lol Bob's tie could mean any number of things, since the Baker flag, although today more associated with gay men specifically while the Progress flag is more common as a catch-all community symbol, can still be used to refer to all queer identities. Genderqueer, despite being an umbrella term itself, also fits under the trans umbrella, so it's well within the range of possibilities for Alice. So, maybe Alice is genderfluid or multigender and Bob is a gay man. Maybe Alice is a trans girl and Bob is a butch lesbian. Maybe they're both bisexual or pansexual. Maybe their partnership simply doesn't fit into boxes like that. There are endless possibilities within those two flags. That's the beauty of queer relationships!

[@user-id2nr1zp1u]

This is so goofy and cute and creative! The icons of our two protagonists here and the whole framing really brings along the happy couple vibes. Could not imagine what it is like to route and sync this. Impressive work from you as always!

[@StellariaEclipse]

I would love to see a TAS like this for true ending where Bob can't use spells and Alice can't use the nail

[@chrismuscaroler]

this is such a genius TAS, its so unique and the concept of a 2-player happy couple TAS is lovely. all the little touches like de-dark and the way the corner window faded out fully during screen transitions were so helpful too! and the little character details for their icons... i almost cried lmao

[@sidharthsanegepalli683]

Garlic bread cooking with the new TASes, nice job man!

[@umbra0rpng173]

Best comment

[@epicness2632]

I can't even imagine how hard this must've been to route. Very interesting run!

[@NogdWeaver]

Alice got such a cute bow Very cool TAS rlly enjoyed the vid !!

[@Drawoon]

I love how tight this is. Every ability one of them picks up is immediately used by the other one. That must have taken a lot of effort to work out.

[@claytonwood8839]

Running Happy Couple as a Happy Couple is genius, love this TAS. Might be favorite one yet, love what you do.

[@Komatic5]

This is a fantastic TAS idea, and the execution with two players is also really unique. I cant imagine how much work went into just routing everything for each player, insane work and massive props to you.

[@jamport5973]

The echo in your audio works so well with the hollow knight vibes

[@shreshthanigans]

Great TAS! So much fun to watch and kudos to all your hard work. One small feedback - the audio balance made it hard to hear your voice in certain fighting sections (e.g. the Galien/Soul Master fight)

[@Meemoe_]

excellent and clear narration, was a bit difficult to watch both perspectives at the same time, but mostly trusted the editing and watching the primary perspective on screen

[@zephielexe4527]

I love the idea of doing a two player TAS. Also, gotta love the pride bow and tie. Great work on this.

[@marissaparadis9566]

Aaaaawww alice with the little trans bow c: I love her, she's very precious

[@sanga1380]

It’s always a good day when Jarlyk releases a new TAS. Keeps me excited for silksong while enjoying hollow knight content still. Edit: thank you for saving Pierogi

[@MineCraeper]

This was really fun to watch. I also love that you gave Alice a bow and Bob a tie

[@Avg_FarronGreatsword_Enjoyer]

Imagine you are fighting this random guy in the colosseum and his nail f*cking sharpens mid fight

[@jalepinojoe6285]

That was insane. Definitely need to take another look at things, there’s so much happening 95% of the time and it’s hard enough understanding a single TAS’ movement. The grub before deep nest and all those wj downdashes during deep nest were especially fun to watch. And very nice choice of music for the [REDACTED] ending.

[@Themischievousmuffin]

AMAZING JOB DUDE! It must take sooo long to program that many inputs, THEN TIMES IT BY TWO! Great work my guy can’t wait for more😁

[@whatcomesafter11]

These vids are really really fun to watch for me, perfect when I'm feeling down, hope you make more but definitely take your time ❤❤❤

[@jarlyk]

Definitely plan to make more, though they do take a while to make, yeah. :D Still mulling over possible gimmicks as well as a few other possible smaller projects that folks might enjoy. Thanks for the support.

[@benjaminsheffer6945]

This is awesome! I'd love to see Bob and Alice tackle true ending, or maybe all grubs. You could call it 'happy family'

[@thepro4805]

Jarlyk, this is absolutely incredible. You've far usurped normal TASing and entered god-TASer league. Not only the constant voice commentary all along the 30 min vid, also the incredible idea and the even more bamboozlingly wonderful execution which i still wonder how even would one go about doing such thing. Also the actual TASing is amazing and im so happy we got to see this idea become a reality. Will def share this with anyone willing to hear 😂😊❤

[@user-ue3rk1nd3p]

Damn these TAS people are really good, they should start speedrunning

[@duckdogfill]

As a split, genderfluid person this makes me happy

[@shroomian2739]

This is one of the most interesting videos I’ve seen. Can I ask what mod you’re using to sync Alice and bob? I’d like to try this run with a friend if that’s possible.

