Fan covers of video game music are nothing new by this point, but that doesn’t make them any less awesome. We’ve seen metal covers, beautiful acoustic covers, and NES cartridge harmonicas, but rarely have we seen someone so dedicated to conveying every sound in a game.

Using nothing more than two pianos, this niconico video user plays both the in-game audio and the sound effects. As one commenter put it, “This was so amazing, I almost forgot to comment!”

Like YouTube, niconico video has no shortage of music videos produced by talented amateurs who make even professional musicians stop and say “Wow!” Among them is the talented pianist Zimuin G (“Office Worker G”), who has produced a number of songs on niconico video both by himself and with others like this and this. However, his recent Mario Kart 8 is what has really captured people’s attention.

In addition to recreating the Mario Kart theme song and the in-game music on two (yes, two!) pianos, Zimuin G also manages to capture every sound effect from nabbing coins to going off ramps. He obviously did not play both pianos simultaneously, but we’re still stunned by how effortlessly (and beautifully) he’s reproduced the game music experience. It really makes you wish “live game music accompaniment” were an option every time you fired up your console or PC.

But don’t take our word for it, give it a listen with the video player below!

And for comparison purposes, here’s the same video with the game audio turned on. It’s quite a bit more cacophonous, so we wouldn’t blame you for skipping it.

If you’re as impressed as we are, you may be thinking, “Gee, that sure was neato, but I just wish I could see Zimuin G perform live!” Well, if you’ll be in Osaka or Tokyo next month, you’ll have the chance to see him performing his “Office Workers Sure Have It Tough” show, along with guest musicians. This is apparently the first time he’s performed in four years–so the show title is no lie! Tickets are available here.

And if you happen to have 30 minutes to spare, why not watch “Studio Ghibli complete piano Medley by ZimuinG 1984〜2013” and reminisce about all your favorite anime movies?

Sources: niconico news, niconico video

Images: niconico video