A Super Mario 64 speedrunner has finally found a way to get the “impossible” 1-Up without throwing Mario into the void afterwards.
It’s only been 27 years (yes, it’s been that long since Super Mario 64 came out), but a very dedicated speedster has achieved what was once thought impossible. YouTuber PaLiX _ shared footage of them getting the 1-Up mushroom found in the Nintendo 64 game’s Cool, Cool Mountain slider level.
As explained in the video description, in Super Mario 64’s Cool, Cool Mountain level slide shortcut, there is a 1-Up mushroom that comes out of the tunnel before players can reach it. There was a way to activate the tricky power-up, but not survive the rest of the level, as Mario had to throw himself down the slide and into the depths to catch the 1-Up. That is to say so far anyway.
In PaLiX_’s video, which can be seen below, the speedster immediately launches Mario past the level of the game and freefalls him to the finish line of the course. This is where the YouTuber’s patience must have been tested, as he had Mario jump over the wall multiple times over a period of an hour and a half. It’s an hour and a half of “whoop!” “Yeah!” “hoo!” of Nintendo’s mascot – I can still hear it fine after watching the video.
However, if you manage to endure the hour and a half of wall jumping, Super Mario 64 will fail and allow the player to place Mario in the sweet spot to grab the 1-Up and complete the race. However, it’s important to note that, as the title of the video explains, this was a “tool-assisted speed run”, so it’s not yet clear if this can be done without aid.
That doesn’t take away from the impressive achievement of this nearly 30-year-old achievement, as evidenced by comments on this Reddit post (opens in a new tab) and comments on PaLiX’s video _, fans of Super Mario 64 are just as in awe of what the speedrunner has managed to accomplish.
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