New Super Mario 64 speedrunning technique leads to world-record time

It seems like speedrunners will be pushing Super Mario 64 to its limits from now until the end of time. There are a ton of speedrunners out there who are constantly looking to improve times and runs, and a major achievement has resulted in a brand-new world record.

The new world-record for a 120-star run in Super Mario 64 now sits at 1:36:48.5, achieved by Karinpune. This is the first sub-1:37 time ever, and it’s all thanks to a ‘carpetless’ trick that speedrunners have been trying to crack for decades now.

All the way back in 2009, speedrunners knew that a carpetless run in Super Mario 64 was technically possible, but no one could pull it off reliably. The trick involved skipping the carpet ride in Rainbow Ride’s ‘Big House in the Sky’ challenge, but it proved too challenging to pull off, and a miss on this section would instantly spell doom for a speedrun attempt.

In the new run by Karinpune, a fresh route has been discovered that skips the carpet ride through a series of well-placed jumps. The triple jumps and wall kicks required to achieve this skip are incredibly taxing, but more importantly, they are a reliable method for those who practice. Now that the footage is out there and the method can be analyzed, expect 120-star speedruns to heat up once again!