Super Mario Bros: A NES Speedrunning Special

Like the total dorks we are, we’ve taken a keen interest in speedrunning video games lately.

This has become a phenomenon in recent years as gamers the world over look to smash world records, often through the most inconceivable, game breaking, inexplicable methods imaginable.

Today, we’re looking at one of the most famous video games of them all and how it’s been thrashed under the five-minute mark.

Super Mario Bros. World Record

Released in 1985, Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. really shook up the gaming world. It was a landmark title.

In this era, of course, it looks primitive, but it’s still an enjoyable game. Its legacy is still felt to this day. But in recent years, asides from celebrating its 30th anniversary, speedrunners have taken to it in a frenzy to lower its completion time.

Now, speedrunning is about much more than clearing a game as quickly as possible. Sure, that’s the ultimate goal, but players dive into a respective title and look to “break” it.

In other words, they hunt for bugs that allow them to skip huge chunks of a game and knock a lot of time off.

Consequently, as you can see with the current world record above, a decade of (some would say mindless) hunting for glitches has led to a sub-five minute time.

The amount of skill that goes into achieving such a time is incredible – a lot of practice and an intricate knowledge of timing jumps to perfection is required.

You can laugh at these geeks if you wish, but these geeks are proud of their achievements and have an army of followers.

Now, we last played Super Mario Bros. last year and completed it in 45 minutes.

It’s a tough game. Not everyone has the ability to take the times down to such extreme lengths, so the very best speedrunners become celebrities in the gaming community.

Money and adoration can come your way… you’re just going to need some mega skills to get them.