WhenSuperMario 64first dropped for the Nintendo 64 back in 1996, it helped to usher in a new era in gaming and has remained an inspirational release ever since. Asone of the best 3D games of the 1990s, along with the likes ofOcarina of Time, it showed the world what was possible using development technologies at the time. Since then, the speedrunning community has taken this classic entry in the long-running series and made multiple efforts to smash world records in different categories, and sometimes these runs are done with one major disadvantage.
Recently, Twitch streamer Bubzia managed to do a speedrun ofMario 64. In a time of 11:22:43, they were able to collect all 120 stars that are scattered throughout the world. That may not sound impressive and may in fact even sound quite slow. However, they completed the playthrough while wearing a blindfold. Essentially, the run seemed less about completing the game as quickly as possible and more about gathering all the stars without being able to see.
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According to Bubzia, this also represents the first time someone has done something like this. While there have been numerousMario 64speedruns done while blindfolded, this attempt represents the first time someone has made a successful attempt at doing so in the 120 stars category. For anyone interested and who has half a day to spare, in the video below, the actual run begins at around the 41 minute mark and the entire stream lasts just under 13 hours. It’s a long run, for sure, but it also shows the patience that some people have to complete classic games with self-imposed challenges.
There are lots of ways for runners to completeMariogames in unique ways, such as the player who recently completedSuper Mario Bros. using just one hand. Given how long some of the older titles have been out, literal decades have passed during which fans have been able to get to grips with speedrunning them, finding new tactics, and shaving off valuable milliseconds. Of course, Bubzia’s attempt is less about speed and more about memory retention and sheer determination.
Mario 64isone of the best platformer games of all time, according to Metacritic, and remains a staple in the speedrunning community to this day. It helped the titular plumber make the leap from 2D to 3D during a time when gaming technology was moving forward, and the game is still beloved by many despite being more than a quarter of a century old.
