You've gotta watch this impressive Super Mario Bros. playthrough by speedrunner "Blubbler." Blubbler beats the game in a bewildering 4:57.69.


Previously, the world record for an "any percentage" completion run was held by andrewg, according to the SMB Leaderboards Wiki. The time? 4:58:09. A second can make all the difference in a speedrun!

Here, the speedier time is chalked up to a lucky bullet bill glitch used in Blubbler's run at level 8-2, which allowed Blubber to skip the walk to the castle.


Curious about the particulars of runs like this one? You should check out the Speed Demos Archive page on Super Mario Bros., which details some of the techniques and strategies used in speedruns such as this one.

And in case you're confused about how the timing is measured in this run, it starts when the timer appears in level 1-1, and it ends when Mario hits the axe in 8-4.