Super Mario Bros. speedrunner sets a new world record on a PC using keyboard controls and boldly proclaims they're 'now 0.3 seconds off of absolute perfection'

pcgamer.com:

The Super Mario Bros. speedrunner Niftski has achieved a new world record for the classic Nintendo title on a PC emulator, setting a time of 4:54.565 in the «any%» category. You may well be wondering why I'm bothering to include the hundredths of a second: So many talented players attempt to do something with Super Mario Bros. that new records in the game are measured in individual frames (thanks, Time Extension).

Super Mario Bros. has always been one of the most popular games to speedrun, probably because it's so ubiquitous, is arguably the first true classic of 2D platforming, and has a bunch of neat tricks that experienced runners love. Niftski's run is a masterclass in stitching together pixel-perfect hops and glitches and the absolute nerves of steel needed not to screw it up in 8-4, the game's last level.

Screwing it up in 8-4 had, unfortunately, been something of a theme for Niftski in the days leading up to the new record, with the streamer experiencing some rotten luck and frustration. The world record run begins with the runner joking about his chances with the chat while executing long looped jumps over piranha plants and jamming Mario into pipes, before the tone begins to slowly shift, both Niftski and the audience realising that this is a good one, and he's hitting every beat and frame skip perfectly.

8-4 is not just crammed with lots of fast-moving enemies and deadly obstacles, but requires several unusual strats worked together for the most optimal route. There's a moment in 8-4 where he's briefly underwater, dodging Bloobers and fire chains with exquisite stroke momentum, where the intensity reaches a fever pitch and Niftski's soon praying for Bowser: Soon enough he's at Bowser and like all true speedrunners blazes right past him and crashes into the axe.

Then the yelling: If you do watch the video, maybe get the volume control ready for the end of the run. It's abundantly clear how much this means for Niftski, who basically spends the next two