Super Meat Boy has cemented its reputation as one of the most challenging platformers in gaming history since its launch in 2010. It’s been a cornerstone of the masocore genre, but shockingly, no player had ever conquered the ultimate feat of completing the game without dying—until now. Just this past month, speedrunner shredberg made history by achieving this monumental challenge, even earning accolades from the game’s co-creator.
While players have certainly tackled individual sections of Super Meat Boy deathlessly, with achievements tied to completing specific worlds without a single slip-up, running through the entire game—including all the bonus levels for a total of 106% completion—is a different beast altogether. In a recent Reddit post, shredberg shared that it took an estimated “700-800 hours of grinding” to secure that final two-hour, deathless run in mid-December. They quipped, “I know I had to get at least like 100k deaths to be able to beat it with 0,” underlining the sheer dedication behind the accomplishment.
Edmund McMillen, who co-created Super Meat Boy and later developed the acclaimed roguelike The Binding of Isaac, recognized shredberg’s achievement with a simple yet heartfelt “Congrats!” on Twitter, adding a follow-up of “You are awesome” alongside a smiley face for good measure.
Given the notorious difficulty of Super Meat Boy, it’s astonishing that it took so long for someone to complete a full deathless run. Typically, ultrahard games rally masochistic gamers to take on ludicrous challenges right away, but this illustrates just how fearsome Super Meat Boy truly is.
As the journey through this punishing platformer continues, players and speedrunners alike will undoubtedly look to shredberg’s remarkable feat for inspiration.