There's a near seven minute video showcasing how a certain gamer managed to blast through Super Mario Bros and conquer the game in record time. The video offers a look how to achieve the record and the kind of skills necessary to make it happen.
YouTuber darbian posted the above video, showing off his world record run in Super Mario Bros, along with the caption:
I have reached my potential in this category - I'm done! My quest is over.
He shows a steep dedication to the craft, running through the final segments of the game with exquisite skill to boot. After finally beating the boss and getting to the end, darbian jumps up and celebrates as Mario reaches Peach.
Beating world records is no easy task in the world of speedrunning, and darbian manages to hit strides in his run, taking every shortcut possible and blasting through Super Mario's world with precision and grace.
In fact, darbian takes things a step further by breaking down every single tactic and strategy used to complete the speedrun in a tutorial video that spans the likes of two whole hours, where he discusses the ins and outs of how to do a successful run. You can check it out below.
It's fascinating that there are different versions of Super Mario Bros, and for some games different versions can alter the speedrun. In this particular case, darbian notes in the tutorial that each version of Super Mario Bros is fine for speedrunning using the particular methods in the video.
One of the fascinating things that's discussed in the speedrun is the flagpole. People were questioning darbian why he jumps at the top of the flagpole at the end of each level instead of the bottom. Most people think that jumping at the bottom would make the run faster instead of jumping on the top and sliding down. However, it's explained that no matter where Mario lands on the pole, he still has to wait for the flag to come down, so technically the time is exactly the same when waiting for the flag. However, the real trick is that it takes longer to hop off the platform and jump to the bottom than it does to run and jump at the top.
The tutorial doesn't go through the entire game from start to finish, but rather focuses on the tactics that can be used in order to complete a potential world record run. This isn't to say that you'll be able to watch the tutorial and then execute a run like the one at the very top of the article, but it is to say that you can practice and potentially become a force in the world of Super Mario Bros speedrunning on the NES.
