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Speedrunner Breaks Super Mario Bros. World Record While Dressed as the Italian Plumber, Now Just 2 Frames From Theoretical Perfect Run
Niftski set a new Super Mario Bros. “any percent” speedrunning world record during a Halloween livestream while dressed as Mario. He beat his own previous time by 0.33 seconds, bringing the record to 4:54.229 and leaving it just two frames short of a theorised perfect run.
Niftski said the two frames were lost through slightly mistimed accelerations in the first two rooms, one frame in each. If no further strategies can significantly improve the time, only two milliseconds remain between the record and the theoretical limit, meaning there may be only two more records possible in the category. Niftski also holds the warpless and glitchless records; he said pretending to be Mario helped him feel relaxed during the run.
In short
- Niftski lowered his own Super Mario Bros. record to 4:54.229.
- The run is two frames short of a theorised perfect time.
- He said dressing as Mario helped him stay relaxed.
Explained simply
Super Mario Bros. is a 1985 platform game in which players guide Mario through levels to rescue Princess Toadstool. Speedrunners try to finish the game as quickly as possible, using precise movements and knowledge of how the game works.
In the “any percent” category, the aim is to reach the ending by any route the rules allow. Niftski is a leading player in this category and also holds records for runs without warps or glitches.
The theoretical perfect time is a calculated benchmark based on the fastest known way to complete each part of the game. Comparing records with that benchmark helps show how much room may remain for faster runs, though new techniques could change what is considered possible.