Godlike Streamer Is First To Complete Brutal $20K Halo 2 Challenge

Modern games may look prettier and prettier, but their predecessors still have plenty to offer gamers a challenge. Even massively popular franchises like Halo have some challenges that have henceforth been considered impossible. Case in point, popular streamer Charlie ‘Cr1TiKal’ White noticed no player seems to have completed a deathless solo playthrough of Halo 2 with all of its difficulty-increasing skulls activated. Cr1TiKal initially issued a $5,000 bounty before raising the bar to a cool $20,000 in an effort to see someone, somewhere accomplish it.

To put the scope of this challenge in perspective, consider that the 2004 release is the best-selling first-generation Xbox title with over 8 million copies sold. It is widely regarded for its influence on multiplayer gaming, but its campaign is just as memorable. During the campaign, players can find 14 hidden skulls with wide-ranging effects. Some increase enemy rank and difficulty, while others sabotage you by hiding your weapons and radar from view. The only skull off-limits to this challenge is Envy which allows the player to become camouflaged at will.

Previously, the best-known attempt was performed by JerValiN in 2020. He was the first to complete a run without dying, but he had every skull active including Envy. Cr1TiKal acknowledged this run when he laid down the gauntlet, demonstrating confidence in the extra level of difficulty added by removing Envy. “It makes the goddamn thing nearly unbeatable,” Cr1TiKal warned at the time. By his own admission, Cr1TiKal cannot clear beyond the first couple rooms with his ruleset in place.

Well, the “hardest challenge in gaming” has now been conquered by none other than JerValiN himself. In a six-and-a-half-hour slog on stream, JerValiN leveraged every trick in his arsenal while staying within the bounds of the rules. While cheats, save states, and other technical helpers are outlawed, Cr1TiKal does allow the use of in-game glitches. That really does not take away from this feat in any way, mind you. It still took JerValiN alone weeks’ worth of failed attempts before finding success. Countless other failed to complete even the first mission.

While there were many heart stopping moments along the way, his final assault involved glitching a Banshee ship into the final boss fight. He nearly lost it immediately to an enemy Brute dodging his grenade onslaught, but regained composure to put down the boss Tartarus and claim the $20,000 purse.

What other impossible feats of gaming remain unconquered that you would like to see attempted?