Speedrunner Breaks Super Mario Bros. World Record While Dressed as the Italian Plumber, Now Just 2 Frames From Theoretical Perfect Run

Niftski, the current Super Mario Bros. world record holder, shattered his own record during a Halloween livestream while dressed as Mario. Speaking in character, he quipped, "Hopefully I don't get this today because that would be very stupid." His Halloween run, available on Niftski's YouTube channel, shaved an impressive 0.33 seconds off the previous record — just 2 frames away from a perfect run.

The 4:54.299 SMB1 ANY% WORLD RECORD was achieved, and Niftski admitted that he was in disbelief at his accomplishment, stating, "It doesn't even feel real that I actually achieved this, but here we are."

Only 2 frames, or 33 milliseconds, separate this run from a perfect run, also known as a TAS tie. Niftski explained that those two frames were lost early in the run due to fast accelerations in the first and second rooms, costing him one frame each. Should there be no further strategies to significantly reduce the time, that leaves just those two frames to beat. This means there could be only two milliseconds left, and thus, only two more world records within the category.

Fans expressed their excitement, with one asking, "Will this be like the first ever game perfected? Like what's gonna happen once someone matches the TAS? It's just over?" Niftski's Halloween run earned him the title of the best Mario impression ever, with frame-perfect hands, but not-so-perfect voice. As the speedrunner sits alone at the top of the records, it seems he may be the only one who can beat himself, dressed as Mario.

He holds the records for warpless, glitchless, and the "any percent" category, which is a race to the end by any means necessary, using exploits and glitches. Niftski's Halloween run took his previous record of 4:54:332 down to 4:54:229, setting a new world record in minutes, seconds, and milliseconds.