Super Mario 64, the iconic game known for its speedrunning community, has recently seen two new world records in the 120-star category. These impressive runs are a result of a newly discovered strategy called “carpetless,” which allows players to bypass time-consuming autoscrolling sections. The incorporation of this strategy has breathed new life into the game and showcases the dedication and passion of the speedrunning community.
In Super Mario 64, there are several autoscrolling sections that players have found shortcuts for, except for one: Rainbow Ride. This level requires players to ride a slow-moving magic carpet for 50 seconds to reach a star on top of a massive house. It’s a tedious and time-consuming task. However, a player named Krithalith discovered a way to reach the top of the house without using the magic carpet, introducing the carpetless strategy.
The carpetless strategy involves getting to the side window of the house and performing precise movements to scale the big house and reach the star. The movements are designed to be consistent and avoid frustrating diagonal inputs. With practice, top speedrunners like Simply and Suigi started incorporating this strategy into their runs, knowing it would lead to faster times.
The first breakthrough came on October 12 when puncayshun achieved a final time of 1:37:34, beating the previous world record by a single second. This run was significant as it was the first time carpetless was used in a world record run. The speedrunning community was amazed by the clean execution of the strategy and the potential it held for future records.
Just five days later, on October 17, Karin surpassed puncayshun’s record with a time of 1:37:32. Despite a small setback at the beginning of the carpetless strategy, Karin managed to shave off an additional two seconds to claim the current world record. This rapid succession of record-breaking runs within a week highlights the impact of the carpetless strategy and the potential it offers for speedrunners.
Previously, Weegee held the 120-star world record for 11 months. The fact that two clean runs utilizing carpetless surpassed this record in such a short span of time demonstrates the significance of this new strategy. It has opened up the competition, making any high-level runner a viable threat for the title of world record holder.
The Super Mario 64 community is buzzing with excitement over these new records and the possibilities that shortcuts like carpetless bring to the game. While the strategy is challenging, the dedication of speedrunners remains unwavering. This is an incredible time to be a Super Mario 64 fan, as new strategies continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in speedrunning.
Source: DOTESPORTS
