Perhaps you‘ve enjoyed hopping and bopping through the colorful 3D worlds of Super Mario 64 during your childhood. But have you seen what modern speedrunning savants can accomplish in Mario‘s seminal sandbox? Brace yourself for a wild ride.
The Shocking New Record Upending Over 25 Years of History
A relatively unknown player named Suigi has accomplushed something remarkable – the first ever sub 18 minute run of Super Mario 64 collecting only 16 of 120 possible Stars. By exploiting glitches, physics quirks and masterful technique, Suigi conquered one of gaming‘s iconic feats nearly 15 seconds faster than the previous world record in a nerve-wracking stream viewed live by thousands.
To put this into perspective, shaving off even a single second in a highly optimized run is considered legendary. 15 seconds borders on impossible – or so we thought. Dedicated fans have analyzed and dissected Mario 64 for decades since its revolutionary 1996 release, creating one of speedrunning‘s most competitive scenes. Many records had not budged in years. But here emerges a new prodigy redefining the limits of human and Mario capabilities.
The Art of Speedrunning
Before we dive deeper, let‘s demystify speedrunning. The concept involves playing through games as fast as electronically possible by utilizing in-depth knowledge of exploits, glitches and fundamentals. Think tool-assisted superplay. Speedrunning requires tremendous dexterity, pattern recognition, creativity and patience acquired from endless hours of practice.
Speedruns come in many categories based on type of completion, use of glitches etc:
| Category | Description |
| Any% | Complete the game with minimal milestones via any means |
| 100% | Fully complete everything – all collectibles, quests etc |
| Low% | Complete the game with the lowest possible upgrades |
| Glitchless | Complete the game without using glitches |
The choice comes down to preference. Do you want to focus on sheer speed or imposing restrictions on yourself? Now let‘s examine why Mario 64 specifically has captivated speedrunners for decades.
The Cultural Phenomenon of Super Mario 64
Can you believe it‘s been over 25 years since Mario first debuted in 3D with the launch of the Nintendo 64? I still remember vividly the magic and wonder of exploring Mario‘s new open-ended worlds in 360 degrees of analogue freedom.
Mario began his 3D adventure in 1996 – image source: interesting-facts.com
Developer Nintendo took a massive risk evolving one of gaming‘s most beloved mascots into untested 3D terrain. But the gamble paid off enormously thanks to legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto‘s genius. Simply put, Mario 64 delivered an utterly groundbreaking template for 3D platformers focused on progression via collecting Stars. The controls, camera, level design and sheer joy of movement felt pitch perfect.
Enchanting locations like Bob-omb Battlefield and Dire Dire Docks left imprints on our memories. Uncovering every hidden nook and cranny became an obsession for millions. This masterpiece remains one of the highest rated games 25 years later as both a nostalgic time capsule and an immortal icon of substance, charm and challenge.
So how does Mario 64 inspire such a bustling speedrunning culture even today? Beyond the strength of its core design, Mario 64 stands out for enabling seemingly limitless sequence breaking by creatively bending its rules. The advanced techniques and glitches used by speedrunners unveil gameplay depths developers likely never intended! Now let‘s break down exactly how Suigi accomplished the impossible.
Demystifying The Magic Tricks
Successfully speedrunning Mario 64 requires intricate knowledge of glitches and unintended quirks that break sequence. Common tricks include:
Backward Long Jumps – Chaining jumps facing away from ledges accelerates Mario rapidly using leftover momentum. This allows sequence breaking barriers.
Wall Kicks – Wall jumping while twirling extends air time and height beyond normal constraints. Also enables climbing vertical surfaces.
Clipping – Briefly sticking body parts into walls while levels load tricks the game into placing Mario past boundaries.
Mastering clips and physics oddities through endless repetition allows our magician Suigi to essentially teleport across Mario 64, making a complete mockery of normal routes. Most tournament viable speedruns mandate playing on original 90s Nintendo hardware. So no emulation tools are permitted. Incredibly, Suigi achieved this feat at merely 18 years old – 13 years before he was even born when Mario 64 released!
Frame By Frame Brilliance: Inside The 16 Star Run
Let‘s analyze the masterful execution within Suigi‘s record-smashing 16 star run:
Mere seconds after spawning into Peach‘s Castle, Suigi effortlessly clips through the floor saving massive time. He blazes through Bob-omb Battlefield in under 50 seconds via perfectly angle backward long jumps – setting an absurd pace. One minor mistake here could spell doom.
Through the second Bowser encounter, Suigi establishes an enormous 90 second lead. Then disaster strikes when fiery Mario burns in poison costing 5 painful seconds. Undaunted, his composure holds firm, tactics clearly unclouded by pressure.
More accelerated wall kicks and backward jumps through Rainbow Ride and the record enters grasp. The final clock? An astonishing 17 minutes 41 seconds. The first sub 18 minute time ever recorded. Over 15 seconds quicker than one of the most optimized speedruns in history. Simply monumental.
I rewatched Suigi‘s run frame by frame in stunned disbelief. No wasted motions. Pixel perfect precision. Sheer elegance and consistency despite unrelenting tension. His other Mario records affirm generational talent bidding to become the G.O.A.T. If you also feel inspired to test your own Mario mettle, I assure you – the magical feelings of childhood wonder return tenfold when you nail that perfect run. Now press start and let the blades of grass beneath those shoes ignite fire in your soul once again!
