Photo: Gorodenkoff (Shutterstock)
So, I’m really bad at video games. Elden Ring proved too much for me: I couldn’t stop dying. Everything I tried, every path I took, seemingly placed me in front of enemies that would best me at every turn. I imagine, then, that I won’t be invited to join one of gaming’s most exclusive clubs. It’s not enough to beat a game like Elden Ring without dying. You need to beat it without getting hit.
Team Hitless is an exclusive club with one major requirement: You must complete one No-Hit Run based on Team Hitless’ list of rules and approved games. As the name implies, a No-Hit Run is a playthrough of a video game where you take zero damage from enemies. In order to succeed, you need to avoid each and every attack, and make it from start to finish unscathed. It’s intense.
There are caveats: The damage that disqualifies a run has to come from enemies in the game. Falling damage, for example, doesn’t count (although dying from falling does). If you block an enemy attack, that counts as a hit, but if you execute a perfect parry, you’re good. Of course, glitches and other hacks are not allowed. There’s also a more difficult challenge called a No Damage Run, in which no damage is allowed. If you take damage when falling, for example, reset your game. You can see a full list of the general rules here, including the specific rules for each available game.
Each game also has its own list of challenges, including battling all bosses, or playing multiple games together back-to-back. Recently, Twitch streamer Dinossindgeil completed the “God Run,” a challenge that involves playing through all seven FromSoftware games without taking a single hit. As impressive as that was, it was the third time someone had completed it. Some of these challenges no one has bested, which make them compelling to try to complete.
It’s one thing to do a No-Hit Run in a simple game. The original Super Mario Bros. comes to mind as a reasonable goal (with enough practice, anyway). But Team Hitless isn’t interested in your Mario No-Hit Run, nor No-Hit Runs for most games. In order to join their team, you need to successfully complete a No-Hit Run in one of the following 22 games.
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BloodborneCelesteCrash BandicootCrash Bandicoot 2Crash Bandicoot 3Crash Bandicoot 4CupheadDark SoulsDark Souls IIDark Souls IIIDemon’s SoulsElden RingHadesHollow KnightResident EvilResident Evil 2Resident Evil 3Resident Evil 4Resident Evil 7Resident Evil 8SekiroThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildIt’s no accident many of these games are notoriously difficult. FromSoftware’s seven games are infamous. The thought of me attempting an Elden Ring No-Hit Run is hysterical.
If you’re not like me, though, and think you have a shot at joining Team Hitless, you should note the club takes submissions very seriously. For a first time submission, you need to show off your run in one recorded high-quality stream on either Twitch or YouTube. If the team feels any of their rules were broken, or that cheating was involved in any way, your submission will be thrown out. Again, you can check the full rules on Team Hitless’ page here.
As of this article, there are 1,035 members of Team Hitness, each with their own No-Hit record of games. You can browse the members here, and see which games and challenges they completed. Who knows, maybe you’ll be member 1,036. I certainly won’t be.
