[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ24UHbhFM8]
Super Mario Bros sped through in an astonishing, and record-breaking, 4:57.69 should cast anyone’s hopes and dreams of ever doing so down into the gutter.
When the clock begins with the timer appearing in Level 1-1, dialing down until Mario hits the axe in Level 8-4, it is a race to the finish.
Accomplished speedrunner, Blubbler, uploaded this behemoth accomplishment June 25 with brief snippets of his strategy outlined for fans of the craft to hone their own skills. Before this monumental achievement, the previously held world record for an “any percentage” speed run was held by andrewg, according to the Super Mario Bros Leaderboards Wiki. Who thwarted all preceding records (at that time) with an impressive 4:58:09. Despite all this, 40 seconds were all it took to cast this record down from the proverbial butcher block of speed-running lore.
These integral 40 seconds can be partially attributed to a bullet-bill glitch utilized during Blubbler’s speed run on level 8-2. This convenient circumvention allowed Blubbler to skip the walk to the castle, thus solidifying his place at the top of the list of times to beat.
Fans of the series can take a stab at it themselves by, first and foremost, studying (yes, studying) the tips and tricks which the greats have used before.
