The fastest record for beating the original Super Mario Bros. for the NES was previously four minutes and 55 seconds. This record has been unbeatable for two years, to the point that there are forum discussions about achieving a 4 minutes and 54 seconds run. The debates ended, as Twitch streamer Niftski managed to finish the game at 4:54:97, toppling the multiple 4:55 records in the speedrun records, as Polygon details:
Theoretically, a faster time has always been possible. At least, that’s what tool-assisted speedruns, which can be written frame by frame, tell the experts. The question was whether or not an actual human could improve on what is already an extremely optimized run that requires pixel-perfect control. Already, a 4:55 time is nearly flawless compared to what a computer can achieve (4:54.26, for those keeping track.)
And now, in 2021, someone has. The new record, which is being called historic by the community, was achieved by Twitch streamer Niftski. Clocking in at 4:54:97, it is now the fastest anyone has beaten Super Mario Bros.
“This is insane,” Niftski said during the stream. “It hit me, but it hasn’t hit me fully.”
Now that the seemingly impossible has been achieved, the streamer ended his broadcast by announcing that he was developing new 2021 goals for the game.
Image via Gaming Age