Super Mario sets a new world record in speedrunning.

Super Mario Updates: Crescendo, a highly ambitious speedrunner, has accomplished an enormously tough feat: breaking the world record speedrun for Super Mario Bros. while blindfolded. The determined player managed to beat the previous world record by over three minutes, making an already difficult feat much more amazing.

Each year, some experienced speedsters take on the challenge of blindfolded Mario speedrunning. While only a small percentage of people succeed in breaking world records in this area, those who do get lifetime bragging rights (or until someone new comes along and dethrones them).

Speedruns are usually achieved not just by understanding the game’s gameplay, but also by studying the game’s architecture inside and out, exploiting bugs and design flaws to save the speedrunner precious seconds, or even semi-seconds of time. A solid grasp of the game’s audio queues, sound design, and area-specific music is essential for those who prefer to speedrun a game blindfolded.

As initially reported by Eurogamer, Crescendo revealed himself to be one of these excellent and educated players when he conquered the original Super Mario Bros. blindfolded in just eleven minutes and fifty-five seconds.

Super Mario speedrunning

Eurogamer

While the normal Super Mario speedrun record was established in less than five minutes, today set the previous mark for a blinded speedrun in just under fifteen minutes. Crescendo made eager to give viewers a thorough overview of his setup following his triumph, guaranteeing that he did not participate in any deception to set the record.

Crescendo’s careful attention to detail and laser focus were critical factors in his triumph. He used the typical exploits and secrets, such as the renowned hidden Warp Room in World 1-2, which allows players to skip levels, as well as several other creative strategies.

He counts out loud at one point to see how close he is to a critical jump. He also utilizes the fireball powerup to judge the distance between Mario and approaching obstacles in another game. These deft tactics demonstrate that, rather than relying on dishonest cheaters, Crescendo makes use of his ingenuity.

Players like Crescendo demonstrate to the gaming community that no matter how old a game is, it can still elicit unbounded delight from its users, even if only inadvertently. If video games are a marriage of technology and art, competent speedrunners show how the technological constraints and mechanics of these works of art may be recontextualized into unique objects of enjoyment.

Speedrunning culture is built on competition, therefore it’s just a matter of time before a fresh challenger defeats Super Mario Bros. in a world record time.