[@jarlyk]

The TAS was created using custom modding, but there are some multiplayer mods for HK that support sharing progress. Most commonly you see them used by people doing randomizer runs together. ItemSync is one such mod for Randomizer, though apparently it requires some hackery to get it to work with vanilla check placement. You might want to look up the Hollow Knight modding Discord if you want to learn more about mods and what options there are.

[@shroomian2739]

@@jarlyk thanks, I’ve been looking for an excuse to route something new. I’ve already routed all geo rocks twice and I think if silksong doesn’t drop before 2024 I’ll have to route low% spells only

[@Themischievousmuffin]

@@shroomian2739damn dude I hope I don’t get that desperate for something new in the game I guess we just have to wait😅

[@sicongpiano8637]

Keep doing this awesome job Pls! Love it so much❤!

[@lisspeedrun]

That's so cool, one of the most captivating challenges I've ever seen on your channel!

[@moveslikejaeger6298]

You've become one of my favorite channels to see in my subscription feed, keep up the awesome work!

[@wanith7261]

I've wanted to see this for so long. Sheo is the best

[@hivecv]

This is so impressive and the editing on this video was phenomenal. So so so much fun to watch

[@YouWillNeverKnowMan]

Your videos are so fun to watch, man. You have the most creative ideas! :)

[@luisdimensity]

I find it very satisfying to watch programs do things perfectly. Great commentary complementing a great video!

[@rawvegankid]

I love all the things you can do with two knights! Super interesting, and I would love to see more of them!

[@user-xw2gv7ty8u]

Bob made it look like Nosk is running away from him XD

[@octosaurinvasion]

Excellent job, wow. Not just in the awesome TAS but in the video production too. Very much appreciated.

[@sajanramanathan]

This was so awesome. Fantastic TAS, great presentation, helpful commentary. 12/10

[@MazerTime]

Would love having the two views, no commentary ir editing needed, uploaded just so we get to better view at what the other tas is doing and unobstracted screen. In some parts it would been great to jump into another video and just see it again unobstracted to get a better view

[@momopenguin9735]

these are always a treat to watch

[@MrRat-nm7hq]

I watched Fireb0rn react to your videos and now youre doing the VO. Great TAS, great VO. I also appreciate how you explain the obvious things, its refreshing

[@thiscat4426]

This is delightful! Amazing work

[@EmpinadoMaxbmdggTheSun]

Bro, it's probably so much more hard and time consuming to TAS two players, but it's sooo awesome. An idea that was probably somewhere deep in my mind but I never thought of it, and now i understand how amazing it is. great work!

[@74v13r]

This is great. It turned out very cool. Didnt expect that little plotwist at the end.

[@SnowSloth]

loved it this has to be the coolest TAS out there

[@kackers]

what a crazy idea, i can't imagine the amount of thought that must have gone into routing both players and making sure they sync up efficiently enough i wonder what other TASes could be done significantly faster with additional players

[@dumbinfp7951]

even tas's are woke now >:((((((( (as sheo's #1 fan i am very happy about this)

[@SoberAdam]

Woke? What do you mean woke? As in they're waking up? Lol?

[@Themischievousmuffin]

@@SoberAdamit means “awake” as in being able to see current events well? I think? Like how it’s a happy gay couple, so it’s “woke”

[@dumbinfp7951]

@@SoberAdam I was doing a caricature of conservatives who call anything they don't like "woke" (the actual meaning is basically something that's socially progressive is woke)

[@Patrik2569]

OMG. This is even better than I thought it would be!🔥🔥

[@SkyElfix]

Amazing work thx for sharing

[@Immys_Art]

This is such a fun idea!

[@MonkeShrubb]

14:51 ah yes, my favourite strategy…. Bend reality

[@HollowPass]

This is so good

[@void1359]

This has so much potential for things like a coop any% TAS, etc Also interesting that you chose to have two of the knight on the goal of happy couple. Also curious to see the routing on this. Thanks for another awesome TAS, Jarlyk!

[@jarlyk]

The idea actually originated with a TASer on the Discord who wanted to route and do a coop any% TAS. Unfortunately the project never made it super far (a full game TAS is a ridiculous amount of work.) Plain any% isn't really gimmicky enough for my taste, but Happy Couple fits with it thematically and I'd be wanting to do a run that saves a bunch of grubs for a while.

