The Any% category for Super Mario Bros. is regarded as one of the most remarkable aspects of the speedrunning community, especially since this classic game has been around for an impressive 40 years. Athletes in this field are constantly discovering new techniques to set new records. In this year alone, numerous world records have been shattered as competitors get ever closer to achieving a flawless run.
For Super Mario Bros., the pinnacle of perfection is represented by a tool-assisted speedrun (TAS) time of 4:54.26. This time reflects the theoretical quickest completion of the game, where specific inputs must be executed with utmost precision at the right frames. Currently, the speedrunner closest to this ideal is Niftski, who has just achieved yet another Any% record for the third time this year. It’s astonishing considering the game was originally released back in 1985.
Niftski was previously just 18 frames away from the TAS record in January when he improved upon his personal best. Following that, speedrunner averge11 broke a four-year record streak with a time just 15 frames short of the TAS benchmark. However, the record quickly switched back to Niftski a few weeks later.
A New Record Holder Emerges
After four years, there’s a fresh world record holder in the Super Mario Bros. speedrun community: “We are now only 15 frames away from a perfect speedrun.”
Remarkable Achievements in Speedrunning
In a stunning feat, a speedrunner not only surpassed the platformer’s previous world record by a whopping five seconds, marking the most significant leap in a decade, but also reignited interest in the game.
The legendary speedrunner has made a triumphant return to one of the most challenging categories, motivated by a $5,000 bounty, and astonishingly sets two world records in one day, declaring, “If this isn’t proof that I’m him, I don’t know what is.”
Niftski has now pushed himself to just 11 frames away from perfection with a stunning run of 4:54.448 during a recent streaming session. “Oh my god, dude,” he exclaimed following an incredible jump over Bowser’s head in record time. “Not dot three, dude. I really wanted that to be dot three. Or I’d be popping off so much harder right now. But let’s go!”
Indicating that he has no intention of stopping, Niftski continued to stream for an additional hour after shattering his own record. “This is just the beginning; more to come soon,” he stated in a tweet.
Unveiling Hidden Levels
In a surprising twist, enthusiasts have discovered previously inaccessible Super Mario Bros. levels that have been hidden away on their childhood SNES cartridges for over 30 years. This incredible find has led to the emergence of “legendary Mario scientists” working to uncover these secrets set in a surreal, cyberpunk landscape.