[@void1359]

​@@jarlykaw, that's a shame, though it is understandable. My hope was that in coop the route might have changed significantly. I take it it does not, and just ends up being the same thing but twice as fast. Not wanting to work on that is understandable, again

[@josiahswanson1]

I love the voiceover jarlyk you’re my new favorite hk youtuber 😭😭

[@MarbleOceans]

What a lovely idea for a TAS :)

[@theworldsperson5705]

Now hollow knight TAS is getting more action than me? 😔 man

[@M3rcur1i]

It was beautiful.

[@salamanteri_]

The fast and furious couple. Sorry I had to. TAS is always fun to watch and your commentary just adds more to the run. Routing this must've been interesting.

[@KaeraNeko]

I actually managed to do the double aspid kill with the stalactite a couple days ago, and it made me feel awesome :3

[@FracturedStaffOfArmadyl]

This tas is insane and wonderful!

[@ashoka7273]

Very enjoyable watch! Idk if its against some sort of ruleset (considering this is a fun TAS) But actually giving Bob and Alice skins would have made it easier to keep them apart (I assume the bow & tie changes were done during editing)

[@thecynicalone7655]

I can't wait for their next cryotography paper!

[@Noah-gz8qm]

nice job :D

[@cccc8141]

Hey Jarlyk, awesome TAS! I actually had an idea for another, if it sounds interesting, although defineitly a bit slow. A no soul run would be really cool to see TAS'd, and I dont mean no spells, I mean no gaining soul period. Sample did a video of it and it has some parts you could probably speed up or branch from, and I feel itd be cool to see perfected!

[@asherdemareuil8188]

So cool that there is 2 TAS

[@genericuser5523]

Man TAS are always stupidly fun to watch

[@ZTNerd]

actually, wedding planning usually really is this hectic (from what ive heard, at least). fantastic tas!

[@richmond7660]

lets go a new TAS

[@ryanrising2237]

Aww, now those are some dedicated wing(men? wingknights?) :’)

[@user-cm5sl5mm7g]

It's amazing)

[@Phantom_Buggo]

Gay% is best speedrun

[@jovi_monet]

:D

[@Themischievousmuffin]

>:D

[@aceofblades1677]

Joyous.

[@kokodi01]

Hello and welcome to another episode of "What we doin without Silksong"!

[@saamady]

My brain is hurting just imagining how you route something like this

[@shrubb6999]

What in the world, what are those diagonal dashes 10:20 , ive never seen that before, also cool TAS, i like the 2 player idea Idk if you explained in video lol 💀 i watched the whole thing without audio

[@jarlyk]

when you downdash immediately after a wall jump, the wall jump horizontal kick adds to the downdash motion and you move diagonally

[@shrubb6999]

​@@jarlykoh interesting, thats what i guessed was happening, i will also assume this is fixed in current patch and not do any research myself 👽

[@Hamstiefan]

I hope you make more combined tas in the future

[@user-fr4hg8md5p]

Your getting married and your going to like it!” -the knight

[@Voidbear_FNaF_and_Undertale]

The colosseum in this made me realize that you can fight infected gruzzers before you can infect crossroads. Also that you had full health fury the entire second one (and if you pointed that out, sorry, there were a few moments life distracted me from the video)

[@cantsu]

this is so cool but also so beyond me, TASing already fries my brain but having 2 players in one TAS is something else..

[@darkraivader8487]

Such a cool Idee for a TAS

[@clarfonthey]

What a happy couple

[@chaseashby8585]

boy I sure do love me some good ol' reality manipulation

[@Ryu-kq6qr]

He should have named the video “Happy Couple, but Twice as TASt”

[@therilyncobrin2372]

this is such a fun video, the synced co-op tas adds a really fun element. small critique, the game audio makes it a little hard to hear your commentary at times, so it would have been nice to have the game audio at least a little quieter than your voice.

[@melonpop_5303]

i love thisssssssss

[@metroidnerd9001]

Now that Alice and Bob have played matchmaker, are they going to teach them about cryptography and cybersecurity? Jokes aside, this TAS was great.

[@BadChess56]

LOL probably few understand. I love cryptography; I would teach them.

[@Eratic_Pulse]

why didnt i see this?! its so cool!1!!

[@blastlightstar]

AAAHHHHH THE TIMING

[@vulmar1]

Lovely video, the game sounds are quite loud compared to your voice though.

[@die_mango367]

Very cool TAS, it would be very cool if you can do a 2 player 120% APB TAS

[@zworx5236]

This joke wasn't made, so I feel the need to make it: TAS de-dark is better than the knight's (ddark).

[@cryolitegem]

Talk about Speed Dating